Getting passenger to board more quickly so that the plane can take off for its next destination has always been a challenge, but American Airlines thinks that it has found a solution. Forbes reports that American’s new strategy means that passengers traveling with only a personal carry-on item will be able to board first. The new policy was announced on Thursday, after American tested the strategy in several cities earlier this year.

Citing airline officials, The Associated Press notes that boarding times have been on an uphill climb in the last few years. The problem is rooted in the airlines’ decision to reduce the number of flight, which increases the number of people on each plane, and to charge extra for checking baggage, which forces people to pack as much as they can into a carry-on suitcase, which is the jammed into the overhead compartment. The result of these decisions: Ugly confrontations between passengers and flight attendants.

According to Forbes, this isn’t the first time that a airline has tried to implement this particular boarding strategy in an effort to get passengers on the plane faster. Virgin America implemented this strategy but has already given up on it because “it’s difficult to police,” said Virgin America CEO David Cush in an interview with Forbes. Cush noted that people want to discuss with gate officials just how big a bag can be and still fit under the seat.

In 2008, Jason Steffen, an astrophysicist at Fermilab, developed a unique boarding process by running computer simulations to discover the most efficient boarding method. It wasn’t until 2011, however, that he actually got to test his theory. The astrophysicist received an email from Jon Hotchkiss, the producer of a TV show called “This vs. That,” asking if he would be an expert commentator while the producer filmed an episode of the TV show examining the best way to board a plane.

How exactly does Steffen’s boarding process work? Instead of sending passengers into their seats in blocks of rows at a time, from the very back to the front of the plane, like many airlines do, Steffen’s technique has only one passenger from a given row find their seat at a time. This process allows multiple people to stow their luggage at the same time without causing any traffic backups in the aisle. The efficiency of this technique was proven by 72 volunteers and Hollywood extras, who used a mock plane that had served as a set for “Miss Congeniality 2.”

According to USA Today, American Airlines notes that passengers can still bring a carry-on bag for free, but they’ll have to wait for people without carry-on bags to board before they take their seats. This boarding technique was previously tested at Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Fort Lauderdale, Kansas City, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Washington Dulles.

Will this new boarding strategy work? Will this process increase the frequency of bag disputes with gate officials? Why is American giving it a go if it failed to work for Virgin America? Will this change force you to pack lighter or select a different airline? Tell us what you think in the comments section.