Source: American Airlines

Summer travel heats up soon, and American is focused on making the airport experience even simpler and more straightforward. Starting May 1, American will refine the boarding process by updating boarding groups and adding an additional five minutes of boarding time.

Updated groups for easier preboarding

American will preboard First and Business customers, along with those who need additional time before beginning to board by group, including families with children ages 2 and under. AAdvantage®status members keep the same group they use today when traveling in Main Cabin.

More time, less stress

In February, American announced it was adding five additional minutes of boarding time to domestic mainline flights beginning May 1. Slightly more time coupled with updated boarding groups will allow for a better paced boarding process and better management of overhead bin space, which means three key wins for the airline’s customers:

  1. Fewer carry-on bags will need to be checked at the departure gate.
  2. Customers will have more time to get settled and find their seats, and receive support from flight attendants when needed.
  3. Those in the premium cabin will experience the personalized service that they know and expect.

How much time will you get to board?

Airbus A319, A320 aircraft: 35 minutes

Boeing 737, Airbus A321 and all widebody aircraft: 40 minutes

Now boarding … your group!

These enhancements come on the heels of American’s industry-leading launch of new boarding technology last fall — and customer and team member feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Customers can fully enjoy the benefits of their assigned boarding group, and team members now have more insight into the number of customers in each group to maintain a steady boarding process. This technology is available to 90% of customers when boarding, including most of American’s major hubs, with the remaining 10% rolling out before the end of 2025.

Preboard ConciergeKey®
Preboard First/Business
Preboard Families with children ages 2 and under
Group 1 AAdvantage Executive Platinum®
Active duty U.S. military with military I.D.
Group 2 AAdvantage Platinum Pro®
oneworld® Emerald℠
Group 3 AAdvantage Platinum®
oneworld® Sapphire℠
Group 4 AAdvantage Gold®
oneworld® Ruby℠
AirPass℠
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive cardmembers
Group 5 Main Cabin Extra (excluding Basic Economy)
AAdvantage® members who earn 15,000 Loyalty Points
Eligible AAdvantage® credit cardmembers*
Group 6 AAdvantage® members
Group 7-8 Main Cabin
Group 9 Basic Economy

Want an earlier boarding group?

The more members fly and earn with the AAdvantage® program, the closer they get to unlocking premium perks — like boarding in Groups 1 through 4.