How to get priority boarding with American Airlines

American Airlines priority privileges expedite your passage through the American Airlines counter, security lanes and your gate. Just follow “Priority” signs throughout the airport. Priority boarding can be particularly useful, getting you on flights before general boarding groups. Normally this benefit costs $9 to $74, but you can get it at no cost through elite status, credit cards and more.

How to get American Airlines priority boarding

You can board your flight early if you:

• Earn AAdvantage elite tier status.
  There are four tiers you can earn by flying American Airlines: Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum. Depending on the tier, you can board with Group 2, 3 or 4.
• Earn Oneworld elite tier status.
  Frequent flyer members of other airlines from the Oneworld Alliance that have achieved elite status with their airline, automatically achieve Oneworld elite status as well. These are Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, which correspond to Group 2, 3 and 4.
• Purchase higher fare class.
  First class board Group 1, followed by Business class, Premium Economy and Main Cabin Extra.
• Get an AAdvantage credit card.
  Eligible credit cards offer priority boarding in different boarding groups. Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard® cardmembers board with Group 4, CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® and Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® board with Group 5.
• Purchase AA AirPass.
  You can purchase an elite tier status membership with AirPass, starting from $10,000 per year. You can board Group 2, Group 3 or Group 4, depending on which tier status you buy.
• Purchase priority boarding.
  Priority boarding costs $9 to $74. This puts you in Group 4. In addition, you also get priority at check-in and priority security check when available at certain airports.
• Are active duty US military.
  Carry your military ID and you get to board with Group 1.
• Are a corporate traveler.
  Eligible corporate travelers can board with Group 5 if their employer has an active American Airlines Corporate Travel Agreement at the time of ticketing and travel. Your tickets must be booked and paid for through an authorized Agency of Record for the company with a CART number. Also, you need a valid AAdvantage number in your reservation at time of check-in.

Compare credit cards with American Airlines priority boarding

Board your flight early with these American Airlines cobranded credit cards:

Sort by:

Name	Product	Filter values	Rewards	Purchase APR	Annual fee
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®			2x miles on eligible American Airlines purchases and 1x miles on everything else	17.49% to 26.49% variable	$450	View details	The card for premium AAdvantage flyers: Enjoy Admirals Club® Membership, priority check-in, early boarding and statement credits for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®			2x miles on eligible American Airlines purchases, at gas stations and restaurants and 1x miles on all other purchases	17.49% to 26.49% variable	$0 intro annual fee for the first year ($99 thereafter)	View details	Earn 50,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after you spend $2,500 in the first 3 months.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®			2x miles on American Airlines, gas stations and select business categories and 1x miles on all other purchases	17.49% to 26.49% variable	$0 intro annual fee for the first year ($99 thereafter)	View details	65,000 AAdvantage® miles after making $4,000 in purchases in first 4 months of account opening.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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Boarding Order

Bottom line

Getting the top levels of priority boarding is reserved for the most frequent flyers, active military members and higher fare class. You can also board early by being an AAdvantage card member.

However, if you prefer other airlines, look for other travel cards that offer priority boarding and compare your options.

Frequently asked questions

• How will I know which boarding group do I belong?

  Your boarding group is printed on your boarding pass. For example, Group 5.

• Why does purchasing priority boarding has a varying price?

  You will pay $9 to $74 for priority boarding. How much you pay exactly depends on your itinerary.

• How do I earn elite tier status?

  To earn the lowest tier status AAdvantage Gold, you need to make 30 qualifying segments or make 25,000 qualifying miles and spend $3,000 qualifying dollars.

Pictures: GettyImages