I don't really see any big deal in the military boarding first thing - there aren't that many of them anyway.

But maybe they're taking the new method too far on the 30 passenger puddle jumpers?

I fly the EMB120 quite frequently between SAN and LAX, and they normally ask GS and 1K, then do all zones together since it's such a small aircraft and you can't really carry much on anyway. But yesterday on the LAX-SAN the GA announced the new boarding order would be uniformed military, followed by GS/1K/CO PLT, then *G, then families w/ children under 4, then by row number 2 rows at a time, 9-11, 6-8, 3-5 and 1-2. Seriously? Of course when we got to the bottom of the jetbridge/ramp thingy, we all had to wait 10 minutes while they put a ramp up to the door of the aircraft instead of using the stairs. Then there were those passengers who had to leave their rollaboards planeside, and while those bags were green-tagged by the ramp rats, I was certain that I noticed someone in row 4 sneak around someone in row 8, which completely threw off the boarding process.

Oh, and before this flight I flew IAD-LAX, and the agent at IAD completely misread the boarding procedure. She called for uniformed military, then people needing extra time and families with small children, then Star Gold; at which point she realized she had missed GS/F class/1K, CO PLT, etc. Then started asking Star Gold to move to the left of the red carpet, and GS/F/1K/CO PLT to move to the right of the red carpet, which didn't work all that well. She then just gave up and said all those with status should just board now on the red carpet now.

It seems to me that zones were just easier all around.