SEQ NBR - is it really in order of check in?

[simongr]

Hi all

I have understood that the SEQ NBR was essentially the order in which you checked in. So if you are SEQ NBR 1 you are an obsessive compulsive who checked in at T-23.59.59. If you are SEQ NBR 232 you flashed your QF card at the pole as you walked into the airport 20 mins before your flight.


So explain this. I had SEQ NBR 9 for my trip today (yes obsessive compulsive) as I checked in yesterday morning for both of today's flights. Roll forward 24 hours and I decided to upgrade to J on the way home. All sorted by the usual lady in the J lounge in MEL but I just checked my BP and now I have SEQ NBR 1?

So is she a Time Lord or did I miss an explanation?

 

[munitalP]

Simongr, this may explain it

Spacetime - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[docjames]

Maybe numbers 1-8 deboarded / caught an earlier flight.

It also falls over when people on complicated ticketing (read: AFFers) coming from halfway (all the way) around the world check in prior to 23.59.59 so can get #1 - i've checked in at 23.59.59 and been seq #30-something. Presumably connectors beat me to it.

 

[flyingfan]

Maybe numbers 1-8 deboarded / caught an earlier flight.

It also falls over when people on complicated ticketing (read: AFFers) coming from halfway (all the way) around the world check in prior to 23.59.59 so can get #1 - i've checked in at 23.59.59 and been seq #30-something. Presumably connectors beat me to it.

The international connectors being able to check in before T-24 is my experience. But I wouldn't think you can move up a seq number because numbers 1-8 didn't get on board - they were still checked in for the flight...

 

[Must...Fly!]

The international connectors being able to check in before T-24 is my experience. But I wouldn't think you can move up a seq number because numbers 1-8 didn't get on board - they were still checked in for the flight...

Perhaps they missed said connection due to late inbound and operations proactively moved them, moving simongr up the ranking?

Although that said I didn't know if you moved flights, your seq changed.

 

[Kangol]

The international connectors being able to check in before T-24 is my experience. But I wouldn't think you can move up a seq number because numbers 1-8 didn't get on board - they were still checked in for the flight...

Not necessarily int but also dom connectors too.

Oddly enough today I did MEL-HBA same day return on the one PNR. 0700 MEL departure and 1650 HBA departure.
OLCI was done at about T-22 or so. It had the option to OLCI for both flights at once. At T-30 or so for the afternoon flight.
I guess in theory it was a "connection" as my final destination was MEL.

I've only done this (same day returns, same PNR) once or twice and don't remember being able to OLCI for both at the same time if the second is outside T-24 and a "return", not a "connection". Not a big deal, just unexpected - but useful.

 

[Hvr]

I did a T-24 check in recently and and got seq 1 for the first flight, MEL-SYD, however for the second flight, SYD-AYQ I got seq 5. Obviously other connecters were flying even earlier than me.

A more recent example was when flying CBR-SYD-OOL. For the first leg at T-24 I got seq 1 and yet the second leg was way down the order, something like seq 8.

Always interesting to see what seq number you get on your connection.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Yes very interesting stuff indeed .

 

[vbap]

Can't wait to find out what Lesley Grant thinks about this...

 

[serfty]

I believe the SEQ is unique for every PAX for every flight. Once assigned it sticks, whether you take another flight or not.

It is possible to have a higher sequence number that there are seats on a flight.

 

[simongr]

I think that might solve it serfty. On reflection I didnt see the SEQ NBR for the original flight so that might have been SEQ NBR 1 already...

 

[simongr]

Can't wait to find out what Lesley Grant thinks about this...

Lesley will be too busy answering questions about premium boarding...

 

[JohnK]

I was under the impression the SEQ number was the order in which you checked in for a flight. I have had SEQ nbr 1 more times than I care to remember as I try to get to first row of economy.

Yesterday I had SEQ nbr 14 for KUL-SIN flight and when I was given a new boarding pass for later flight the SEQ nbr was 159.

What would be interesting to see was if someone was on a flight, moved themselves to later flight and then at airport tried to get back to original flight. Would they get their original SEQ nbr or new SEQ nbr? I witnessed this yesterday in KUL but not sure the person was able to get back to original flight as it was extremely full.

 

[simongr]

Looking back i think it was due to me not noticing the SEQ NBR for the second flight.

 

[serfty]

If you were offloaded and then "put back" onto the flight then you may very have needed a new sequence number.

I guess it depends upon the computer system being used and/or how you were processed.

 

[JohnK]

If you were offloaded and then "put back" onto the flight then you may very have needed a new sequence number.

I was not referring to me.

A business person on a flexible ticket took themselves off the 5:30pm flight and put themselves on the 7:30pm flight as they thought their meeting was going to take too long. They then finished meeting early and asked to be put on standby on original flight. It would have been interesting to see SEQ nbr's if they were successful in going back to original flight.

 

[madrooster]

To add another data point, I once had seq numbers 1 and 2 for QF446 MEL-SYD (4pm departure) but asked to be forward loaded onto QF438 (2pm departure) and ended up with seq number 42. This forward loading was done at about 11am.

 

[serfty]

I was not referring to me.

....

That would make no difference.

 

[Simo]

I have never looked at this number before.

Am I bad

 

[Aussie_flyer]

I have never looked at this number before.

Am I bad

yes you should be ashamed. looking at the SEQ NBR is an essential part of daily life. Don't you EVER EVER not look again.