Southwest Airlines surprises fliers with its new and unusual boarding process

Southwest Airlines has been making a range of changes, with the carrier now charging for checked luggage and eliminating its famous open seating policy in favor of assigned seats .

From Jan. 27, 2026, passengers will now have assigned seats — but they’ll be boarding differently from most other carriers.

Per the Wall Street Journal , Southwest fliers will have a boarding pass that contains a boarding group and a number from 1 to 8 — unless they booked priority boarding.

After priority boarding, Southwest will mostly follow the WILMA method — window, middle and aisle — for boarding.

Passengers in window seats will board first, followed by those in middle seats and aisles, starting at the back of the plane.

“If queuing isn’t good, boarding isn’t good,” Lisa Hingson, managing direct