Southwest Airlines is surprising flyers with a new — and unusual — boarding process.
Starting January 27, 2026, Southwest passengers will have assigned seats for the first time, but boarding will look different from most other airlines.
Each boarding pass will list a boarding group along with a number from 1 to 8, unless the passenger purchased priority boarding.
After priority boarding, Southwest will mainly use the WILMA method (Window, Middle, Aisle). Passengers seated by the window will board first, followed by those in middle seats, then aisle seats — beginning from the back of the aircraft.
To make things easier, boarding passes will clearly indicate whether a seat is window, middle, or aisle, so passengers new to the system won’t need to stress.