Anyone notice they are trash lately? I just checked in exactly at the 24 hour mark and we got positions B60 and C1. I've gotten a B spot before, but I've never been bumped to C when I've checked in on time.

Of course, we can upgrade to A1-15 for an additional $40 per person. Are they holding back/charging for even more A boarding spots than they have in the past? Or are there just more A-List fliers (I am not A-list)?

I've noticed the sane thing. Don't have an answer.

a crapload of people got upgraded after the december debacle. probably your issue.

I'm A-List Preferred, so I haven't seen any issues.

I guess the other explanation is more people are paying for early bird check in. We did that at Christmas and still got crappy boarding assignments. I'd rather just pay for A1-15.

I just bit the bullet and paid $40 each to get A12 and 13. I'm probably going to end up in a middle seat, but since my boarding spot was B60, I didn't want to be a jerk and ask my BF to save a seat for me.

AggieOO said:

---

a crapload of people got upgraded after the december debacle. probably your issue.

I'm A-List Preferred, so I haven't seen any issues.

---

I was wondering about that. But we are flying at kind of a weird time, so I wouldn't expect the plane to be full of frequent fliers.

I've never been able to get A-list, although, I did just sign up for the extra promotion to get there "faster". Still prob won't make it, though.

There are a lot more A list folks now after the Christmas meltdown when they bumped them up to A list if they were close to getting it. I'm A list Preferred and used to always get A16 but now I've been getting from A18 to A21 on some flights. Couple that with all the route cuts and you have more through passengers taking my exit row seat……..

yeah, i've been getting A19 on my flights recently.

I've also noticed that SW has recently changed their flight times on my regular flights. Not sure what that means, if anything, but its definitely less convenient now. I'm actually opting for a connection so I can get home earlier from work travel. Always was able to fly direct previously.

Maybe we will get lucky and snag the exit row. That would make my BF happy and my middle seat more tolerable. I'll send him the bill since I would have kept my B60 position, if it weren't for him.

As a side note, they still haven't resolved my son's missing 25k points from the Christmas debacle. The last RR customer service agent I spoke with agreed he should have them, but their hands have been tied. She couldn't add them to his account. I think my written requests/complaints are just being ignored at this point.

I noticed this, too. Had to take my son to HOU for a 9 am flight to BHM instead of the usual 11 am flight. That schedule has changed multiple times over the almost 13 years we've been flying that route, though, so I wasn't too surprised.

unless you are A list or pay for early bird, you are probably going to get a mediocre boarding position even if you check in right at 24 hours. Definitely a downside of SWA. But if you're a family with small children, you'll get family boarding anyway.

This is the first time I've ever gotten C at the 24 hour mark. I used to could get A pretty regularly. That gradually slipped to B, but usually the first half of B. This is by far the worst boarding position I've ever gotten, except for the couple of times I've completely forgotten to check in. We even got a better B position flying home from Orlando last Labor Day.

It could be that there are more A-list passengers, as noted. What has also occurred is that people who are not A-list but are on the same reservation as an A-list member get to board with A-list. So that automatically pushes several people back.

I paid for early bird and got mid B. That's 36 hrs before flight. Family of 3 wanting to sit together and we ended up last row of the plane.

Flying southwest sounds like a freaking beating

Early bird is crap. I won't pay for it again.

Question for you A-listers (I've wondered this for a while): Does anyone get A1-15 anymore, or are all those boarding positions for sale? When they offer the upgrade to you, that's how it's described (upgrade to A1-15).

I've wondered how they can offer those for sale when there has got to be at least a few A-listers on every flight. I would expect them to offer A16-30 to those of us losers who are willing to pay to not have to sit in a middle seat at the back of the plane.

LostInLA07 said:

---

Flying southwest sounds like a freaking beating

---

It's definitely been a lot less fun and more frustrating since Covid, and especially the last year. It used to be fine...that's why I never worried about not being A-List. I didn't need it.

