Now how about this one ? (same airline !) latest missive from Chief Pilot is that passenger head count will be done and TOB figure passed to and confirmed with Captain after the doors have been closed ......
I wonder if that was the same airline I flew with a month ago who had a headcount problem (was it 181 or 182?) involving Team Leader calls on his mobile from the aircraft, three flight crew shuffling and huffing on the flightdeck, number 1 doing about four counts and ultimately some kind of committee decision being made that it all made sense because there were two boarding cards issued with the same sequence number? Number 92 I recall
It all goes to pot sometimes - thank goodness most of the numbers are lucky...