Yes, you can pay to upgrade your boarding group on several major airlines in 2026, most notably Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. On Southwest, which famously does not assign seats, you can purchase "Upgraded Boarding" for positions A1–A15 at the gate or on the app, usually starting at $30 to $80 per segment. This ensures you are one of the first on the plane to pick a prime seat and overhead bin space. On United, you can purchase "Priority Boarding" (Group 2), which allows you to board before the main economy groups, typically starting at $15. American and Delta offer similar "Priority" add-ons that bundle boarding with other perks like faster security lines. In 2026, these upgrades have become highly automated; if a flight is particularly full, the airline's app will often send a push notification offering a "Priority Boarding" buy-up as you walk into the terminal. For travelers with carry-on bags who fear the "gate-check" of their luggage, these upgrades are considered a worthwhile investment to ensure their bag stays with them in the cabin rather than being sent to the cargo hold.