I'm A-List, and was pissed about all the random new A-listers after holiday meltdown. Missed preferred by 3 flights.

I've already re-qualified for A list for 2023-2024, and will hit preferred and companion pass the natural way in 2023. All that being said, I am on SWA flights a lot, and am usually A18-25, and never worse than 35.

As I understand it, boarding position goes:
Paid business select
Points business select
A list preferred paid
A list preferred points
A list paid
A list points

And if multiple people are the same category/tier, it's based upon your number of years/months at that status.

If your flight is a continuation, good luck being above B-30. My wife has no status, usually boards with our kid in family boarding, and is routinely B30 and above.

There are some folks who post here who can probably clarify the above or tell me I'm way wrong. Just how I've figured it over years standing in line with other frequent flyers, chitchatting with gate agents and FA's.

I haven't gotten an A group when checking-in at exactly 24 hours in ages. It's been B30 and higher for years.

One of the other changes that I did not remember is that if one of your traveling "family" members on the same itinerary is A-List, everyone is A-list for that trip.

I have not gotten A1-15, but have been 16+ several times with no one in front of me.

As a side note, I got nervous last night since when I checked the "where is my plane now" on FlightAware, it said our plane had to go from BWI to Islip (ISP) and back to BWI before coming to HOU. The region that includes ISP is under a travel advisory for winter weather/a nor'easter.

Just checked FlightAware again, and our plane still has to come from BWI, but it's arriving at BWI from Chicago.

TXTransplant said:

---

Maybe we will get lucky and snag the exit row. That would make my BF happy and my middle seat more tolerable. I'll send him the bill since I would have kept my B60 position, if it weren't for him.

As a side note, they still haven't resolved my son's missing 25k points from the Christmas debacle. The last RR customer service agent I spoke with agreed he should have them, but their hands have been tied. She couldn't add them to his account. I think my written requests/complaints are just being ignored at this point.

---

Dang I was following that thread hoping you would get your points……

And A18 this morning for our upcoming flight. Do like having my Companion board with me, thanks SW.

My son's points are the only ones still missing. The rest of us did get ours. When I call, they tell me "We sent you an email". They did not send an email. The whole points thing was a total cluster for us.

I need to figure out a way to get A-List. It chaps my hide to have to pay for a boarding position that's not C. But all our travel is leisure, so it's hard to get enough flights in (someone's got to go to work to pay for it all).

I talked to one of the gate attendants last week about this, just kind of passing the time on a relatively empty flight.

Said that at the 24 hour mark you used to basically be guaranteed a high A or low B spot. I'd usually get somewhere in the range of A50 - B30. She said that more people are opting for Early-Bird check-in, and that instead of automatically checking you in at 24 hours ahead of time, you can now manually check in 36 hours ahead of time with Early Bird.

If you don't have A-List or anything I'd just bite the bullet and pay the $40 or $50 it is to upgrade to A1-15

That makes sense. And just solidifies that I might as well pay for A1-15, because you aren't necessarily going to get a good boarding position with early bird (and it's usually $20-$25 per person). If you want to upgrade to A after early bird, you're out what you paid for early bird check in.

TXTransplant said:

---

This is the first time I've ever gotten C at the 24 hour mark. I used to could get A pretty regularly. That gradually slipped to B, but usually the first half of B. This is by far the worst boarding position I've ever gotten, except for the couple of times I've completely forgotten to check in. We even got a better B position flying home from Orlando last Labor Day.

---

could also be you are flying a popular route during spring break. I flew from Albuquerque to Austin on a Tuesday recently and got an A position when I checked in.

Idk. I like SWA but their check in/boarding process can be a real drag.

We are going from HOU to PHX…at 330 on a Tuesday in the middle of spring break. Not an ideal flight, if you're trying to maximize vacation time. It is coming from the east coast, so there may be a lot of people staying on the flight.

