Delta Hog

My apologies if this is (a) a stupid question or (b) a common topic I should have found by search. I am a very infrequent Southwest flyer and don't know its ways.

My STL-DEN tonight is 8:05p.

At 8:03p last night I start trying to check in. Too early. Try again. Too early. Try again. Too early. Try again. Success!!

I check in knowing that I have hit the system as early as anyone can hit it.

And I am assigned B-34!!!!!!!

How in the world is that possible? OK, maybe somebody beat me in and I don't get to be A-1. But I was expecting somewhere in the top 10. How in the world am I B-34 when I hit it at the moment the flight opened? I had already put in my Rapid Rewards number the day before.

ryw

Assuming you don't have status on southwest, that's not too surprising (unfortunately). A1-A15 are reserved for business select customers. (If they don't have 15 BS customers on your flight you can usually upgrade to one of these boarding numbers at the Gate.

Next A list preferred, A list numbers are assigned. Then numbers are assigned to those who purchased early bird check in. And then online checkin numbers at the T-24 hour mark start.

Depending on what routes you fly there may be more A list customers, thus it's not too much out of the ordinary for T-24 online checkin folks to get B numbers. I'm guessing there might be a lot of business travelers flying out of STL Friday night. Often T-24 will get you a lower B number than what you got but sometimes it's just the luck of the draw (or flight as it may be)

birdiedouble

Also anyone that has a connection on that flight was able to check in for their original flight before 8:05 and would have been assigned a boarding position for your flight at that time. If you're traveling solo you should still have a pretty decent choice of seats. I've even ended up with an exit row that late in the process.

toomanybooks

Not uncommon at all.

dmbolp

Besides all the various groups mentioned that were ahead of you, the flght is sold out, so tons of more experienced fliers were doing the exact same thing you were doing, and beat you.

Its like when a popular band puts their concert tickets on sale at exactly 10am and some says "how can it already be sold out?!?!? I was on Ticketmaster at exactly 10am!!" Thousands of more experienced buyers got in first

wetrat0

To elaborate on this answer:
A-List Preferred, A-List, and Early Bird Check In are assigned 36 hours before the flight. All others can check in 24 hours before their originating flight. So anyone who is connecting to your flight would be able to checkin before you, even if they did not purchase EBCI.

OP has B-34, which is the 79th general boarding position (not counting A1-A15, which are for Business Select). It's totally reasonable to believe that 78 people belong to one of the groups mentioned (which doesn't even account for all others who are trying to checkin at T-24 and may have clicked the button at the same time). Although Southwest does not make this info public, it's known on FT that they sell a lot of EBCI (periodically we get a "EBCI is a scam" thread since it does not guarantee a particularly good position, just better than those who do not purchase it).

LegalTender

If you purchase "an assistive device" you can pre-board to stow it.

$9.95 + tax.

Often1

Yes, very common.

You, like many, simply fell for WN's subtle marketing to the effect that pretty much everybody has a chance at the best seats.

They don't.

If you think about it, you are sitting there during the evening when you should be relaxing, glued to an electronic device.

bitterproffit

On real busy connecting flights, I have gotten B20 or so even with Early Bird. I bought the ticket close to the actual flight date. I was angry at first, but I still got an aisle seat, just further back and not in the exit aisle.

3Cforme

This thread is a nice counter-point to the ill-reasoned rationalization by this OP:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...d-seating.html

aaronp84

As someone who lives in STL, most of the schools are getting out this week. Most people I know are leaving on vacation this weekend to take advantage of the long weekend next week. I wouldn't be surprised at all if families paid extra for EBCI, putting you much further back for the T-24 race.

Delta Hog

At the time I was sitting on my back deck in 75 degree weather.

Computer - trying to check in

Table - on baseball game with mlb.tv

Phone -- checking facebook in between everything else.

I was doing ok.

rsteinmetz70112

Southwest has at times disclosed how much income they get from EBCI making it possible to estimate how many seats were sold. Last time I did it it looked like something like 14% of passengers purchased EBCI, up from around 11% the time before that. This was before the last price hike, so not really recent. I havn't seen the number broken out recently but I haven't looked.

Exiled in Express

B-34 still pretty much guarantees you a choice of aisle or window seat albeit behind the wing.

Delta Hog

Where do you check this? I want to check my 5:30a Monday flight, which logic would tell me would NOT be sold out. But logic hasn't worked so far.