By Dawn Gilbertson

DALLAS -- The last time Southwest Airlines changed its boarding process, nearly 20 years ago, it launched an online boarding school to teach passengers the basics.

This time, travelers might need a graduate-level course. The airline that has offered open seating for more than 50 years is switching to assigned seating in January, including its first premium seats. Those changes dictate not just a few boarding tweaks but a dramatically different system.

Southwest began testing new boarding months before assigned seating was announced using the code name Project USA. And it will soon start educating travelers on the new boarding drill that is designed to keep things flowing and maintain the airline's envious flight-turnaround times. But I got a sneak peek last week at the airline's headquarters in Dallas, where there's a mock-up of the new boarding system and a mind-boggling process map that stretches the length of the conference room.

First impression: There's a lot to love. If, that is, you are a top-tier Southwest frequent flier. Or if you are a traveler who pays up for the airline's priciest tickets, new extra-legroom seats or priority boarding. In other words, the big spenders.

They will automatically be in an early boarding group, so carry-on space won't be an issue. The same can't be said for some others, including travelers who buy basic-economy tickets and certain aisle-seat aficionados. (More on that below.)

Here are some of the ins and outs of Southwest's new boarding system.

Bye-bye boarding positions, hello (nine) boarding groups. Southwest is ditching boarding positions (you know, the coveted A16, the dreaded C25) in favor of boarding groups. That means the end of those stainless-steel stanchions with numbers etched into them at the gate, where passengers today line up based on boarding position assigned at check-in and then pick any open seat.

Southwest boarding passes will now contain your boarding group and a number from 1 to 8, unless you booked priority boarding. If that sounds familiar it's because nearly every other airline boards in groups.

Southwest swears it won't have clusters of passengers crowding the gate ahead of their turn. That's because it plans to run two lines simultaneously on either side of a new, shorter stanchion. On one line will be the group now boarding, the other the group up next. So when group 3 is boarding, for example, group 4 will be lined up on the other side.

"If queuing isn't good, boarding isn't good," said Lisa Hingson, managing director of innovation. "So we spent a lot of time studying queuing."

What determines your group? That's where things get complicated. At its heart, Southwest's new system is the so-called Wilma method, for window, middle and aisle.

Passengers in window seats board first, followed by those in middle seats and aisles, starting in the back of the plane. United Airlines switched back to this boarding approach a couple of years ago because it said it was more efficient.

But layered on top of that are all the passengers who get boarding perks from their frequent-flier status, ticket type, seat type or credit card. Travelers who buy or are eligible for free extra-legroom seats, for example, are automatically in group 1 or 2 regardless of ticket type. Basic-economy ticket buyers will typically board last.

Wilma has a lot of fans, but here's what turned me off. Southwest showed me a boarding pass for a passenger seated in 12C. I consider that a great economy seat on most any airline. The assigned boarding group: 7.

That's dicey if you have a carry-on because the bins may be full. I have status on Southwest and will board no later than Group 5 under the new system, the airline says. But that's little comfort for someone without status who doesn't pay up for extra legroom or priority boarding.

There's a line-jumping option. Don't want to get stuck in a lousy boarding group? There's another way to get on the plane quicker.

Southwest plans to offer a last-minute Priority Boarding option. Prices weren't disclosed and will be dynamic, as is the case with its current Upgraded Boarding. The asking price for a Phoenix-Dallas flight last week: $93 one way.

And it really means priority in this new world order. There will be a separate Priority Boarding line, Southwest says. And people in it will board before Groups 1 and 2.

That means there are really nine boarding groups. The only people who will board ahead of you in the group are passengers with disabilities. (Southwest is bombarded with preboarders today. Airline executives expect the number to fall dramatically since boarding early won't get you a better seat like it does today.) Active-duty military members also board in the priority group.

New to the alphabet soup of seat assignments? There's an app for that. One of my favorite features of Southwest's new system: the level of detail on the boarding pass.

Instead of just listing your shiny new seat assignment, it tells passengers whether it's an aisle, window or dreaded middle seat.

"Since we're moving away from boarding positions, we wanted to be very clear about the difference between a boarding position and a seat," Southwest's Hingson says.

Southwest executives are confident the new boarding system is ready for prime time after battle testing it in Houston and Cancún, as well as countless computer simulations. The true test will come Jan. 27 when airline loyalists and new passengers the airline hopes to attract with assigned seating show up at the gate.

Write to Dawn Gilbertson at dawn.gilbertson@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 14, 2025 21:00 ET (01:00 GMT)

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