We know that just about everything at Southwest Airlines is changing. One of the biggest updates is that we’re seeing the Dallas-based airline introduce assigned and extra legroom seating, and that policy is live for flights as of today (January 27, 2026).
With the airline moving from its open seating policy to its assigned seating policy, the airline is also updating its boarding process effective immediately, and Southwest will no longer have its unique “cattle call” boarding, as it’s often jokingly referred to. Let’s go over the details of Southwest’s new boarding system.
In this post:
How Southwest has overhauled its boarding process
Southwest Airlines has introduced a new boarding process for flights effective immediately, coinciding with the introduction of assigned and extra legroom seating.
The airline has a new group-based boarding process, with the goal of maintaining an efficient and orderly boarding process, while also optimizing it to reflect the new seating options.
Southwest has eight different boarding groups, with the boarding group you’re in determined based on the fare type purchased, the seat assigned, and the elite status or credit card membership of a passenger. Here’s how it works:
- Group 1-2 includes Choice Extra passengers, passengers who purchase an upgrade to an extra legroom seat with any fare bundle, A-List Preferred members, and A-List members who upgrade to an extra legroom seat
- Group 3-5 includes Choice Preferred passengers, and A-List members who are seated in a preferred or standard seat
- Rapid Rewards cardmembers board with Group 5, if they are not assigned an earlier boarding position based on seat type, fare type, or status
- Group 6-8 include Choice and Basic passengers, with Basic passengers being last to board
Passengers are also able to purchase priority boarding 24 hours prior to departure, in order to be among the first to board. In the past, I’ve written more about elite status and credit card perks in light of all the changes at the airline.
Southwest thinks assigned seating will reduce turn times
Several months back, Justin Jones, Southwest’s EVP of Operations, was on the Airlines Confidential podcast, hosted by Scott McCartney (which is excellent, and worth listening to). During that interview, he made some interesting comments about the impact the new boarding process will have on efficiency.
Southwest of course has a huge focus on efficiency and quick turn times, and the airline is actively trying to reduce turn times, in order to essentially grow its schedule without actually needing to acquire more planes.
So, how is Southwest’s switch from the old boarding policy to the new boarding policy anticipated to impact turn times? According to Jones, every scenario that the airline has run shows a reduction in boarding time of five to six minutes. In particular, Jones highlights two points:
- Southwest is notorious for having a lot of pre-boarders in wheelchairs, and the airline believes the number of pre-boards will go down, when there’s no longer an incentive in terms of being able to pick your seat
- Under the old system, some passengers board and walk to the back of the plane in hopes of finding a window or aisle seat, only to find there are none, and then walk “upstream” to try to sit further up
Jones admitted that he was concerned about the impact that Southwest’s new checked bag policy would have on turn times, given that this no doubt leads to an increase in gate checked bags, complicating short turns.
Still, I can’t help but point out how contradictory some quotes are from senior airline executives. Jones seems like an honest guy who is sharing his real opinion, and I think he’s probably right about assigned seating being more efficient.
But what’s funny is that for years, Southwest executives had insisted that a key benefit of open seating is that it makes turns quicker. I can’t count the number of times we’ve heard Southwest folks claim that. Now, suddenly, it’s the opposite — assigning seats speed up the boarding process by five to six minutes.
It’s hardly the only area where Southwest has done an about-face. In September 2024, Southwest executives insisted that eliminating free checked bags wasn’t even under consideration. They claimed to have done the math, stating that they’d gain around $1-1.5 billion from charging for bags, but would lose $1.8 billion of market share.
Unsurprisingly, the airline backtracked on that, with Southwest CEO (and at this point, Elliott puppet) Bob Jordan claiming “in contrast to our previous analysis, actual customer booking behavior through our new booking channels such as metasearch, did not show that we are getting the same benefit from our bundled offering with free bags, which has led us to update the assumptions.”
It’s incredible how so many of these folks can make completely conflicting claims with such confidence, only to then claim they’ve come to a completely different conclusion, once it suits their narrative.
Bottom line
Effective immediately, Southwest Airlines has completely overhauled its boarding process. The airline now has eight different boarding groups, and no longer has passengers line up in advance. The boarding group that passengers belong to varies based on the fare or seating type purchased, as well as elite status or credit card membership.
