Confirming there is an error in the way even the old-style link works with merged threads:

I just used this link:

Code:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=1197694

and was taken to:

Code:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/southwest-rapid-rewards/1197694-worth-buying-using-points-top-off-award-post16807357.html#post16807357

That post is one that I merged into the thread yesterday; I had merged two additional posts from another new thread this evening. The three merged posts all appear chronologically after the end of the of the surviving thread. I don't think I had used "go to first unread" on the surviving thread after the first merge.

I am going to guess this is an unavoidable problem. What we need to know is whether thread mergers are involved in the other cases of reported problems.