jb3t

There have been threads on this over the years, the last of which are several years old. Anyway, with the new system, anyone have any inclination on how BPs are assigned to A-List and A+?

I am A+ and am on a flight where I got A18 as a position. While in line, I started talking to the two folks in front of me and we compared notes. Based on those notes, we can't tell how the hell they figure this out. Here's the deal...

- Person with most points this year = A18, A17, A16
- Paid the most for the ticket = A18, A16, A17
- Bought the Ticket First = A17, A16, A18
- Longest as A+ = A17, A18, A16
- Number of Flights Flown This Year = A17, A16, A18
- The only thing that A16 lead in was Height! Lol.

We sat there for 5 minutes talking about this but could not figure it out. The A16 guy had the least tenure, fewest points, etc. it's a brain bender. Maybe Miles? That's the only thing he could think of. He does lots of long hauls vs our short hauls. Even the combo mix does not make sense.

Interesting....

nsx

What about Tier Qualification Point count (the number displayed on your My Southwest front page)?

jb3t

On TWP, I (A18) and the guy at A17, were above the guy with A16. A16 had 40k, A18 had 75k, and A17 was over 75k.

dmbolp

Alphabetical order?

dlaue

As an A+ and a companion pass holder ever since they were introduced, and as one who flies 45 flights or so every year, and as one who purchases my tickets very early (always when there is a really good sale!) -- I often get A20 -A25 boarding positions.

I conclude that the boarding position is extremely sensitive to the fare paid, and almost nothing more.

InkUnderNails

Back when I was A+, I would consistently get A16 or close. I can remember A20 or later very few times. I was traveling 40 RT per year.

My flights were almost all long distance with very few commuters. I seldom could buy at a time to catch low prices and often was inside the 21 day window. I rarely purchased inside 7 days.

So, I was taking longer flights at higher WGA fares and flying nearly every week. I suspected they were using some sort of cumulative revenue based on a three month (M/L) window.

That was just a guess.

dmbolp

A+ but just passed 25 flights yesterday for the year (so won't make it next year) always A16-A19, but all of my paid travel is for work booked thru company/Concur/BCDTravel, which also comes at a discount, so maybe boarding position is another SWA BIZ / CORP perk?

InkUnderNails

Mine was all personal bookings, reimbursed.

tusphotog

I’ve been averaging A18-25 this year. I usually get A16 when I book with points or A29-35 on my commute flights (PHX-LAX/SAN/DAL). I have no idea how they determine boarding numbers; I’ve been trying for years to figure it out.

dmbolp

Similar to the thread about non-A List boarding positions, we should create a thread for A & A+ in hopes of finding multiple folks on the same flight, then compare stats

jb3t

i thought so too but that theory was thrown out the window when it was determined that I (A18) paid more than 2x A16 and A17. Mine was a last minute WGA for $450!

jb3t

interesting concept!!! I am going to try that.

willywilkes

But yours was WGA - did either of them purchase Anytime even if they cost less? I was under the impression Anytime always gets earlier positions than WGA but with the mystery that is boarding position I am sure there is no "always".

kaller

The theory to which I cling, is there is a factor relating to trailing revenue from the past 3/6/9/12 months. I fly SWA about 90 times a year (typically 2-3 hour flights), purchase WGA tickets well in advance during sale weeks and usually get A16-18. So, I'm guessing too!

bjele

@jb3t - thanks for the fascinating survey of the people around you in line. Was this flight the first flight of the reservation for all three of you? My perception is that the position is assigned 36 hours before the origination of the first flight in the reservation. If A16 was connecting and you were originating, I could see where A16 was assigned a lower number than you.

Some anecdotal evidence for this... on many recent two-hops, I am getting a lower number on the second flight (A16-A18) and get A20-A22 on the first leg.