Southwest currently has three standard boarding groups: A, B, and C, plus several special categories like preboarding and family boarding.

Quick Scoop: How Many Boarding Groups Does Southwest Have?

Core answer

  • Southwest has 3 main boarding groups : A, B, and C.
  • Each group has up to 60 positions (A1–A60, B1–B60, C1–C60), which decide when you board within that group.
  • On top of that, there are extra “unofficial” groups such as:
    • Preboarding (customers needing extra time or assistance)
* Family boarding (between A and B for adults with kids 6 or younger)

* Some military/other special boarding situations, depending on the flight.

So if you’re talking about formal, named groups , the answer is three (A, B, C). If you include all the special categories that board before/between them, you could encounter several distinct waves of boarding on a typical Southwest flight.

In everyday travel terms:
Think of it as “specials” first, then A, then families, then B, then C — but the actual boarding group printed on your pass will almost always be A, B, or C.

TL;DR: Southwest has three main boarding groups (A, B, C), each with 60 positions, plus preboarding, family, and a few special categories that create extra waves of boarding.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.