from the Southwest web page on boarding passes (http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/abp_qna.html): - Boarding passes are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at all available locations. > Many of you flown Southwest in the last couple months-since they started > using paper boarding passes? > How does the "zone/group" boardings work? Do they mix the checkin counter, > with curbside and at the gate? Used to be you lined up at the gate an hour > before departure and got boarding in order but seems you could be stuck in > line at the baggage checkin while others are getting higher boarding > prioritys from curbside or gate checkin. > Dennis