It used to be that you automatically got “A” boarding if you checked in and printed your boarding passes online when flying Southwest. The past several times I’ve flown, I’ve checked in online, but I always get “B” - even when I do it only an hour or so after you’re able to.
What’s the deal? Have they changed their policies or something? I cannot believe that that many people have done it before me.
Anecdotal evidence only, but I have friends who will be on the computer exactly 24 (or whatever it is) hours prior and will be checking in within one minute. They are in a very busy SWA city (San Diego) and have begun doing this through harsh experience.
What city are you flying out of? Also, do you (or anyone else) know how many “A” passes are given out for each flight?
Crap…sorry for quoting the OP in the first response.
I hit the wrong reply button. :smack:
What’s the difference between A and B? The order in which one boards?
Yep. “A” is the first third. Minus the old folk, the families, and the other lightweights that get special boarding. 
I effing hate the Southwest cattle car boarding policies, and all the vying for position it entails. (I’m not particularly fond of how often their flights are delayed, either; they claim about 80% on time departures, but my experience is closer to 50%.)
I’ve had the same experience as the OP; signing on within an hour of online boarding registration and still getting a B or sometimes a C. It’s very annoying; I’d rather know what seat I’m going to have up front, and I really don’t understand how this contributes to their business model. On the other hand, they do generally have the most attractive stewardesses. I’m not sure how that all correlates together, but there you have it.
Now, if only Midwest had more destinations…
Stranger
Sounds like a tantalizingly interesting article, but alas, you must be a registered member of the site to read it - can you repost it here? (or at least summarize)
What has changed is more people are printing their boarding passes online.
Ha! Old age wins one. Just be 84 and carry a cane. then boarding on Southwest is a piece of cake.
I typically check in right after midnight the day before, since I’m always up anyhow. I always get “A”.
Online checkin is available starting 24 hours before the flight departure time, not midnight.
Yeah, I think I have them confused with someone else who insists on same-day checkin. I don’t know; I fly so much it’s hard to keep them straight.
Southwest used to do it at midnight.
For awhile there was a company selling a service where for $5 or so they’d have their computer check you in at exactly 24 hours prior & forward your boarding pas to your email. Southwest sued them for misuing the SWA website, but I don’t know the outcome or whether other similar businesses exist.
It would also be easy for somebody to devise a smal program you could download which would do the checkin for you at the earliest opportunity; that’d probably skirt SWA terms of use on their website, and even if not, since yuo’re the customer they’d not be too inclined to fight you over it.
I don’t know if such programs exist, but if it did it wouldn’t take too many folks using one to make the A passes sell out in just a few minutes.