Southwest Airlines is about to add something its passengers have never had before: Southwest-branded airport lounges.
The airline announced its first-ever lounge network on September 2, with the first locations expected to begin opening in late 2027. Construction is already underway at four airports: Austin, Baltimore, Honolulu and Nashville.
For longtime Southwest flyers, this is a pretty significant shift. The airline built its identity around a simpler flying experience, but its new lounge plans are another sign that Southwest is moving deeper into the premium-travel world.
The first Southwest lounges are coming to four airports
Southwest says its first lounges will be located at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu (HNL), and Nashville International Airport (BNA).
The airline says the first guests are expected in late 2027. These four are only the beginning: Southwest has announced plans for at least seven additional lounges over the following several years.
That would give Southwest a network of at least 11 lounges if all of the currently announced locations open as planned.
What will a Southwest lounge actually be like?
Southwest is developing the lounges in partnership with Chase, drawing on the existing Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge Network.
The airline says travelers can expect spaces designed for relaxing, working and recharging before a flight, along with locally inspired food and beverages. Southwest also says the lounges will combine its familiar hospitality style with more sophisticated design and premium amenities.
Exact details for each airport have not been released yet, so travelers should not expect every lounge to be identical. Southwest says the spaces will take inspiration from the communities they serve.
Who will be able to get in?
This may be the most important detail for travelers: lounge access will not simply come with a Southwest boarding pass.
Southwest says Chase will launch a new premium Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card in 2027, and that card will provide access to the new lounge network.
The airline has not yet published the card’s annual fee, complete lounge-access rules or guest policy. Those details matter, especially for families and couples deciding whether a premium airline card is worth carrying.
Until Southwest and Chase release the full terms, travelers should be cautious about assuming how many guests will be included or whether other forms of access will eventually be offered.
Why these four airports?
The first locations make sense when you look at Southwest’s network.
Baltimore is one of Southwest’s most important East Coast airports, while Nashville and Austin are major leisure and business markets with substantial Southwest service. Honolulu gives the new lounge concept a foothold in one of the airline’s most vacation-focused destinations.
Southwest has not yet announced the locations of the seven additional lounges, saying only that they are planned for high-demand business and leisure markets.
This is another big change for Southwest
The lounge announcement is especially notable because it comes during a broader transformation of the Southwest experience.
Travelers who remember Southwest mainly for open seating and its famously simple approach are increasingly seeing an airline with more premium products and a greater emphasis on different levels of service.
A dedicated lounge network pushes that evolution into the airport itself. Instead of competing only on what happens onboard, Southwest will now have a branded premium experience before passengers even reach the gate.
The Chase partnership is important too. Rather than building a lounge concept completely from scratch, Southwest is connecting its new network with a company that already operates premium airport lounges.
Should travelers change anything yet?
Not really. The first lounges are still more than a year away, and several important details have not been announced.
If you regularly fly Southwest through Austin, Baltimore, Honolulu or Nashville, however, this is worth watching. Travelers considering a new Southwest credit card in 2027 will want to compare the new premium card’s annual fee and benefits with how often they would realistically use the lounges.
And if your home airport is not on the first list, don’t count it out. Southwest has already committed to at least seven more locations over the next several years.
For now, the biggest takeaway is simple: the Southwest airport experience is changing. By late 2027, some passengers will be able to start a Southwest trip with locally inspired food and a quiet place to recharge instead of heading straight for the gate.
