American Airlines is testing a new technology at three airports across the country during the boarding process that aims to cut down on passengers who try to cut the line. The technology, which is being tested at New Mexico’s Albuquerque International Sunport airport, Arizona’s Tucson International airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National airport in Crystal City, Virginia, alerts gate agents with an audible sound if a passenger tries to scan a ticket ahead of their assigned group. “The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease and helps improve the boarding experience by providing greater visibility into boarding progress for our team,” American Airlines said in a statement emailed to the Associated Press. American Airlines said that a gate agent politely lets the customer know they’re unable to accept the pass and asks the customer to rejoin the line when their boarding group is called. In some instances where a customer may be able to board out of order, such as when traveling with a companion of higher status, the agent has a quick way to override the alert and accept the pass, American Airlines said in the statement. Although the technology is just in a trial phase, the airline said it has been pleased with the results so far.<br/>
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It may be some way off being loved again, and the ghosts of its tumultuous era may still linger, but the past year appears to have made a world of difference for Qantas’ revival – in the eyes of investors. Shareholders who attended its annual general meeting in Hobart on Friday were in a markedly better mood than this time last year, with its share price up by more than 60% to trade just above the $8 mark. One year ago, as Australia’s biggest airline emerged from pandemic disruptions to post record multibillion-dollar profits, shareholders delivered one of Australia’s largest-ever protest votes against executive pay, amid fury at a cascading string of scandals that precipitated the early retirement of its long-term CE Alan Joyce. At the 2023 AGM in Melbourne, the company’s executive pay deal was overwhelmingly rejected, with 83% of votes cast against, setting up the prospect of a vote to spill the airline’s board of directors if the remuneration plans were voted down again the following year. However, in Hobart on Friday, the 75% threshold of support was reached comfortably, which meant Qantas avoided a potential board spill. “The shareholders can’t complain – sure they might get lower dividends, but it’s a phenomenal rise [in share price],” said Tony Webber, the CE of the industry analyst firm Airline Intelligence & Research and a former chief economist at Qantas. “Their financials are clearly better, but they’ve achieved this by pissing off a lot of people … It’s still an active task to win back its reputation,” Webber said.<br/>