alchemista

This year is my first as AP. I just checked in and had A38 on a flight I booked months ago. I used to get A30s as a regular A-List, and expected I would be getting 15-30 as a Preferred now.

I tried searching the forum and couldn't find a thread on this in a few minutes.

1) Has WN updated its boarding # assignments? What is the latest algorithm on this? I booked almost 3 months ago - thought it went on order of booking once you are within your preferred group.

2) What should I expect as an AP for boarding assignments?

I was really looking forward to finally being near the front of the A-List line and tried hard to get on the AP for this year, and am now concerned it was a waste.

Thank you!

ursine1

The boarding order algorithm for A-List is an unpublished mystery. Reports are that it's based on some formula that calculates your "value" to WN. Details are unknown. That said, as Preferred, it would seem you should be getting a better number. It might be worth a call to make sure your status is correct on your account

NextTrip

Was the flight booked before or after you became A-list Preferred? Perhaps, if you booked it before reaching AP that may make a difference in your boarding position. Just a thought.

alchemista

Good point - I'm pretty sure it was booked after I qualified, but maybe their systems weren't updated at the time - it was a few weeks after I qualified. The boarding pass prints with Preferred on it.

I will call as the first person said to see if they can provide some info.

Is my 15-29 expectation about right for preferred? should it be even tighter like 15-25? Of course it depends on the route, but I go to DEN which isn't a huge WN hub and on my lines.

alchemista

Thanks - I will call too. The website just says it "reserves" a boarding position for you, but says nothing about how that position # is assigned. I would hope as preferred I should be in the 20s more than the 30s.

zachary

My experience is that boarding position is most influenced by the number of other people with status on the flight. Take a Monday morning flight STL-MDW, A38 as an A-List Preferred is pretty typical for me -- and I've had worse. Take a Saturday flight STL-DEN, I'll be somewhere between A16 and A20.

nsx

I've gotten as high as A42.i believe your position within A list preferred depends on your fare class. The cheapest fares get the latest boarding. But your year to date tier progress may also be a factor. I seem to get better results in January when some of the other passengers still have zero flights in the new year.

LegalTender

Amazing that this is only a belief, rather than validated fact.

alchemista

I called WN and didn't get a good answer. The rep did tell me that it is sequenced by the date of booking, but then couldn't really explain why I still go this when booking almost 3 months in advance. I said there's no way that many Preferred members booked more than 3 months ago and she said it's possible lol, that they are growing and many people have that membership status. I don't buy it.

I still don't believe there is a simple algorithm to # assignments. I did think booking date was a key factor, but this experience makes me wonder if that even matters at all.

justhere

OP I wouldn't be too concerned unless you see the same thing happen on your next flight. Seeing as we don't really know how the formula works, it could be anything from there really are that many A+ on your flight, to your booking carried your A rather than A+ status based on whenever it switched over.

I know this isn't the same thing but the first flights I checked in for after getting PreCheck didn't show PreCheck even though I had my KTN in the system well before checking in. My flights were booked before I had PreCheck and for whatever reason it didn't update. After checking in I called and they updated those bookings and after that I've had PreCheck every time.

I will add that all my business travel is on BS fares and most of my personal travel is booked on relatively short notice (sometimes a week or less before the flight) and I still get between A16 and A25. No idea if that's because of the BS fares or if I'm just lucky.

palmetto86

Maybe it's just me, but I fly on points tickets all the time, and I'm almost always A-16 or A-17. Maybe I'm lucky? Based on my experiences, I'd bet it's something other than fare class.

rsteinmetz70112

Southwest has consistently declined to provide any information on how the A-List boarding positions are assigned. Given the known issues with Southwest's IT I would suggest it's not that exotic, and we are over thinking it too much, but no one really knows.

I do know I'm consistently the last A-List on my flights. I usually ask the person behind me if they are A-List. For a long time my wife (A-List Preferred) and I (A-List) got consecutive numbers. Now she usually gets a number a few places ahead of me.

The algorithm could be as simple as date of purchase or even alphabetically, which is in line with Southwest's IT capabilities. A more complex algorithm involving frequency of travel, fare buckets and other measures seems quite beyond their demonstrated abilities. It also seems largely pointless to reward some passengers for spending more money on tickets or flying more often and not tell them they are getting a benefit.

smmrfld

Surmise what you wish, but a couple of data points:

1) I'm A+ and have flown over 100 flights annually for the past several years, primarily BS but also some WGA; hence, a fair amount of WN spend.

2) I've never received anything other than A16 for WGA flights for at least two years, and they've been a mix of short-haul, long-haul, booked well in advance, and booked last-minute.

As always, YMMV.

alchemista

That's indicative that there is a "most preferred customer" status - if you're flying 100+/year you clearly meet that. So, even if you are booking last minute, you're getting front assignments.

I guess the algorithm will continue being magical.

snoopoz

Here's my experience: 2013/14, I flew a lot more than 2015/16. (Still a lot in 2016, just not as much.) 13/14, I almost always got A16/17, and nowadays I usually get more like 19/20/21, sometimes A16 if it's not a very crowded flight. That makes me think boarding position depends on how much you spend and not much else.