Love it or hate it, Spirit offers some of the best fares for travelers. The airline can do this partly because it unbundles its tickets, meaning you’ll pay extra for amenities such as checked luggage and seat selection.

The same is true for Spirit’s boarding zones; it’s possible to purchase earlier boarding, though there are some other ways you can snag priority boarding on Spirit. Let’s look at the Spirit Airlines boarding process, how the zones work and what you can do to get ahead in line.

The Spirit boarding zones

Spirit has four boarding zones available to passengers:

Zone 1: Gold elite members.

Zone 2: Silver elite members, those who have purchased shortcut boarding or carry-on bags and co-branded credit card holders.

Zone 3: Passengers sitting at the rear of the plane.

Zone 4: Passengers sitting at the front of the plane.

There is also preboarding available for passengers with disabilities or those who need special assistance.