Why is it do difficult for people with A-19 and A-20 to line up properly.

[Drbennettpmr]

I have been A-list preferred for 16 years with over 1600 flights.  I get A-16 more often than not.   I swear some guy with A-19 or 20 stands right at the front 16-20 pole commonly.  Obviously, if you have a 19 or 20 you fly a lot.   My question to them.  Are you trying to take cuts and get people with a better boarding number to go behind you?   It forces people into to 11-15 area.   Do these people need to go back and watch Sesame Street and learn the basics of the number line?   Or are they just A-xxxxs?

[SoCalFlyer97]

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@Drbennettpmr wrote:

I get A-16 more often than not.   I swear some guy with A-19 or 20 stands right at the front 16-20 pole commonly.  Obviously, if you have a 19 or 20 you fly a lot.   My question to them.  Are you trying to take cuts and get people with a better boarding number to go behind you?   It forces people into to 11-15 area.   Do these people need to go back and watch Sesame Street and learn the basics of the number line?   Or are they just A-xxxxs?

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I seldom notice any serious line cutting. SW appears to be very good at enforcing the boarding order. I'm not sure what their tolerance range is if a person boards only a few spots too early within the boarding group (e.g. A20 ahead of A16 as you stated) but I know that if anybody tries to board well ahead of their turn (e.g. A29 tries to get on when it's A16's turn) or earlier than their boarding group, the Gate Agent will catch this and not let them through.

Whenever I line up in between the poles, I always let my linemates know what my number is. If I have A21 for example, I'll go to the "21-25" area and say "21" to those in the area with my boarding pass in hand; they'll usually respond with their number and they'll let me line up accordingly. If you have A16, you should certainly be claiming the first spot in the "16-20" section directly behind the Business Select/Upgraded Boarding A1-15 area. Try saying "16" whenever you line up going forward should you see anybody ahead of you in that area. They should let you in.

Note that at some airports or gates, the area in between the poles can get very tight which can make it difficult to form a uniform line in the proper order; if that's the case, I'll say my number and identify who I should be following in but will wait off to the side and fall into place once the line moves.

Hope this helps.

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@Drbennettpmr wrote:

I have been A-list preferred for 16 years with over 1600 flights. 

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SoCalFlyer97 has some catching up to do! Great to hear your loyalty with SW. 😊

[floridaguy]

It is called "pushing the envelope" and goes on continuously with Southwest.

Multiple pieces of luggage carry onboard - pushing the envelope.

More than one personal item carry onboard - pushing the envelope.

Abusing the family boarding provision - pushing the envelope.

Crying about sitting together - pushing the envelope.

Abusing your boarding position - pushing the envelope.

[jksobonya]

Honestly, does it really matter if the line isn't 100% alphanumeric? Depending on people's luggage with them, who they're with, etc., the line tends to get out of sequence for a number or two. It's never bothered me. 

--Jessica

[dfwskier]

Agree with you Jexxica. If I have A22, I don;t particularly care if I get on at A20 or A30. I'm still going to get a good seat.

[Drbennettpmr]

I always go for an exit row and on some of the longer flights they go quick.  So for me being a frequent A-16 border, I notice.  But yeah if I have A-19 or A-20 on a rare occasion, I go stand at the end of that row.  It isn't that hard.

[DancingDavidE]

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@dfwskier wrote:

Agree with you Jexxica. If I have A22, I don;t particularly care if I get on at A20 or A30. I'm still going to get a good seat.

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Agreed except not if I'm A16, there can be no confusion about who is the first of that boarding group.

Also I'm going for that exit row aisle then A16 is better than A17.

20's or more then often I actually just wait at the back of A30 and board the last of that group so I'm not crowded.