Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Airlines and Mileage Programs > Southwest Airlines | Rapid Rewards
Reload this Page >

A-List Preferred status gone from reservations today

A-List Preferred status gone from reservations today

Old Aug 14, 2017, 11:36 am
  #61  
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,286
If by "cursed" you mean "doomed by management that doesn't view IT as a priority," then, yes. Cursed.
ursine1 is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 11:49 am
  #62  
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Programs: Southwest Airlines
Posts: 20
My next flight isn't until next month, but it does show that I can Add Early Bird Check-In so I'm affected as well. Given that I have a month, I'm not all that concerned at the moment, but I'm sure if I had several flights already planned like some of you do I'd be incredibly disappointed.
Danger007Mouse is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 11:58 am
  #63  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 1,855
I feel a little guilty, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy EBCI for my other half on his flight this Friday if the problem keeps dragging on. He has no status but I'd bet that we're still in the stage where most people are only discovering this problem when they go to grab their boarding pass for their first flight in a couple weeks. Plus it's an early morning flight and I don't want to set my alarm to check him in =p
synergistic is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 12:34 pm
  #64  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Chicagoland, IL, USA
Programs: WN CP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,164
Originally Posted by joshua362
I much fear this position is cursed like the keyboardist position in the Grateful Dead...
Or the drummer for Spinal Tap.
drooley likes this.
toomanybooks is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 12:44 pm
  #65  
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: MCI
Programs: DL PM, WN A List, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 26
Plan B data point

This morning MCI-DEN GA handled things extremely well. He announced that boarding procedures would be a little different this morning. He had A1-15 line up normally, then A-list Preferred in one single file line, and A-list in another single file line, and everyone else by their boarding pass position like normal. He boarded A1-15, AP, A, then A16 and on. I doubt that all gates are configured to allow this approach, but for my flight, I think the GA honored the intent for their best customers just great!

EDIT: I can also confirm that A-list bonus miles posted just fine on my account post-flight, although I did have my status added to my boarding pass at the airport.
drooley and synergistic like this.

Last edited by kcmo57; Aug 14, 2017 at 1:09 pm Reason: Additional info
kcmo57 is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 12:52 pm
  #66  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 1,855
Brilliant to hear! That should have been the plan as soon as they became aware of the problem. I was getting worried that the reason they hadn't done something like this was because gate agents didn't have the ability to even tell who has status or what sort.
drooley likes this.
synergistic is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 1:10 pm
  #67  
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: MCI
Programs: DL PM, WN A List, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 26
Originally Posted by synergistic
Brilliant to hear! That should have been the plan as soon as they became aware of the problem. I was getting worried that the reason they hadn't done something like this was because gate agents didn't have the ability to even tell who has status or what sort.
The GA did ask that people show their status via their plastic card, or the app, or their boarding pass if it had been added there.
drooley likes this.
kcmo57 is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 2:12 pm
  #68  
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SF Bay Area (East Bay), CA, USA
Programs: WN CP/A-List
Posts: 151
Originally Posted by toomanybooks
Or the drummer for Spinal Tap.
You beat me to the punch.
'This is Spinal Tap', one of my favorite movies of all time!
drooley is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 7:15 pm
  #69  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: STL
Programs: Southwest A+/CP, Hilton Diamond, National Executive Elite
Posts: 170
Email just in from WN:

We are currently experiencing challenges with priority check-in (automatic check-in 36 hours before your flight). This has resulted in boarding positions that are less typical than what our A-List and A-List Preferred Members have come to expect. For any adverse impacts to your travel because of this issue, we sincerely apologize. Our Technology teams are working feverishly to restore priority check-in as soon as possible.

In the interim, if you are traveling within the next several days, we advise that you manually check-in 24 hours in advance of your scheduled departure to receive your boarding position, either at Southwest.com or via our mobile app. If you do happen to receive a boarding position in the B or C group, remember that as always, your Tier status enables you to board between Groups A and B. If your A-List status is not printed on your boarding pass, please inform a Southwest gate agent at the airport, who can reprint your boarding pass accurately.

Thank you for your continued patience as we work toward resolution.

Sincerely,
Your friends at Rapid Rewards

ie...your status doesn't mean crap to us, and we will allow those without status to board before you until we decide to figure this out.
aaronp84 is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 7:46 pm
  #70  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: ATL
Posts: 1,906
So is this their "Don't both us with a call ahead of time before T-36 to fix our problem for you" e-mail?

