Almost lost amid the clamor over last week's Southwest Airlines announcement that "people of size" may soon need to buy two seats to fly was equally startling news for veteran Southwest flyers: The airline plans to discontinue the use of its unique plastic boarding passes.

For more than 30 years, Southwest has eschewed assigned seating for passengers in any class, instead creating a first-come, first-served system of numbered boarding passes distributed at the departure gate. Get to the gate early, get a low number and -- theoretically -- get the best choice of seat.

In reality, Southwest's boarding calls can be like a cross between a game of poker and a game of chicken. Passengers are boarded in groups of 30, but not in order, meaning Passenger No. 27 can get on board before No. 3, or 42 before 41, if they're quick or brazen enough.

At the center of all this organized confusion are the brightly colored boarding passes, sturdy rectangles of plastic like oversized playing cards, with the Southwest logo and a number at each end. Each flight is assigned a different color, a simple way to prevent someone headed to Albany from boarding a plane to Louisville instead. They are as much a symbol of the no-frills (but profitable) airline as its peanut-package food service and singing flight attendants.

But now, due to long security lines and a desire for a more efficient process, Southwest has decided to retire the plastic cards in favor of a computerized system that will issue paper boarding passes.

So what will become of these emblems of the old Southwest? Might the famously wacky airline turn them into a sculpture or airport lounge decor? No, according to an airline spokeswoman. The majority will be held in reserve in case the new system breaks down, though there is a possibility that some might be put together as "collector's art."

At least some people are sure to want the excess passes as collectibles. Southwest has already declined some requests for the cards, but Pat Collins, wife of Paul Collins, founder of the World Airline Historical Society, says true collectors like themselves have ways of getting the items they want.

"[Typically] friends on the inside of the airline are able to grab some items before they hit the dumpster," said Collins, whose organization collects commercial airline memorabilia ranging from air sickness bags to pilot hats. "Anything from an airline that isn't being used anymore is collectible. Value depends on the age and condition."

Alex Shear of New York, who has amassed what's considered the largest collection of 20th-century American pop-culture items anywhere, also thinks Southwest's boarding passes have some collectible value.

"I think it's a great idea," said Shear. "If someone came to me and offered to sell me the boarding passes I'd consider buying them. These are icons of everyday America, ... a window into our lifestyle."