I tried to search "queue" under waitlists to see if anyone had any knowledge of how the queue algorithms. Of course, at a high level it's a simple process. Enter your name and wait. Status impacts your position such that if a Silver, Gold, and Diamond waitlist, it doesn't matter when they got in the queue, they will release according to status. If members of equal status queue, then one would think seats get release based on the order they got in the queue. Agreed?
Now, consider members of equal status who both have waitlisted round-trips. Passenger "A" was the first to waitlist, so should be first in the queue ahead of PAX B. But then PAX A needs to revise the details. Would that revision trigger a loss of position in the queue?
I ask because I have a few waitlists. It's complicated but helpful to explain. I'll discuss four waitlists: W, X, Y, and Z. One waitlist (W) is scheduled for the ideal TARGET DEPARTURE, returning TARGET RETURN. The second waitlist (X) is one day AFTER the TARGET DEPARTURE, returning one day BEFORE the TARGET RETURN. I basically covered two consecutive departure dates and two consecutive return dates. All as STANDARD. I figured I could mix and match whatever cleared first.
I hedged with a third one-way waitlist (Y) on TARGET DEPARTURE, but in CHOICE. And a fourth one-way waitlist (Z) on TARGET RETURN minus 2 days in CHOICE. (Yeah, I know, a little obsessive/excessive, but it's an important trip for my son and I).
So the departure for X cleared (leaving the day
after my target). Then the departure for Y cleared (target departure in CHOICE). So I have confirmed seats for two departures. Then the return waitlist Z cleared (target return minus 2 in CHOICE). So I have roundtrip now, but it's not on the exact itinerary I want, and they are in overpriced CHOICE, not STANDARD. I'm confident that I'll get better dates and better rates soon. So I want to be patient. I don't yet want to ticket the CHOICE confirmed seats.
I now have no intention of using the confirmed departure seats for X (target departure + 1). I would think common courtesy would be to cancel the departure seats for X, given that I'm not going to use them. But I'm worried that in the bizarre system of CX, if I cancel those seats then the revision of the X waitlist would put me further down in the waitlist queue for the return flight (if competing against someone of the same status).
I'm hesitant to call MPC to ask because I'm afraid they will pester me to issue the tickets for Y and Z (the CHOICE seats). They were one-way waitlists, so I think MPC wants them ticketed. The email confirmations for both say I have a another week or two, but I already got a call from MPC pressuring me to ticket. (I would think if I have an email with a deadline, then pressure from MPC should be irrelevant, no? But that's a topic for another discussion!
)
Anyway... anyone have any insight on how changes to waitlists might impact your position in the queue?