Maybe I missed something, but the last two times I flew Southwest, the gate agents made everyone line up in their boarding groups in numerical order for boarding (ie if your boarding number was 33, you had to stand in line behind 32 who was lined up behind 31).
I don't know if they were trying something new or what, but it made me feel like I was back in elementary school.
Southwest has boarding group "Gates" (I'm sure there's a better name for it, but I can't recall what it is) by which your boarding sequence is assured to within five numbers; hence, there is no need to rise from your comfortable waiting seat (at which Southwest, in many locations, has thoughtfully provided power ports for your phone or laptop) until it is time for your group to go, whereupon you can casually stroll to the proper location (based upon your boarding pass), and calmly stroll on. This is in stark contrast to other airlines, which board by groups, requiring that you all clump of in-line, jockeying for position to be at or near the front of your particular "group."
So you do have to be in the right general area numerically (like I said, within five), but you don't have to get into precise sequence. You also don't have to worry about somebody with a less advantageous number skunking up in front of you.
Because you can assure yourself an early boarding number on Southwest by simply checking in 24 hours before (or for a few bucks more, you can buy your way to the front line), you have reasonable control over where you are in the boarding process. No matter where you are, though, you don't have to worry about people "line jumping" or trying to cram their way up to the front of a line (the "line" is usually three or four people wide at the front, in most airline boarding areas, with people trying to slither in like snakes all the time).
Now, if you fly a traditional airline with sufficient frequency that you have high-mileage status, you may be able to bypass all that and board first, but I don't fly commercial enough of us ever to occur (and I am fine with that).
The other thing that makes the boarding process less onerous with Southwest is that, because there is no charge for checking bags, there're fewer passengers rolling on "barely big enough to fit" bags to get in the way, delay boarding and fill-up the overheads.
Still and all, it's all in what you're used to; in the process of flying commercial is so god awful, consulting and offensive anyway, that I avoid it like the plague, and fortunately for me, most of my business travel can be taken care of In the Bonanza. Plus, with what American Airlines charges for walk-up fares from DFW, it's usually cheaper to fly my own plane (and that's saying something).
TWIST: He works for Southwest.
Now that would be a twist, indeed!
Also, a bit of a surprise; my experience with people who work for Southwest Airlines (and a great many it is, since they are based here) is that, as a group, they tend to be pretty well-adjusted, friendly, polite and service oriented. Perhaps they are just happy, because they're paid well and have excellent profit-sharing.
