Southwest Airlines caused a stir earlier this year when the company announced it was doing away with its popular open seating policy.
The open seating approach, along with Southwest's "Bags Fly Free" policy, were two of the major reasons for Southwest's popularity. Beginning Jan. 27, 2026, Southwest will use assigned seating, and now we know what that process will look like.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Southwest is adopting a version of the "WILMA" boarding method, which is a moniker for “window-middle-aisle."
Additionally, the airline has been testing new boarding techniques for months even before announcing it was moving towards assigned seating.
As for what the "WILMA" method will look like, below is a primer.
Southwest's 'WILMA' method, explained
Southwest is moving to boarding groups numbered 1 through 8. Those with priority boarding, which is more expensive, will board first.
After that, it moves to "WILMA," meaning window seats will get first priority. Next up is middle seats, followed by aisle, with boarding going from the back of the plane to the front.
One of the concerns, under the new system, is that those who are getting on the plane last, the aisle seat-holders, may lose access to overhead bins.
"It's a problem that passengers on other airlines face, and one they'll confront even more on Southwest without the airline’s previously offered perk of two free checked bags," writes SFGate.
Additionally, while waiting to board the plane, the current boarding group and next-up boarding group will line up side-by-side. This will be done to avoid a horde of passengers at the gate.
“If queuing isn’t good, boarding isn’t good," said Lisa Hingson, Southwest's managing director of innovation. “So we spent a lot of time studying queuing."
Skip the line last minute
If you're booked on a Southwest flight and don't want to wait a long time to board, you can exercise the last-minute Priority Boarding option, the airline says.
"Prices weren’t disclosed and will be dynamic, as is the case with its current Upgraded Boarding," the WSJ writes. "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."
Active military personnel are automatically part of the priority boarding contingent, while the only people who will board ahead of those with priority status are those with disabilities.
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