A Southwest Airlines plane prepares to take off from Denver International Airport in Colorado on November 6, 2025.
Rj Sangosti | Media News Group | The Denver Post | Getty Images
southwest airlines announced Wednesday plans for an airport lounge network that it has hinted at for months.
The company said its first lounge will open in Austin, Texas. Baltimore; Honolulu; and Nashville, Tennessee. Construction has already begun on these airports, which are expected to open in late 2027, the company said.
Airlines are partnering with: tracking He said the initiative would be based on the company’s Sapphire Reserve lounge network.
“Our lounges are a natural extension of that experience, giving our customers a place to relax and experience the Southwest brand in new ways,” Southwest executive vice president Tony Roach said in a statement. “The introduction of the lounge network represents a strategic investment in Rapid Rewards and deepens our 30-year partnership with Chase.”
The airline said customers can enter the lounge with the new premium Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card issued by Chase. The card is expected to be issued next year, but details about its cost have not been disclosed.
Southwest Airlines said it plans to open seven more lounges “across high-demand business and leisure markets” over the next few years.
CEO Bob Jordan has been talking about access to the airline’s lounges for months, telling CNBC in December that he is “aggressively pursuing” the possibility of having a network of locations.
“I think lounges are going to be the next big benefit for customers,” Jordan said at the time.
Southwest’s move comes as airlines from Delta Air Lines to JetBlue Airways, along with credit card companies such as American Express, Capital One and Chase, are building airport lounges to attract and retain high-spending consumers.
Southwest Airlines, which carries more domestic customers than any other airline, has drastically changed its business model over the past year and a half. Under increasing pressure from activist Elliott Investment Management, the company began eliminating its famous unreserved seats, eliminating reserved seats and charging customers for bag checks in an effort to boost profits.
