Flight number AA1017 Origin Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) Destination Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaria (SJO) Aircraft type Boeing 737-800 Aircraft registration N358PW Aircraft age Six years Class of service Main Cabin (Economy) Seat 11F (window) My flight from DFW to SJO had a scheduled departure time of 10:05 from gate C37. To my surprise, our departure gate was one of the High-C gates that DFW and American Airlines collaborated on and installed in 2022. The gates are modern and feature LED screens with flight information, making them easily accessible and readable.
I do not know what time the flight started boarding as I did not get a text from the airline and did not take note of when the app notification came through. At the gate I arrived at the gate at 09:27 and the flight was already boarding group 1. Within three minutes, they were up to Group 4, and I boarded shortly after that with Group 5.
At gate C37, American was using biometric technology for boarding, but unlike United Airlines, still checked passports, rather than simply asking passengers to have them in hand. By 09:34, I was on the aircraft and quickly noticed that the overhead bins had been replaced as they had signs indicating that carry-on bags should be placed on their sides in order to accommodate more bags. Before departing Los Angeles (where my trip started), I had asked for a window seat, and the gate agent placed me in 11F, which I found quickly and stowed my bag across the ai.