Passengers flying with American Airlines will soon have another option to board the aircraft early. Beginning in March of 2023, customers enrolled in the carrier's frequent flyer program will be able to access higher boarding groups sooner than previously possible.

American Airlines recently overhauled its AAdvantage loyalty program. The revamp introduced its Loyalty Point Reward system, replacing the current Loyalty Choice Rewards as the currency for the program. A tentpole feature of the makeover is the possibility of earning perks at more frequent intervals.

AAdvantage members will unlock the first level or new rewards after earning only 15,000 Loyalty Points and before reaching AAdvantage Gold status. Those who reach the threshold will receive the benefit of Group 5 boarding for the membership year and the choice between two Loyalty Point Rewards:

• Priority check-in, security, and Group 4 boarding for one trip.
• Five preferred seat coupons.

The new incentive kicks off in March 2023 and removes the limit to the miles passengers can earn on a single ticket.

The existing boarding process

The oneworld alliance member currently has nine boarding categories in addition to preboarding. Group 1 passengers include guests traveling on a first class ticket, Active duty US military members with a military ID, AAdvantage Executive Platinum members, and business class passengers traveling internationally on a 2-class aircraft.

Boarding Group 2 comprises American Airlines' AAdvantage Platinum Pro members, customers with active oneworld Emerald status, and those traveling in business class on an aircraft with three or more cabins. Group 3 follows with AAdvantage Platinum members and oneworld Sapphire status holders.

The next group is where many travelers may find themselves next year. Priority check-in, security, and Group 4 boarding for one trip are one of the Loyalty Point Rewards for members who reach the first threshold in the program (the other being five preferred seat coupons). Other customers boarding in this group include AAdvantage Gold members, passengers with oneworld Ruby status, anyone traveling in premium economy, travelers who bought Priority boarding, eligible corporate travelers, and Citi / AAdvantage Executive cardmembers.

Discover more about the American Airlines reward program overhaul.

Group 5 boarding is bestowed on all AAdvantage members who accumulate more than 15,000 points in a year. They will share this block with those seated in Main Cabin Extra, excluding those traveling on a Basic Economy ticket and other eligible AAdvantage® credit card members.

Regardless of status level, all remaining AAdvantage members may board in Group 6. They are followed by those seated in economy class in Group 7. Passengers flying on basic economy fares into flights to and from Europe & South America are seated in Group 8. Those flying domestically or to Canada, Central America, Mexico, or the Caribbean are in Group 9.

American Airlines is not the only carrier to update its boarding process in recent days. Southwest Airlines, which notably does not assign seats, is now using data science to determine the fastest ways to board and understand where bottlenecks were likely to occur. The carrier trialed methods including dual-boarding and deplaning and allowing families to board first, permitting them time to settle in the rear of the plane.