FT'ers have been wondering what happened to the ranking of boarding passes since March 1. If you are not familiar with this issue already, you can see the recent discussions in these threads:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...ed-roster.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...a40-check.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...l#post16075824
I have dropped from the top 3 A-listers on every flight to a rank of 9th to 27th on flights this month. Because I typically manage to purchase the lowest fare on every flight, re-faring the reservation if necessary, I suspected that the fare paid had suddenly become very important in deciding who gets A16. Although Southwest has always refused to disclose its ranking formula, raw flight count was obviously the primary and possibly the only criterion prior to March 1, 2011.
I recently asked Southwest for an explanation. They were happy to explain to me that:
1. Yes, the formula has changed.
2. Southwest still prefers to keep the formula secret.
3. The new formula is consistent with the emphasis of the new Rapid Rewards. I interpret this to mean that a higher fare paid and/or a higher qualifying points count over time will give you better boarding numbers. My guess, based on reports on FT, is that it's mostly the fare paid on the current flight.
4. All A-List Preferred members are assigned boarding numbers before A-List members get their numbers. An A-List Preferred member will always get a better number than all A-List members unless the reservation is made after the 36-hour deadline or something abnormal happens.
5. There were a few glitches earlier in March, but the new formula is now working as intended. The boarding number examples I sent them were accurate. I really was ranked as low as 27th among A-List Preferred members (Boarding Pass A42) today, despite my 90 annual flights. In a nutshell, this means that A40 is the new normal for some people who were accustomed to A16.
I have emphatically recommended that Southwest email all A-List members to explain that the formula has changed and it's not a software failure. Furthermore, since the point of the new formula is to reward purchase of higher fares, keeping the change entirely secret would make no sense.
If I were Southwest, I would present the change objectively:
Southwest wants to reward purchase of higher fares. To the extent this succeeds, it will improve profitability and help Southwest maintain the lowest possible fares for customers who book travel far in advance. Therefore the new policy ultimately benefits the demoted low-fare customers where it counts: in the wallet.
This is the same reason that low-fare customers generally cheered the advent and the quick success of Business Select. We were demoted 15 places in the boarding order, but the discount fares stayed lower longer. Customers are savvy enough to connect these dots if Southwest just outlines the reasoning. Respect our intelligence and we'll respect your company's honesty.