Travel Debates is a series in which our editors weigh in on the most contentious issues that arise in-transit, like whether you should ever switch seats on a plane or if you should check your work email while on vacation.
Few components of travel these days are as reliably lawless as the boarding process. The moment it commences, myriad travelers swarm from their seats into a jumbled suggestion of a queue line to rival that of a celebrity closet sale on the Lower East Side. Heedless of their zone assignment and the congestion they cause, these loiterers have been dubbed “gate lice” for their astonishing ability to remain put even as others attempt shuffling past—and for airlines’ complacency in letting it slide.
Though we’ve all done it and judged it, the past few years have seen several major players make moves to end the madness. In 2024, American Airlines implemented technology at over 100 US airports to signal when passengers attempt to board before their assigned group, who are then sent back with a dose of public humiliation as punishment. Gate agents are taking matters into their own hands, with one at Delta recently announcing all passengers who tried boarding early would voluntarily check their luggage. But what could a lice-less world look like? And why are travelers so pressed to get on the plane, bags and all, in the first place? Below, commerce editor Meaghan Kenny, visuals and editorial production intern Clare Dolan, travel bookings commerce editor Jamie Spain, and associate news editor Hannah Towey unpack the vice—or shameless virtue?—of being a gate lice.
This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
The virtue of patience?
“I must admit, I tend to roll my eyes when I see hoards of gate lice running straight to the gate desk as soon as the first boarding group is called. Let’s be real. There’s no way all of you are in boarding group one. And I get it, everyone wants to make sure their carry-on bag has a spot in the overhead compartment and they’re anxious to get settled in their seat. But that assigned seat of yours isn’t going anywhere, and more likely than not, there will be a space for your bag. I’ve been in the last boarding group a countless number of times and have only been forced to check my bag on a full flight maybe three times. When every person rushes the gate, it creates chaos: The agents working there are overwhelmed and travelers who are actually in that correct boarding group are unfairly jumped ahead of. I say wait your turn! Head to the desk when your boarding group is called and the whole thing goes a whole lot smoother.” —Meaghan Kenny, commerce editor
…or the vice of being lice?
“It really depends on the trip I’m going on and the mood I’m in the day of my flight. Yes, I have been guilty of being a gate lice, but at the same time, it’s one of my biggest pet peeves at the airport. I have definitely judged hovering travelers in the past; we all have tickets, we will all get on the plane before it leaves, and no one will take your seat. When I fly, I try to tell myself these reminders, but a defensive eagerness to get to my destination still manages to come out. And, honestly, if other people are going to hover, I will too.” —Clare Dolan, visuals and editorial production intern
