Originally Posted by Urban Sun
...<snip>
Having flown AA Domestic before (although not in First Class) I do laugh about how they print "EMERALD" in huge text across the boarding pass for BA Gold members. A bit over the top, but amusing none the less

I've jkust completed 6 AA domestic flights as part of a RTW booking. The printing of EMERALD is part of the AA boarding process, which I wish BA would adopt instead of the slapdash routine they currently have.
AA board by strict sequence depending upon the large print on the BP. The order is:
FIRST
AA and OW equivalent tier class (i.e. PLATINUM, EMERALD etc)
then various Y groups shown as GROUP 1, GROUP 2....
It really does bring some order to the boarding process and appeared to be fairly strictly enforced. Well done AA and here's hoping the other OW carries adopt the same process.
PS. Of course for BA l/haul flights there is generally a separate premium line.