What do you make of Southwest’s updated boarding process?
Now they are just like all the other airlines. Seems that their main business will be from some of the points they fly to/from with no other suitable option or they go to/from some smaller airports.
Only eight boarding groups? The last time I flew Delta, Group One was the eighth group called to board, after people who need assistance, active duty military, etc.
It definitely makes them "more like the rest". But knowing where I'm sitting is a big plus-up that would make me more likely to fly them than before. The pricing still being higher than the competition despite the LCC label? Not so much.
Just flew on the “New” Southwest Airlines. I was dead last in category 8 and was selected to have an aisle seat and my husband had a window seat. From what I could tell, there is no need to upgrade unless you want the exit row.
BTW they only served water, claiming the flight was too short to hand out pretzels
My view is pretty much the opposite. I flew WN coast-to-coast last Saturday. I am tall, was booked so that I was in the A1-15 group thus took advantage of extra legroom seats on an almost-empty short leg, a full medium leg, and a full long leg. Leg room for my 6’5” frame was excellent. Bonus: WN’s app and software were more than up to the task of my rebooking to a day earlier due to the brewing storm.
Just flew on the “New” Southwest Airlines. I was dead last in category 8 and I was selected to have an aisle seat and my husband had a window seat. From what I could tell, there is no need to upgrade unless you want the exit row.
BTW they only served water, claiming the flight was too short to hand out pretzels
I've flown them since 1979 and the only time I had an issue was in Oakland.Being a Texan,we understand how the whole procedure worked.Losing free bags,points and class certifications make them just like everyone else.Herb is turning in his grave
Different name, same crowding at the gate. Just like all the other airlines.
As an A-List Preferred customer, I will enjoy the changes. I can buy Basic fares but I still get any seat I want upon making the reservation; two bags are free; I won’t have to watch X number of suspicious pre-boarders take the seats I may like; and I’m with early 1-2 Group during boarding.
On the negative side – yeah, have to watch those credits if I cancel, so they don’t expire; the new...
As an A-List Preferred customer, I will enjoy the changes. I can buy Basic fares but I still get any seat I want upon making the reservation; two bags are free; I won’t have to watch X number of suspicious pre-boarders take the seats I may like; and I’m with early 1-2 Group during boarding.
On the negative side – yeah, have to watch those credits if I cancel, so they don’t expire; the new changes are NOT good for passengers who don’t have status; and I suspect the luggage circus will delay flights in the future.
I fly other airlines also, but SWA currently has routes I need from my home airport so I’ll be flying them quite a bit in the foreseeable future.
Depends on your situation, I guess……
Sad to see it go. Southwest, IME, always had the fastest turnaround times despite people at the end desperately searching for a not-middle seat. It always seemed to me that the claims were correct, that the lineup that people endlessly derided was simple, quick, and efficient. That's something that I always appreciated about Southwest.
This is going to bite alot of folks inthe ass. I have a denver flight in group 4with a single digit seat i’m betting the overhead bins will be full by the time i get on.
I just recently had the opportunity to experience the last of Southwest's open seating. It was on a connection and my concern was: even if I got a good boarding group, if my inbound flight was late, and they already started boarding the next one, you completely lose any priority and are worried the whole time about where you're going to have to sit.
It was a workable system when the airline was small and...
I just recently had the opportunity to experience the last of Southwest's open seating. It was on a connection and my concern was: even if I got a good boarding group, if my inbound flight was late, and they already started boarding the next one, you completely lose any priority and are worried the whole time about where you're going to have to sit.
It was a workable system when the airline was small and casual, but not when it grew to try to offer a full network. Kind of just like its complicated city hopping routing system.
Good! I hated seeing snotty little girls sit at the window seat and then lay their feet across multiple seats in hopes no one would sit next to them.
End of an era. Ruined by an increasing level of society that has no manners, no couth, no sense of decorum but is told by various factions (politics, media, entertainment) that they're entitled and special.
Not a fan of any of the changes, but, at least assigned seats might cut back on the excessive wheelchairs on SW flights (due to some unsavory individuals scamming to get better seats). Byebye Jet-bridge Jesus.
Unfortunately. Vying for bin space will keep the miracle cured