American Airlines is Changing Their Boarding Process

You’ll want to read this if you fly American Airlines a lot, simply to avoid confusion the next time you buy a ticket and it says you’re boarding in Group 5 or Group 6.

American is changing their boarding process. More accurately, they’re changing the names of the boarding groups.

Currently, when you’re at a gate waiting to board, those who board first are First Class passengers, active military, AAdvantage Executive Platinum, etc. Here’s a complete list of their boarding process as it is now:
​

• ConciergeKey members (Highest status you can get on American. Invite only)​
• First Class and active duty U.S. military with military I.D.
• Business Class, Executive Platinum and oneworld Emerald
• Platinum Pro, Platinum and oneworld Sapphire
• Gold and oneworld Ruby
• Alaska Airlines MVP members, AirPass, Citi/AAdvantage Executive cardmembers and passenger who bought Priority boarding
• Group 1: Main Cabin Extra and eligible AAdvantage credit cardmembers
• Group 2
• Group 3
  
• Group 4​ ​

Yeah, didn’t realize Group 1 boards after more than half the plane is already filled, did you?

Well, that’s all changing starting on March 1st of this year:

Pre-boarding:

• Concierge Key members

Priority boarding:

• Group 1: First Class and active U.S. Military with I.D.(Business Class on a 2-class international aircraft)
• Group 2: Executive Platinum and oneworld Emerald (Business Class on a 3-class aircraft)
• Group 3: Platinum Pro, Platinum and oneworld® Sapphire
• Group 4: Gold and oneworld® Ruby, Alaska Airlines MVP members, AirPass, Citi/ AAdvantage Executive cardmembers and passengers who bought Priority boarding

Main boarding lane:

• Group 5: Premium Economy, Main Cabin Extra, and eligible AAdvantage credit cardmembers
• Group 6 (current group 2)
• Group 7 (current group 3)
• Group 8 (current group 4)
• Group 9: Basic Economy

Bottom line

It certainly makes things more clear. You know where you stand when you get your ticket and boarding number. You now know that when you pay extra for Priority boarding, you’ll be in Group 4. So yeah, it’s about time they did this.

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