beavis wrote:
> In article <1135785020.987386.298740@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
> wrote:
>
> > > For situations like this, there is a service that will check you in online
> > > exactly 24 hours before your flight (http://www.boardfirst.com/)...
>
> > Thank you. If we use that, do we automatically go ahead of everyone
> > who checked in online exactly 24 hours before the flight?
>
> No, not at all. They do what you would do if you had access to the
> computer at the right time: Go to the Southwest web site 24 hours in
> advance, and check you in. No difference, and no priority.
>
> > If so, then
> > does it mean there is no chance of getting Group A without using that?
>
> Oh, absolutely not. I just checked myself in Monday for a flight I
> took yesterday. I went to the SWA web site 24 hours ahead to check us
> in, and my wife and I were the #1 and #2 people to check in for that
> flight. (There's a sequence number on the boarding pass that indicates
> that.) We were, of course, in Group A because of that.
>
>
> > Also, is that site legal and safe...
>
> Legal? I'm sure it is. Safe? If you don't mind a stranger knowing
> your name and what flight you're going on, it should be. They'll know
> your reservation number, and your name. That's it. And when they go
> to check you in, they'll see where you're going.
>
> > ...and does Southwest support it?
>
> I'm sure Southwest doesn't support it, because it means people are
> going to have to still go to the ticket counter or kiosk and get a
> reprinted board pass, defeating the whole idea of using the internet to
> bypass the ticket counter. It's strictly to get around their check-in
> priority, so no, I'm sure they don't endorse it.
So you don't get your boarding pass e-mailed to you with that site?
How do you know what boarding group you'll be in?
> But since all you need to check in is the PNR number and the name, I
> don't see how they can stop it.
>
> > Also, if I use it, what are my chances of getting Group A?
>
> Very good -- as good as if you were sitting in front of your computer
> 24 hours ahead of the flight.
>
> > One more thing: I know that even if I am Group A but get randomly
> > searched, since that can take a lot of time, I'd lose my spot in line
> > and would likely be boarding with the Group C people. And every time
> > I've flown post-9/11 (admitted, not many times, so it could be just bad
> > luck rather than anything about me) I have been randomly searched.
>
> The system has changed -- I haven't seen "at the gate" screening in
> quite a while now. At most airports, the extra "random searches" are
> now done right at the security checkpoint. That idea seems utterly
> ridiculous to me, but that's nonetheless how it's done. You get pulled
> to the side for "additional screening," and when that's all done you go
> to the gate.
Why do you think that is a ridiculous system? It sounds to me like a
better system? The old system was unfair where someone would go out of
their way to get there extra early or to get on a computer 24 hours
early, and then end up in Group C just because they were "randomly"
searched. The new system sounds better.
> > I am male and the friend I am travelling with is female, so I would
> > assume that I am more likely to be randomly searched than she is.
>
> You assume incorrectly.
I explained the reasons why in another post.
> It's SUPPOSEDLY random, but the changes go up
> with things like cash purchases, one-way tickets, last minute tickets,
> etc.
I've been randomly searched when I did none of those.
> Seems silly to me -- I'm quite sure Osama knows to use a credit
> card and book a roundtrip well in advance. Your government in action!
>
>
> > If I
> > am randomly searched and she is not (or vice versa), and if she tries
> > to hold a seat for me, would the other passengers accept it?
>
> Of course. "My friend is in the bathroom and will be right back"
> always works. :-) Besides -- the seat you're trying to hold will
> undoubtedly be a middle seat, and those generally get filled last
> anyway. But as I said above, that shouldn't be an issue anymore.
Thanks.
> > If she and I book the flight together on a single
> > reservation, would I be less likely to be randomly searched since we'd
> > appear to be a couple, and I would not appear as a single male?
>
> I'm not positive if that's one of the factors or not. But if you book
> well in advance for a round-trip, you're unlikely to be picked unless
> you're on some kind of watch list.
I've been randomly searched on flights I booked many months in advance.
Two of those were Southwest, but I was travelling alone both times,
and it was before their online booking system, so I didn't care too
much where I sat, so I didn't really mind too much.
> > I wish
> > that Southwest still had their old policy where there was no online
> > checkin, so that you could just get there 3 hours early and be
> > guaranteed Group A (then it was group 1-30), but that was not meant to
> > be it seems.
>
> That was the old system, and I didn't like it. They had numbered
> plastic boarding cards, and you didn't get one until you got all the
> way to the *gate*.
I thought it was a better system since you'd just get there 2 hours
early rather than having to check in 24 hours early, which can be a
hardship if you have a life.
> Which meant that if you were making a connection,
> you were guaranteed to get a crappy seat.
Yes, that is true.
> In this age of the internet, I love the online checkin. :-)
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