On March 1, American Airlines will begin boarding passengers
by nine numbered groups rather than its current system of four numbered groups.
With the exception of Basic
Economy passengers in Group 9, the boarding order largely is unchanged, but
the carrier will assign numbers to priority boarding groups that previously did
not have numbers. Therefore, some passengers accustomed to being in
low-numbered groups will see themselves in higher-numbered groups, though their
priority will remain the same.
For example, First Class
passengers will be in Group 1, and Business Class and Executive Platinum-tier
passengers will be in Group 2. The former Group 1—passengers with Main Cabin
Extra seats or AAdvantage credit card members—is now Group 5. Corporate
travelers who have priority boarding via their employer's corporate travel
agreement with American also will be in Group 5.