Skip to main content

Southwest Airlines Community

Boarding by numbers does not always work!

Mrgrumpy92
Explorer C

How does it work that some with a higher boarding number boards ahead of me?  The gate attendant does not look or pay attention.   

 

Someone with 2 numbers behind me was allowed to go ahead of me.  Then someone with B31 was allowed to board before A finished.   

 

Come on Southwest. 

6 REPLIES 6

Re: Boarding by numbers does not always work!

bec102896
Aviator A

Hello

 

Its unfortunate but some people like to cheat and cut in line and sometimes they just get lucky. 

 

some times agents miss the letter most of the time I see people trying to cover up the letter so all the agent sees is the number I see that a lot with mobile boarding passes since you just put it under the scanner the agent doesn't take your phone and some places they can take the scanner and scan without you handing a paper boarding pass so depending on how a person has there finger it could cover up the letter. 

 

maybe tell the person hey I'm whatever number I should be ahead of you or if you see someone cheating to move up tell the ops agent scanning passes hey people are moving up when they shouldn't  be.

 

hopefully your next flight people will follow the rules and take there correct place in line.

Blake 

Re: Boarding by numbers does not always work!

kurnishpatel
Explorer C

I know at times it can seem like an unfair process, especially when you see people abuse the disability privilege by requesting wheelchair assistance but seem to be the first ones out of their seats after landing and walk to the exit but process Southwest has for boarding is significantly shorter than other airlines who use a very rigid boarding system.

 

The value of first come, first serve seating reduces the boarding time considerably and helps the plane take off on time. There are always going to be small gaps in any process but the overall experience has been positive for many flyers.

 

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/airlines/TripAdvisor-ranks-Southwest-Airlines-as-one-of-the-wo...

Re: Boarding by numbers does not always work!

PerceptiveTrvlr
Explorer C

Hey, @Mrgrumpy92. I hate when that happens!

 

Keep in mind, there are many reasons passengers may board out of order, including:

 

  • Passengers flying SWA for the first time, unfamiliar with the boarding process
  • A passenger may let someone else ahead of them, not seeing it as a problem
  • An honest mistake
  • General confusion about who's on deck to board next

Southwest gate agents do the best they can to board in alphanumeric order.  But boarding is a critical time and gate agents have many tasks to focus on, like: keeping headcount, looking out for problems with passengers, finalizing paperwork for the aircrew, and other things.  Safety is paramount at Southwest and sometimes orderly boarding may experience a hiccup or two when the agent must deal with other issues at the same time.

 

The best thing to do is keep a positive attitude and let it go.  Don't pick a fight.  In your mind, just imagine throwing daggers at the offender or envision all of the bad karma that offender will be hit with afterward.

 

Also keep in mind, as @kurnishpatel mentioned, a random boarding arrangement with unassigned seats (the current Southwest boarding procedure) has been found by researchers to be the fastest boarding method.  So while that particular offender may get ahead by two spots, just know that you'll be on that plane and in the air faster than any other airline.

 

Whether you're holding a boarding pass for A1 or C30, everyone will get there at the same time. 🙂

 

Was my advice helpful? If so, don't forget to hit the love button below and/or click the “Accept as Solution” button. It'll be a big help to any other folks here with a similar question.

 

About me: Home airport is OAK. SWA customer for 20 yrs+. Miss the days of plastic boarding cards and the RR credit stamps.

Re: Boarding by numbers does not always work!

LindseyD
Retired Community Manager

@PerceptiveTrvlr

 

Thanks for providing such a great answer with detailed insight! 

 

Re: Boarding by numbers does not always work!

PerceptiveTrvlr
Explorer C

Hey, @Mrgrumpy92. I hate when that happens!

 

Keep in mind, there are many reasons passengers may board out of order, including:

 

  • Passengers flying SWA for the first time, unfamiliar with the boarding process
  • A passenger may let someone else ahead of them, not seeing it as a problem
  • An honest mistake
  • General confusion about who's on deck to board next

Southwest gate agents do the best they can to board in alphanumeric order.  But boarding is a critical time and gate agents have many tasks to focus on, like: keeping headcount, looking out for problems with passengers, finalizing paperwork for the aircrew, and other things.  Safety is paramount at Southwest and sometimes orderly boarding may experience a hiccup or two when the agent must deal with other issues at the same time.

 

The best thing to do is keep a positive attitude and let it go.  Don't pick a fight.  In your mind, just imagine throwing daggers at the offender or envision all of the bad karma that offender will be hit with afterward.

 

Also keep in mind, as @kurnishpatel mentioned, a random boarding arrangement with unassigned seats (the current Southwest boarding procedure) has been found by researchers to be the fastest boarding method.  So while that particular offender may get ahead by two spots, just know that you'll be on that plane and in the air faster than any other airline.

 

Whether you're holding a boarding pass for A1 or C30, everyone will get there at the same time. 🙂

 

Was my advice helpful? If so, don't forget to hit the love button below and/or click the “Accept as Solution” button. It'll be a big help to any other folks here with a similar question.

 

About me: Home airport is OAK. SWA customer for 20 yrs+. Miss the days of plastic boarding cards and the RR credit stamps.

Re: Boarding by numbers does not always work!

ntx_geography
Explorer C

That's awful that people cheat the system. If you see that someone is ahead of you and should be behind you, let them know they are out of order. I've encountered this in one of Southwest's newer markets. the people just didn't know. Maybe Southwest can program its system to flash red when someone boards out of turn. Then again, it could that some passengers are allowig a mom to board with her children. Its a tough situation. One of the biggest postives is the speed of boarding a Southwest flight.