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Early Bird Checking with A-List Preferred Status - Idea

Jordanemery27
Explorer C

Quick idea here... Since A-List Preferred only has one additional benefit (WiFi) compared to A-List, what do you think about adding Early Bird Checkin as part of the A-List Preferred benefit?

 

Jordan

5 REPLIES 5

Re: Early Bird Checking with A-List Preferred Status - Idea

dfwskier
Aviator A

Wecome to the forum, and thanks for the suggetion.

 

Well, Jordan I'm not sure that would improve things for A List Preferred holders. Why? SW allocates boarding position first to A-List Preferred, then to A-List, then to EBCI, then to people who check themseles in. Thus A-List Preferred holders already get the best possible boarding positions, and EBCI wouldn't improve that.

 

Everyone has to "check in" to get boarding passes in order to get through security. EBCI doens't change that either.

Re: Early Bird Checking with A-List Preferred Status - Idea

CareforNOLA
Frequent Flyer A

@Jordanemery27, I agree with @dfwskier, I do not think EBCI would add anything.  As A list preferred, you can check in at 24 hours or eleven minutes before takeoff and you have the same spot in line.  On certain Monday mornings, there are a bunch of people going from one city to another (on what feels like the Southwest commuter bus) and we are always comparing notes on “now you are in front of me” or “I see they moved you up from the other side of the poles” etc. Most times when a massive switch is made, the answer is “I booked at the last minute so someone else must have cancelled or switched within 24 hours” because SWA fills in the open spots when that happens rather than changing the number everyone already has.

Re: Early Bird Checking with A-List Preferred Status - Idea

Jordanemery27
Explorer C

I’m A-List Preferred and I end up in the late B range if I check in 20 mins after checkin time opens. This has happened a couple of times now. Perhaps there’s a setting in the app that I need to adjust that automatically checks in for me that I’m missing? Currently, I still have to manually checkin.

 

Jordan

Re: Early Bird Checking with A-List Preferred Status - Idea

chgoflyer
Aviator A
Solution

@Jordanemery27 wrote:

I’m A-List Preferred and I end up in the late B range if I check in 20 mins after checkin time opens. This has happened a couple of times now. Perhaps there’s a setting in the app that I need to adjust that automatically checks in for me that I’m missing? Currently, I still have to manually checkin.

 

Jordan


 

An A-List Preferred member should not end up in the "late B range," and the time of your check in doesn't matter -- your position is automatically assigned at t-36 (as long as your flight is booked at least 36 hours prior to departure, and you've made no itinerary changes within that period).

 

Were you experiencing this issue when you were A-List, prior to achieving Preferred status?

 

In any case, you should reach out to Customer Relations (I recommend via Twitter for the quickest response) and have them verify that your status is correctly indicated in your account, and/or if there's something else wrong internally.

 

Do remember that A-Listers who happen to receive a non-A position (for whatever reason, including things like late flight changes) can always board after A-60.

 

 

Re: Early Bird Checking with A-List Preferred Status - Idea

bec102896
Aviator A

@Jordanemery27

 

did you just earn A List? I know back the first year I earned A List I had a B group and was like huh so I called and they told me they needed to refresh my reservations since I was booked as a non a lister but became one so a simple call to reservations fixed that problem 

 

if you have been A List for more than a year I would definitely reach out to customer relations do they can investigate 

 

also I did have 2 occasions back last December where I was in the middle B group so I called to see what was up and then come to find out there were 70-80 A Listers going from AUS to DAL (trying to get last minute A List flights is my guess) 

 

hope this gets fixed for you

Blake