“I have a dirty secret”: When I fly, I erase “basic economy” from my ticket to avoid the boarding line. My friend says it's a scam. Who's right?

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I have a “trick” I would like to share with your readers, but my friend says it is a cheat. I have a dirty secret when I fly: I take a screenshot of my boarding pass and, using a white digital pen on my iPhone, .css-321ztr-OverridedLink.css-321ztr-OverridedLink:any-link{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:rgba(54,119,168,1);border-bottom:1px solid;border-bottom-color:rgba(54,119,168,1);}.css-321ztr-OverridedLink.css-321ztr-OverridedLink:any-link.css-321ztr-OverridedLink.css-321ztr-OverridedLink:any-link svg{fill:rgba(54,119,168,1);}.css-321ztr-OverridedLink.css-321ztr-OverridedLink:any-link:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:rgba(47,112,157,1);border-bottom:1px solid;border-bot tom-color:rgba(47,112,157,1);}.css-321ztr-OverridedLink.css-321ztr-OverridedLink:any-link:hover.css-321ztr-OverridedLink.css-321ztr-OverridedLink:any-link:hover svg{fill:rgba(47,112,157,1);}.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink{display:inline;color:rgba(54,119,168,1);-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}@media screen and (prefers-reduced-motion: no-preference){.css-sn3daf -OverridedLink{transition-property:color,fill;transition-duration:200ms,200ms;transition-timing-function:cubic-bezier(0, 0, .5, 1),cubic-bezier(0, 0, .5, 1);}}@media screen and (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink {transition-property: color, fill; transition-duration: 0ms; transition-time-function: cubic-bezier(0, 0, .5, 1), cubic-bezier(0, 0, .5, 1); } .css-sn3daf-OverridedLink svg { fill: rgba(54,119,168,1); } .css-sn3daf-OverridedLink: hover: not(:disabled) { color: rgba(47,112,157,1); webkit-text-decoration: underline; text-decoration:underline;}.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink:hover:not(:disabled) svg{fill:rgba(47,112,157,1);}.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink:active:not(:disabled){color:rgba(47,112,157,1);-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink:active:not(:disabled) svg{fill:rgba(47,112,157,1);}.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink:visited:not(:disabled){color:rgba(54,127,46,1);-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink:visited:not(: disabled) svg{fill:rgba(54,127,46,1);}.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink:visited:hover:not(:disabled){color:rgba(54,127,46,1);-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink:visited:hover:not(:disabled) svg{fill:rgba(54,127,46,1);}.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink:focus-visible:not(:disabled){outline-color:rgba(10,102,216,1);outline-style:solid;outline-width:2px;outline-offset:2px;}@media не все и (минимальное разрешение: 0.001dpcm){@supports (-webkit-appearance: none) and (stroke-color: transparent){.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink:focus-visible:not(:disabled){outline-style:auto;}}}.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink:any-link{-webkit -text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:rgba(54,119,168,1);border-bottom:1px solid;bottom color border:rgba(54,119,168,1);}.css-sn3daf-OverriddenLink.css-sn3daf-OverriddenLink:any-link.css-sn3daf-OverriddenLink.css-sn3daf-OverriddenLink:any-link svg{fill:rgba(54,119,168,1);}.css-sn3daf-OverriddenLink.css-sn3daf-OverriddenLink:any-link:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:rgba(47,112,157,1);border-bottom:1px solid;border-bottom-color:rgba(47,112,157,1);}.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink:any-link:hover.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink.css-sn3daf-OverridedLink:any-link:hover svg{fill:rgba(47,112,157,1);}AAPL, I carefully color out “basic economy” on my ticket so I don't have to wait in line to board. I've never been turned away or told to go to the back of the line. My friend says this is a scam, since business class passengers get priority early boarding, while others pay for the privilege.

I read your column about a guy who was upset about a mother and daughter in economy who took premium economy seats after the plane doors closed, so I decided to ask your advice. My friend is now on a roll because of my travel trick. I fly a half-dozen times a year for fun, thanks to a flexible work schedule. It gives me a thrill; I don’t know why. I guess I hate being the last person on the plane, fighting for an overhead bin.