FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Sequence Numbers: What are they, how are they used & other questions?
Old Jun 20, 2013 | 12:48 am
  #23  
scottish_colin
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 251
Originally Posted by GroundStop
When I look at my boarding pass for a flight tomorrow I see I am "Sequence number" 157. Now, I thought that was based on the order in which one checks in (if I'm able to check in T-30 hrs, for example with a connecting flight I often get Sequence number 1-5), however, for tomorrow's flight, I'm on a 737-800 with 154 seats, and I'm checked in at T-22hrs...

.....am I supposed to believe that 156 people have checked in for that flight before me? (i.e. A total of 3 over capacity, 22hrs in advance?!). Or is there something I'm missing in my belief here?

Curiosity more than anything else.
I'm sure there's some rationale. As far as I can tell, it's clear that not all numbers are used on all flights. Also, it seems like a T-24 (or before depending on your connection) it starts out at 1 (I've been as low as 2), but that at some point it can skip groups of numbers. I've been 200+ on a flight with ~160 seats. And 300+ on a flight with ~180 seats.
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