May 14, 2021, 4:49 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Sequence numbers are an indication of the order in which passengers have checked in for the flight
Checkin time / lower sequence number can be a tie break for CPU priority
Sequence numbers can appears on BPs - printed or mobile
If the GA agent needs to manually enter your BP (such as scanning problems) they may use the sequence number to quickly look up your BP.
Some times when checking in at T-24, you notice your sequence number is higher than you expected: potential reasons are
1) Those on earlier connecting flights that checked in earlier got check-in for the flight before you did.
2) If the flight number is used for an multiple flights in a day, just one set of sequences is used for a flight number each day.
3) A group -- tour, sports team, .... -- checked in earlier
Sequence number "--" could indicate an issue. You may need to uncheck-in and re-checkin.
Checkin time / lower sequence number can be a tie break for CPU priority
Sequence numbers can appears on BPs - printed or mobile
If the GA agent needs to manually enter your BP (such as scanning problems) they may use the sequence number to quickly look up your BP.
Some times when checking in at T-24, you notice your sequence number is higher than you expected: potential reasons are
1) Those on earlier connecting flights that checked in earlier got check-in for the flight before you did.
2) If the flight number is used for an multiple flights in a day, just one set of sequences is used for a flight number each day.
3) A group -- tour, sports team, .... -- checked in earlier
Sequence number "--" could indicate an issue. You may need to uncheck-in and re-checkin.
Sequence Numbers: What are they, how are they used & other questions?
Jul 3, 2013, 6:26 pm
#31
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat
Posts: 86
Was this later in the day? I think that all flights on a given day sharing a flight number use the same sequence list. Makes sense when "direct" flights weren't just a way to get more flight numbers into a system.
Jul 3, 2013, 7:55 pm
#32
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: SAN
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Posts: 1,709
Apollo actually had them in the programming code, they we're there but not used. Remember the old ACI numbers that sat just to the right of the names? I had a Pan Am coworker that referenced those as something from the early days of Apollo. But not used by Apollo in our time.
Jul 3, 2013, 7:58 pm
#33
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I meant to comment on this one a while back. I was flying XXX-ORD-MBS. Checked in at XXX about 6 hours before the ORD-MBS flight. On a 50-seat CRJ, I was sequence #53. Not sure how that happened. (The ORD-MBS was never even booked to 50, and went out with a half-dozen empty seats).
Figure that one out!
Figure that one out!
Jul 3, 2013, 8:21 pm
#34
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Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Ewa Beach, Hawaii
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Mainline 757 flight, check in at exactly T-24. Get seq # 221. Flight number originates at the airport I departed from. Me thinks there is something else to this Seq # than meets the eye.
Jul 3, 2013, 8:35 pm
#35
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: What I write is my opinion alone..don't read into it anything not written.
Posts: 9,686
I think you're right...on a flight last weekend I was #312 on a 739, although that might be due to a different issue since that would imply over half the plane essentially checked in twice.
312 wasn't my original sequence number...I was initially 182 but I tried to standby for an earlier flight and when they closed that flight, I was for some reason taken off my confirmed flight. So I was caught in some sort of momentary purgatory where I wasn't on either flight. When the GA added me back to the flight, seq went from 182 to 312.
312 wasn't my original sequence number...I was initially 182 but I tried to standby for an earlier flight and when they closed that flight, I was for some reason taken off my confirmed flight. So I was caught in some sort of momentary purgatory where I wasn't on either flight. When the GA added me back to the flight, seq went from 182 to 312.
emcampbe nailed it.
Jul 3, 2013, 9:26 pm
#36
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K MM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 4,768
So, I changed back to the earlier flight.
Jul 4, 2013, 9:11 am
#39
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: BOS
Programs: MP,MR Silver,Avis
Posts: 848
Was it the first flight of that day anywhere with that flight number? People that are connecting to your flight could have checked in earlier, along with automatic check-ins for those where it is their return flight.
Jul 4, 2013, 11:21 am
#40
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Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Ewa Beach, Hawaii
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Edit to correct: My apologies, was looking at the wrong BP the SJC-DEN my wife and I were 17 and 18. It was our DEN-LAX 4 days later was #221 and yes, that was a continuing flight number so it makes sense now. Sorry about that everyone.
Last edited by Baze; Jul 4, 2013 at 11:28 am Reason: Corrected information
Jul 4, 2013, 11:26 am
#41
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Posts: 69,232
The SEQ number really is just the check-in sequence number and is one of a few ways passengers are identified on a flight.
Jul 4, 2013, 11:28 am
#42
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Jul 4, 2013, 5:08 pm
#44
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Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,969
I have seen these numbers on many airlines' boarding passes. I guess it is an easy way for the agents to type in the passenger's number, especially in the pre-barcode / ATB days.
I definitely have gotten and wondered about boarding passes on UA that is greater than number of seats.
I definitely have gotten and wondered about boarding passes on UA that is greater than number of seats.
Last edited by username; Jul 5, 2013 at 7:52 am
Jul 4, 2013, 9:06 pm
#45
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Indiana
Programs: United GS 1.5MM, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Gold
Posts: 533
during the major IT breakdown last year, i remembered that they were using the sequence numbers to board people. I guess the sequence number is kind of a unique identifier vs using seat numbers or names where people could swap seats or people with same last names and first initial? Just more convenient way to have a unique id on the plane.