Report: American Airlines Moving Up Boarding Time

American Airlines is planning to begin boarding all of its domestic mainline flights five minutes earlier in an effort to improve efficiency, according to a report from The Points Guy this week.

Starting May 1, American will adjust its boarding process, with some flights set to begin boarding 35 minutes before departure for flights on Airbus A319 and A320 jets and 40 minutes prior for flights on Boeing 737, A321, 777, and 787 jets.

The airline says the additional five minutes will help streamline boarding for both crew and passengers, allowing more time for each of American’s nine boarding groups and making it easier for travelers to find overhead bin space for carry-ons.

American is not reducing the turnaround time between flights, known as the known as the minimum objective ground time (MOGT). Instead, the change is specifically aimed at making the boarding process smoother without affecting the overall turnaround schedule.

TMR has reached out to American Airlines for comment.

Improving the boarding process has been a focus for American in recent months. Last year, the airline introduced a policy cracking down on gate-jumpers, rolling out new technology at more than 100 non-hub U.S. airports to prevent passengers from boarding before their designated group.

The system rejects an early boarding pass scan, triggers an audible alert to notify agents, and requires the passenger to step aside until their group is called.