izzik

I see people who think B1 boards right after A1.

Anything is possible.

DelrayChris

First-time Southwest flyer here. I just finished online checked-in for a flight leaving out of FLL. I clicked on the "Notices and Other Important Information" link on the online boarding pass and saw:

I assume that this text is displayed for everyone checking in at all airports or, is the text truly airport specific?

InkUnderNails

This is the most aggravating thing I experience on WN, which, all things considered, means that they do everything else they promise pretty good. Not boarding order.

I have taken to self-enforcement. I am an A-lister, and I usually have A16 or A17 but occasionally as high as A20. I also have a companion pass for my son who travels with me on about half of my flights.

I will wait until preboarders have started to load and I will go to the end of BS and ask boarding numbers of each person in line I will then step in front of the person that is to be immediately behind me. If someone gets in front, but not a BS'er (it is usually obvious), I ask their number. If it is a higher number than mine I say "Oh, good, I am in front of you" and I get in front. This will often have to be done multiple times and I have ended up in the near the end of the 6-10 space on occasion.

As soon as the BS boarders are called, I move to the 1-5 space blocking the line breakers that jump in between the two groups. If there is an A16 in front of me, I say let's move on up and we both go.

I have had A16 on a couple of occasions that after BS was called, I moved in front of a line breaking group of 4-5 that were waiting for the call for 15-30.

I have to play these silly games on about half the flights I take, but it seems to be getting a bit better. It is difficult being an enforcer with higher numbers, but it is easy enough for the first 5 to all know each others numbers and agree to a quick plan if others break in.

My CP son is usually in the A30-60 group. I do not hold him a seat but I do inform anyone that takes the aisle seat, I like the window, that my son will be coming later and will probably take the middle. Sometimes they will move on; sometimes not. Either way is fine with me as I get to pick my middle seat companion.

I do not get the exit row as I am hearing impaired and would probably not understand the instructions in an emergency, so that is not an issue. Undeserving pre-boarders are a special class of gate lice that needs to be exterminated. I could legitimately ask for preboard, but I do not as it is for those needing a bit more time, which I do not. My being picky over boarding order is more of a right/wrong issue than a need to get a particular seat of low number of availability.

WN needs to understand that while this is not a critical general passenger customer service issue, it is a serious issue with A-listers and ECBI, just those folks that provide the most revenue. It is serious enough that I have investigated moving my loyalty to an airline with reserved seats, but I am just not quite ready for bag fees, lost luggage and regional jets. Close, but not quite. And the CP is the best perk there is.

jrpaguia

I don't even queue up when I have A16...I just mosey on over to the podium after BS boarding. One time, A17 must've thought I was a line jumper as she tried to rudely get past me...so I just did a smirk+fake throat clear and flashed my mighty A16.

nsx

With the agreement of the OP, I split this fun topic off into a new thread. If you are a member of the BPOE (Boarding Pass Order Enforcers), here's your chance to tell us all how it's done. I doubt that the line jumpers are reading this forum, and we can all benefit from each other's knowledge.

As an A-lister on commuter-heavy flights, I don't see any misbehavior in boarding. However the one constant for line jumpers is that they always conceal their boarding pass numbers. That's the giveaway.

GoSpurs

You may already be on board thumbing through the Spirit magazine before any of this unseemly ugliness occurs.

pinniped

Is it really worth the stress?

If you aren't chasing one of those two exit window seats, then I don't see why extreme precision within the A's really matters.

If you need to be in the front of the plane to make a tight connection, you're going to get it. Regardless of whether you prefer window or aisle, you're going to get it. If you are traveling with a group and hope to win the Empty Middle lottery, you're headed towards Row 16-ish to begin with and won't have any trouble getting seated.

At some point in the B's, I can see a bit higher degree of stress - especially if there are a lot of through pax. But I think you A-listers, BS'ers, and Early Birds can pretty much board in whatever order you like and nobody's going to get seriously hosed.

Four of us flew to Chicago this past weekend. Both times, our four BP's spanned a range of about ten. (That's as fast as I can click... ) We just gathered in a group in the mid-A30's and it was a nonissue. There was no need to send one person to stand at A26, another one at A31, etc.

