Boarding number changed after assignment

[PettyIntrigues]

This is a new one for me. For what it’s worth, the Southwest agent I just spoke to said it was a new one for her too, and couldn’t figure out how or why it happened.

I have a flight today going from Tulsa to Dallas. When I checked in last night, I got A17. I took small note of this because I almost always get A16, but didn’t really think anything else of it. However, when I went to check in for my flight to Santa Barbara tomorrow, I glanced and noticed that my number for my flight today changed to A37?!?  

This is hardly the end of the world, especially for such a short flight (I might feel differently on a four hour flight, heh) but it is a little vexing. 

Has this ever happened anyone else? your number changing after initial assignment? The only theory I had was that maybe another TUL – DAL flight got canceled and they moved all the business select on that one up on a subsequent flight, but the agent told me that’s definitely not what happened. I also thought it was possible that I got A37 last night and just confused it for A17, but I think if I had noticed A17, I definitely would have noticed A37 (I haven’t had a number that high booking more than 36 hours out in many years). Another Southwest computer glitch? Weird.

[DancingDavidE]

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@PettyIntrigues wrote:

This is a new one for me. For what it’s worth, the Southwest agent I just spoke to said it was a new one for her too, and couldn’t figure out how or why it happened.

I have a flight today going from Tulsa to Dallas. When I checked in last night, I got A17. I took small note of this because I almost always get A16, but didn’t really think anything else of it. However, when I went to check in for my flight to Santa Barbara tomorrow, I glanced and noticed that my number for my flight today changed to A37?!?  

This is hardly the end of the world, especially for such a short flight (I might feel differently on a four hour flight, heh) but it is a little vexing. 

Has this ever happened anyone else? your number changing after initial assignment? The only theory I had was that maybe another TUL – DAL flight got canceled and they moved all the business select on that one up on a subsequent flight, but the agent told me that’s definitely not what happened. I also thought it was possible that I got A37 last night and just confused it for A17, but I think if I had noticed A17, I definitely would have noticed A37 (I haven’t had a number that high booking more than 36 hours out in many years). Another Southwest computer glitch? Weird.

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The most likely option is that it was actually 37 all along. Do you get a pop up notice on your app or any other way that it would have been logged?

Unfortunately it will be hard to tell what happened without having a copy or screenshot of the original to verify that it may have been a different number originally or if you added your boarding pass to your phone.

Look again, maybe the misreading was today and it is back to A17?

[floridaguy]

Maybe Southwest needs to start sending emails with the check-in information so that there are no questions about what your original boarding position was?

Then, if it changes, you get an automatic LUV voucher.

[PettyIntrigues]

I’m most apt to believe it was always A37, seems like Occam’s Razor, it just strikes me as odd as that number is way way high for me and I feel like I definitely would’ve noticed.

I like the aircraft theory though it’s always been  a 700. I probably will ask around in line.

Thanks all!

[PettyIntrigues]

So, to (hopefully) close out this little mystery, there was no one in line between A16-A20 when we boarded. Weird. I didn’t even bother asking around, and still hardly a matter: there were only 75 people on this flight. I’m back to A16 for both legs tomorrow so fingers crossed they will stay that way!

[bec102896]

I wonder if the aircraft for your flight was downgraded or upgraded and it messed up the boarding position of folks. Did you ask others in line if they had a change in boarding numbers.