Southwest Boarding Pass number quirk?

[hey_jude]

On our September 8 Southwest flight (MCO to BUF) at least 3 families encountered something new with the numbering of our boarding passes. They were not consecutively numbered although we each had only 1 confirmation number per family.

For example, one family had something like A23, 26, 29, 31 and another had A22, 24, 28 and another had A25, 27, 29, 30. Everyone commented that they had never had this happen before. It wasn't a big deal to any of us. We just sort of grouped ourselves as families not numbers in the line and it all worked out but it did seem a bit odd.

Has anyone else seen this happen?

[kaytieeldr]

Personally? No - but there's a recent thread here (may be that big "Southwest Early Bird Check-in" one) where that happened to a DISer and someone else explained it something like, since even though you're checking in one whole party as one transaction, the computer assigns one boarding pass at a time. If two people are checking in online at the same moment, the system will often assign a number to one party, then the next number to another party, then the next number to the first party...

[katieandemismom]

It happened to us this morning. We have A38, 40, 42, and 44. I thought it was very odd. At least they're As.

[Brer Chump]

That has happened to me the last 3 times flying SWA and it seems common when checking in at T-24. For me it is one person in between our family of 3.

[seashoreCM]

There may be more than one processor (or computer or server) operating in the system at Southwest's headquarters, and any one party's group reservation is handled by one processor. The processors pick from the same pool of numbers one at a time. Like chickens gathered around a feed dish filled with with corn kernels or whatever.

[tjmw2727]

We have had our BP # separated by 1 or more numbers a few times despite being on one confirmaiton number. This has happend a few times this year, well before EBCI so it isn't someting new. Last December we had three on our confirmation # and we got all even numbers, something like A 26, 28 & 30. The folks with the odd # BP's between us were also traveling together so we just shuffled around in line by party.