Firewind

With good reason.

Cordray2643

Too many times people jump to the conclusion that if a pre-boarder is not in a wheelchair or have a visible disability, that they are "gate lice." Just note that if you see two parents and a small girl preboarding, then that is me and my family. We are not "gate lice", rather our daughter has an extreme peanut allergy and we must clean the entire row of seats(including windows and walls) prior to sitting down.

We get allot of looks from people as we pre-board and then again from people as they try to board and notice us wiping down every part of the seats in our row.

My point is that you should really be careful with call any pre-boarders "gate lice".

By the way, I am a CP holder(120 flights per year) as well (also UA 1K-130 flighte per year) and the only other airline that even is in the same ballpark as Southwest from top to bottom is Continetal but they are still a far cry away.

num1bearsfan

No, the ones that are obvious are the ones with the drug store purchased bandage or brace wrapped around their leg and walk with an exaggerated limp, and they always find their way to the bulk head seats.

InkUnderNails

I saw one young man board with a fold up cane and a pronounced limp and after storing the cane never use it again. Not on the plane, not at baggage claim, not on the way to on onto the rental car shuttle. Similar limps and braces disappear en route quite often.

Your situation is different. I really feel for your family and your daughter. A close friend's daughter had this allergy, and we always had to be aware of things that may not even cross the mind of others. You may not look to need preboard, but I trust you that it is needed. I would hope that you would extend the same courtesy of trust to me if the situation were reversed.

The problem with undeserved preboard is not that someone gets in front of me in line. I am saddened by the fact that people exist that see no problem in taking things they do not deserve or lie to get. I think they deserve any scorn we can supply.

It is the same with line breakers.

Why?

The success of our travel system depends on people displaying common courtesy in difficult situations. We stand in lines, we wait for shuttles, we put up with service failures in rental cars, hotels and yes, airlines. But in the end, it is the way we try to treat each other that determines if the experience is torture or merely inconvenient. We all run into the difficult people everywhere. I confess that at times of fatigue or irritation, I am one of them, but I try to not be. If we surrender to those that create anarchy in the system, we allow the system to become a bit more difficult. Rewarding anti-social behavior creates more of it.

Can we eliminate these irritants? No, of course not. Can we establish social norms that may go a bit towards shaming the anti-social ones? Yes. It is the embarrassment of being discovered to be an a$$ that I try to control my own anti-social impulses.

If we all act like two-year-olds, all of the flights will look like daycare.

Some do anyway....but that is a different discussion.

formeraa

For some reason, we no longer seem to be empathetic to people's challenges.

For example, I have a vision challenge. No, it's not obvious to anyone but, at times, it does cause issues. I am often not able to read the information on the flight status monitors at the airport or, in some cases, even at the podium. While I try to explain, some GA's give me a funny look when I have to ask about status of my flight.

And, no, I don't preboard -- even when I temporarily couldn't drive due to my eye condition.

spineangel

I have had enough of all these issues that SW refuses to address and have gone back to Continental. Even though I am only Gold with them, I get free upgrades to first class about 85% of the time. If that doesn't happen, I easily get a exit row seat. Free drinks when traveling on their small commuter jets and ALWAYS have OHB space right above my pre-assigned seat. And on most all the routes they compete with SW, the same or cheaper flights. And being Gold, no charge for up to two bags, same as SW. The only thing I'm giving up is the easier route to free trips with SW. But with having 17 free trips with SW, it will be a while till I work my way thru those. Amazing the difference with Continental. Something all here that complain about with SW should consider, as SW is NOT going to change their policies.

swaluvr

If I was on that flight, had paid for EBCI, and received a boarding pass number ahead of any one of those in your group, it WOULD have been an issue. I would have asked to see the numbers and promptly taken my numerical place............the place that I had PAID FOR.

Hayden

The expectation to board in a very specific order seems to me inappropriate. For me, given WN's system, C16 doesn't mean "C16." Rather, it means "somewhere in the middle of C." If WN staff would like to come up and individually line us up by number, they are welcome to do that, but if they choose not to, my take is it's no-one's business but my own what my boarding pass number happens to be, and should someone ask, I'd demur. I'll line up in the right place and let everyone else do their own thing.