How does the Alaska Airlines boarding process work?

Since it can be hard to hear announcements in a busy airport, we've simplified our boarding process. Each guest is part of a specific boarding group. We board our Main Cabin seats by group letters as listed below, once our First Class and preboarding guests have been seated.

First, a few quick tips to ensure a smooth experience boarding your flight:

  • Since gates can change, it's best to arrive for your flight as early as you can. Recheck airport monitors, sign up for alerts by e-mail or text, or get flight notifications from our app for the most up-to-date information on the location of your flight's gate.
  • Be at your gate at least 40 minutes before your flight, ready to board.
  • While you're waiting at the gate, take a look at your boarding pass, and locate your boarding group letter.
  • You can also follow your flight's boarding progress on the screens at most gates.

How will I know which boarding group I'm in?

You'll find your group letter on your boarding pass. Here are some examples of our different boarding pass types, to help you locate your group letter.

A picture of a person using a boarding pass that is on their phone.
A picture of a paper boarding pass.

What do the display screens at the gate look like?

Here's an example of a gate display screen. Groups with a green check are currently boarding. Groups in red aren't boarding yet, but will be soon.

A picture of passengers going through a boarding gate with a GID screen above them.

You can also use this guide as a handy reference, to see the guests included in each boarding group:

This table includes a breakdown of each of the boarding groups (Preboarding, First Class, Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D, and Group E), and lists the guests included in each group.
Preboarding Guests with disabilities who need help or a little more time to board
Families with children under the age of 2
Active members of the military
Priority Boarding First Class
MVP® Gold 100K

Note: Some of our aircraft do not have First Class seating; group boarding on those flights will begin with Group A.
Group A Mileage Plan™ Million Miler, MVP® Gold 75K, and MVP® Gold members
Group B Mileage Plan MVP® members
Guests in Premium Class seats

Note: Some of our aircraft do not have Premium Class seating.
Group C Eligible Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® and Business cardholders who book their flight with the Alaska card
Group D Guests in Main seats located in the back half of the aircraft
Group E Guests in Main seats located in the front half of the aircraft
Group F Guests in Saver seats