Quote:

---

As I understand it, boarding position goes:
Paid business select
Points business select
A list preferred paid
A list preferred points
A list paid
A list points

---

In my experience, this seems right.

When I flew SW for work (really wish I switched to United when I was doing this!), I would pay business select, and out of 10-12 flights in that 18 months or so, I was never more than about A3. I had A1 a handful of times. And these flights were not purchased very far ahead of time; maybe a week.

Quote:

---

I need to figure out a way to get A-List. It chaps my hide to have to pay for a boarding position that's not C. But all our travel is leisure, so it's hard to get enough flights in (someone's got to go to work to pay for it all).

---

Maybe this is obvious.. but something like A-list is supposed to be for frequent fliers. It would be of no benefit to those people if someone like you who flies 3 times a year can get it.

We fly more than three times a year. Just not 25 one way flights in one year. I will have about 1/2 that requirement by May over less than a year of travel. My son will be more than half of the way there. I realize status resets on Jan 1, but my point is, but the frequency is there (and it's actually increasing over previous years).

There are other ways to get A-List status, specifically by accumulating points through RR partner purchases. I should be paying closer attention to that.

TXTransplant said:

---

We fly more than three times a year. Just not 25 one way flights in one year. I will have about 1/2 that requirement by May over less than a year of travel. My son will be more than half of the way there.

There are other ways to get A-List status, specifically by accumulating points through RR partner purchases. I should be paying closer attention to that.

---

There are only 2 ways to earn tier qualifying points; credit card spend and flying.

You can get max 15,000 tqp through a SW credit card. It's 1500 per $10k spent, so $100k spend gets you the 15k tqp. not achievable for many.. and that's less than half way to alist.

Other than that, you gotta buy flights with $$. This is why it's a lot of business fliers getting it. Not only the frequency, but they are spending more on the flights and get 12 ppd for the business select.

That's only $2916 to get 35k points. That's like 3 round trip flights.
Wanna get away is gonna cost you $5832 in flight spend.. which is more like ~20 rt flights.


https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/airlines/how-to-get-southwest-elite-status/


You can get 4 upgraded boardings (a1-a15) with a priority select card.

Or just get a single bus select every time you fly.. you will probably hit the 35k tqp, and you'll have a1-a15 for those flights.

You can get qualifying points with RR partner purchases that aren't through the CC.

This is interesting…paid $80 yesterday to get A12 and A13. Saved boarding passes to Apple wallet that confirm it.

Got a notice earlier today that I was on standby. Just checked my boarding passes online and mine now says to proceed to the gate for my boarding position. App has my name on the standby list (BF traveling with me is not on the list). So now I'm on hold to figure out WTF is going on.

Have you ever compared what you spend on Southwest vs another airline going to the same destination? It's definitely a much longer drive for you to get to that airport.

Yep. I always do. I fly United when it's cheaper and/or a better flight schedule. Will fly Delta or AA when SW and United aren't an option. SW was also by far the cheaper option when my son was flying UM ($50 fee each way vs $150)

Southwest usually wins out. But this standby issue has me fuming. The rep that answered the phone said I'm not the first person who has called today with this exact problem. Still on hold waiting to see what the resolution is. In the meantime we are driving to the airport.

Edit: talked to a rep on the phone. They don't know what happened, but when they try to clear the standby and give me a boarding assignment, it's in the C group. She said I can either keep the pass I have with no assignment and talk to the gate agent at the airport, or they can give me the crappy C position, reissue the BP, and refund my $40 upgrade charge. I opted for the latter.

Now the app says I have C17. I should have just kept the B60 position I got when I first checked in yesterday. I'm tempted to see if the pass I have saved in Apple wallet that says A12 will work. The agent said I should try.

TXTransplant said:

---

You can get qualifying points with RR partner purchases that aren't through the CC.


.

---

Source?

Everything I read it's either fly, or spend from a chase card. I do see they removed the 15,000 tqp limit however, so you can spend only and get a list. But you're talking $200k plus of cc spend.