If I don't get a window on my eclipse flight on Monday...
dmbolp is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 8:26 pm
  #71  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 5
No LUV

So the first report of this BP issue on FlyerTalk was 12Aug, but tonight 14Aug at 8:10 Central Time SWA RR decides to fess up in an email. Warning me to manually login for my boarding pass for my flight tomorrow at 5:20pm. "Nice", I am B33.
I called customer support and was told my only option to board where I was supposed to be boarding was for me to buy a business select fare.

Two questions for the soon-to-be former VP of Customer Service,
1. Really, your only solution for the mess is to upsell the customer base?
2. Why did you decide to wait so late to send the message to your very best customers?

I love the good people at Southwest, but it is clear there are some bad apples. Apparently some people at Southwest do not "care" and so the people in the "offices" running Southwest no longer understand "IT" or "Customer Service". Maybe it's time for some changes in the office.

Until then for some mid-level managers looking to move up here are some solutions that should have been initiated when the issue was first terminated.
Better solutions:
1. email issues early
2. a free drink coupon for all A listers
3. 1000 extra points
drooley likes this.

Last edited by yessam; Aug 14, 2017 at 9:07 pm
yessam is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 8:33 pm
  #72  
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SF Bay Area (East Bay), CA, USA
Programs: WN CP/A-List
Posts: 151
Originally Posted by aaronp84
Email just in from WN:

We are currently experiencing challenges with priority check-in (automatic check-in 36 hours before your flight). This has resulted in boarding positions that are less typical than what our A-List and A-List Preferred Members have come to expect. For any adverse impacts to your travel because of this issue, we sincerely apologize. Our Technology teams are working feverishly to restore priority check-in as soon as possible.

In the interim, if you are traveling within the next several days, we advise that you manually check-in 24 hours in advance of your scheduled departure to receive your boarding position, either at Southwest.com or via our mobile app. If you do happen to receive a boarding position in the B or C group, remember that as always, your Tier status enables you to board between Groups A and B. If your A-List status is not printed on your boarding pass, please inform a Southwest gate agent at the airport, who can reprint your boarding pass accurately.

Thank you for your continued patience as we work toward resolution.

Sincerely,
Your friends at Rapid Rewards

ie...your status doesn't mean crap to us, and we will allow those without status to board before you until we decide to figure this out.
I have not received the email yet. WOW!

The email is extremely insulting and very infuriating. WN is terrible at handling these situations. Unbelievable.
Great job of blowing off and diminishing your best customers, WN.
drooley is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 8:40 pm
  #73  
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: MDW/ORD
Programs: WN A list, UA Gold, AA Gold, Marriott LT Gold, IHG Platinum, National EE, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 523
Had the same problem on my MDW-LAX flight.

Last edited by Putnik; Aug 15, 2017 at 2:42 pm
Putnik is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 8:40 pm
  #74  
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,286
Originally Posted by aaronp84
Email just in from WN:

We are currently experiencing challenges with priority check-in (automatic check-in 36 hours before your flight). This has resulted in boarding positions that are less typical than what our A-List and A-List Preferred Members have come to expect. For any adverse impacts to your travel because of this issue, we sincerely apologize. Our Technology teams are working feverishly to restore priority check-in as soon as possible.

In the interim, if you are traveling within the next several days, we advise that you manually check-in 24 hours in advance of your scheduled departure to receive your boarding position, either at Southwest.com or via our mobile app. If you do happen to receive a boarding position in the B or C group, remember that as always, your Tier status enables you to board between Groups A and B. If your A-List status is not printed on your boarding pass, please inform a Southwest gate agent at the airport, who can reprint your boarding pass accurately.

Thank you for your continued patience as we work toward resolution.

Sincerely,
Your friends at Rapid Rewards

ie...your status doesn't mean crap to us, and we will allow those without status to board before you until we decide to figure this out.

It took three days to craft this double-speak piece of crap.

"Challenges." Let's not even acknowledge what is actually happening.

"Less than typical." Let's downplay the effects on our most loyal customers.

"Next several days." We have no idea how long it will take to fix this mess.

"Accurately." Except for your boarding position, which remains incorrect.

And of course: Let's continue to refuse to offer the simplest, most fair solution (boarding A-Listers after BS), even though it would cost us nothing to do so.

Southwest has never been good at responding appropriately when their tech fails -- which is ironic given how often it happens -- but this is a new standard in stupidity.

I'm assuming they aren't inacting the obvious short-term remedy simply because they lack the ability to communicate it to their agents in timely manner. Which is truly sad.
ursine1 is offline  
Old Aug 14, 2017, 8:56 pm
  #75  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 5
I just checked the SWA community boards, I am seeing people explain the issue started last Thursday 10 August, so five days and no solutions (IT or Customer Service).
yessam is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.