Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

I got an email from American Airlines today that they are changing the way they board their planes, starting March 1st.  Thankfully it doesn’t appear to be anything too drastic – more a general tweaking.

Rather than their current process, which runs through the various elite levels, premium cabin passengers and then to the general public, they are moving to a system where everybody gets a number.

You can see the full boarding order / process here.

  • Preboarding – ConciergeKey members
  • Group 1 – First Class, Active duty U.S. military with military I.D., (Business Class on a 2-class international aircraft)
  • Group 2 – Executive Platinum, oneworld Emeralds, (Business Class on a 3-class aircraft)
  • Group 3 – Platinum Pro, Platinum, oneworld Sapphire
  • Group 4 – Gold, oneworld Ruby, Alaska Airlines MVP® members, AirPass, Premium Economy, Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive cardmembers, Customers who bought Priority boarding
  • Group 5 – Main Cabin Extra, Eligible AAdvantage® credit cardmembers, Eligible corporate travelers
  • Group 6 –
  • Group 7 –
  • Group 8 –
  • Group 9 – includes Basic Economy flights

So, those of us with Citi AAdvantage cards will continue to board essentially where we used to board, as the first people to board through the “main” lane.

I’m interested to see how this works in practice, since at least in non-hub outposts like I typically fly from, all the boarding groups tend to get lumped together…

Where will you board under the new American boarding order?


This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as thepointsguy.com. This may impact how and where links appear on this site. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners and I do not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers and other offers and benefits listed on this page. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Other links on this page may also pay me a commission - as always, thanks for your support if you use them

User Generated Content Disclosure: Points With a Crew encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.

BoardingArea