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JetBlue is ditching lettered boarding groups for a numbered system.

Starting on Wednesday, April 29, JetBlue is rolling out a revamped boarding system that replaces letters with numbers and reduces the total number of groups. The goal, according to JetBlue, is to make the whole process easier to follow and, crucially, easier to hear over the usual gate-area chaos.
First up, pre-boarding isn’t changing. Passengers with disabilities will still board before everyone else, and courtesy boarding remains in place for active military members and travelers wrangling car seats or strollers.
After that, the new numbered hierarchy kicks in. Group 1 is reserved for the airline’s top-tier loyalists (Mosaic 3 and 4 members), along with passengers flying in Mint, JetBlue’s premium cabin. Group 2 includes Mosaic 1 and 2 members plus anyone who shelled out for an “EvenMore” extra-legroom seat.
Group 3 is where things shift a bit. This bucket now includes JetBlue credit card holders, select fare types like Blue Extra and anyone who paid for early boarding perks. From there, Groups 4 through 8 handle general boarding, largely based on where you’re sitting on the plane. (It will be back-to-front, more or less.) Unaccompanied minors will continue to board last, escorted by staff.
It’s not a huge departure—JetBlue already boards in groups—but they were previously labeled with letters instead of numbers. The airline is also consolidating its structure slightly, reducing the total number of boarding positions and grouping more passengers together at each stage.
Frequent flyers have pointed out that larger groups might mean longer lines at the gate and more competition for overhead bin space. Others aren’t thrilled about loyalty tiers being lumped in with passengers who simply paid for upgrades. Still, not everyone is pressed. For plenty of travelers, boarding order is more psychological than practical—you’re all getting to the same destination at the same time.
Behind the scenes, the shift will simplify announcements while also nudging passengers toward higher-priced seats and add-ons that come with earlier boarding.
It might be easier to understand, but as to whether it’s actually faster? You’ll find out the next time your group number gets called.
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