American Airlines' "gate lice" technology will crack down on line skippers

• And the airline, which operates 90% of daily flights out of CLT, is soon expanding into some North Carolina markets.

Driving the news: American tested its new alarm tech at a handful of airports last month in response to complaints from customers who paid for flights or benefits that allow earlier boarding.

• The tech is meant to combat "gate lice," the derogatory term air travel industry insiders sometimes use to describe the people who try to board before their turn.

What they're saying: "We will expand further to hubs and other airports across North Carolina in the coming months including Greensboro (GSO), Greenville (PGV), New Bern (EWN), Jacksonville (OAJ), and Fayetteville (FAY)," AA spokesperson Bri Harper told Axios.

How it works: The technology will sound an alarm if someone tries to board early and reject their boarding pass. They will be asked to rejoin the line when their group number is called, Axios' Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi reported.

• Gate agents can override the alert for travelers flying with someone in an earlier boarding group than them.
• The technology will also tell agents how many customers are in each boarding group and track the incoming flights that people are connecting from.