A first for me - A-List nets a B-5
 

A-List just isn't what it used to be. Booked on Tuesday for a same day turn for work tomorrow. Outbound I got A-51 and return got B-5. Probably too many A-List Preferred and CP members on the SNA-SJC and vv route.

Remember A-List only applies if a flight is booked at least three days in advance.

Don't think that is true:

http://www.southwest.com/html/custom...and_conditions

I did book more than 36 hours ahead of the departure and certainly more than 36 hours ahead of return which is where I got the B-5

I knew it had a 3 in it. That is odd as hell then. I've never had higher than A-32 and that was a Monday morning flight from ONT-SMF that was full of State legislators who fly every week.

Well at least I'm not the only one who thinks it is odd

Did your boarding pass say that you were A-list?

Did you happen to notice if there were any non-A list in line in front of you?

This is very unusual.

Point of reference: CP would not matter as they board after A-list.

BP's both definitely say A-List. I'll try to snoop around in line this morning and this evening.

This may be an unintended consequence of the first year of calendar year qualification. With the lowered threshold for A-list, there may be a lot more new A-listers hitting the milestone right here at the end of the year. Beginning next year, there would be normal roll-offs and new qualifications that should equally balance. In the first year, this one, right now is when a lot of never before A-list would be passing the 25 flight threshold that would not have made the 32 flight one.

Is it possible that lowering the threshold has increased the number that much? It may on an intra-California route.

So, for this mornings flight where I was A51.

A48 - A-List
A50 - A-List
A54 - Not A-List

So it seems that for that flight I was in the A-List grouping, but at the VERY tail end of it. My WN flying has been way down this year and I won't make A-List again next year. I have always speculated that the amount of recent flight activity somehow influenced where in the A-List grouping you were. When I was doing an RT every week, my numbers seemed to get progressively better, even on the exact same flights each week.

What's annoying is that now as B-5, I am technically after families even though I am A-List. I probably don't really have to worry since I only have a computer bag and the route is heavily business so not likely to have lots of families, but still....

Just as a comparison...
I am A+, fly STL-PHL twice a month (and some other destinations), pay fares in the $125-$230 range each way (WGA 50%, AF 20%, BS 30%), and have flown 50+ flights year-to-date. I have never been less than A18, and usually A16 or A17. BS fare never greater than A4, and usually A1 or A2.

I have advocated, to absolutely no effect, that all A-list and (possibly) EBCI should be cleared onto the plane before any family boarding. If you are on any flight to/from Florida or even getting there eventually, this is a significant situation.

Oh, I don't think anyone at WN denies that when they do the T-36 assignment, there is a pecking order among the A listers. (vs. EBCI, which is done strictly by the time-stamp.)

I'll offer a totally different explanation for the B-5. Maybe there is a big group flying to SNA, going to Disneyland. I know that trying the "check in at exactly T-24" thing does not work too well for LAS and MCO, allegedly because of all the groups, so maybe you'll find a big group of FFs on vacation ahead of you at the gate.

If not, then I think the "switch to calender year" mentioned above is probably the explanation. Another unintended consequence of all the changes management has been making to prove they are just as smart as Herb was. :(

Interesting. BS has turned out to be a funny bird. Usually there are no more than a couple of BS tickets sold. They usually only sell for last minute purchases. After all, why buy BS when you can buy AF + EBCI for less? So, usually, getting an A17 feels more like getting A6. Once in a while though, BS completely sells out. It's why I could design a much better system than BS, but that's off topic.

Great point,

Unfortunately , the 'devaluation' will continue, as WN won't hit a peak of A List members until late 2012. Everyone who earned it this year gets it for 2012, and those who earn it in 2012 will have it.

We're 7 months into RR 2.0, and we 14 months left until 12/31/12. I'll bet we see double or triple the # of A Listers by then.

I'm pretty sure it's purely the fare you paid for that one flight. Was this a $40 anniversary sale booking? That puts me at the bottom of A-List Preferred. Not that I care about boarding 10 places earlier or later.

I have gotten A-16 on cheap WGA's and RR Award flights. But, I am A+ not A. I think it is based on total spent over a rolling block of time, the last 90 days for example.