Southwest Airlines commences construction on its first four lounges
Southwest Airlines commenced (02-Sep-2026) construction of its first four lounges at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Honolulu Daniel K Inouye International Airport and Nashville International Airport. The lounges are planned to be approximately 33,000sqft in Baltimore, 30,000sqft in Nashville, 20,000sqft in Austin and 13,000sqft in Honolulu. The LCC is expected to open the lounges in late 2027. Passengers accessing Southwest's lounge network will require a Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card issued by Chase, which is planned to launch in 2027. Southwest plans to open at least seven more lounges "over the next several years across high-demand business and leisure markets". [more - original PR] [more - Aviation Week]
Background ✨
Southwest previously indicated it planned to secure lounge space at Honolulu, Denver and Nashville, as it pursued new premium revenue streams.1 2 CEO Bob Jordan said it leased space at Honolulu and linked lounge development to rising demand for "premium" experiences and potential longer haul international flying.3 The lounge push sat alongside product unbundling, including assigned and premium seating sales from 3Q2025 and fleet reconfiguration/extra-legroom operations from 1Q2026.4 5