Many Brits will be travelling over the summer holidays for a well-deserved break. While many people look forward to their trip away for months, a small detail could stop them from boarding a plane. And it is all to do with your boarding pass which is mainly located on own mobile phones nowadays.
Despite having your passport and boarding pass ready at the airport gate, a common code could stop you from reaching your destination. According to SCS Chauffeurs, a luxury airport transfer provider, Brits should look at the SEQ number.
Hadleigh Diamond, chief operating officer at SCS Chauffeurs, explained: “SEQ stands for Sequence Number, and it tells airlines the order in which you checked in for your flight.
“A SEQ of 001 means you were the first to check in; 152 means you were the 152nd. While it doesn’t affect your seat assignment or boarding group, it’s crucial during overbooked flights, especially on budget airlines.”
Flights can often be oversold, especially during the peak summer months when children are off from school.
Hadleigh added: “Airlines have to choose who gets involuntarily denied boarding. One of the factors used is the check in order. If you were one of the last to check in, you’re more likely to be at the bottom of the priority list.
“When we arrange transfers, we often remind passengers to ensure they’ve checked in early, whenever possible, to avoid a potential flight issue.”
The expert explained that airlines “tend to overbook flights” as not all passengers “turn up on the day”.
According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, more than 6 million passengers were denied boarding globally in the last year, with many unaware that early check-in could have protected their seat.
When a flight is so overbooked that passengers are denied boarding or offloaded, the airline will usually ask for volunteers.
But if no one comes forward, each airline will deny boarding to passengers in line with its policies.
For many airlines, this involves using the SEQ number as a way to make a decision. Holidaymakers who want to check their SEQ can usually find it printed under or near the barcode. The lower the number the better.
Meanwhile, overbooking affects all flight classes including economy with assigned seating.