Southwest Plans Lounges at Four Airports From Late 2027

Southwest Airlines is putting its name on something that once seemed far outside its playbook: airport lounges. Austin and Baltimore/Washington are among the first planned locations, but this isn’t a two-airport experiment. The initial network also includes Honolulu and Nashville, with more locations to follow.

According to Aerospace Global News, which reported the plans Sept. 13, construction has begun and the first lounges are expected to open from late 2027. Southwest is developing the network with Chase, and access will be included with a new premium Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card scheduled to launch in 2027.

For travelers, the important distinction is straightforward: this is a future airport benefit tied to a new card, not a lounge perk to count on for an upcoming Southwest flight.

Where Southwest’s first airport lounges will open

Aerospace Global News identifies four airports in the initial rollout:

• Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
• Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu (HNL)
• Nashville International Airport (BNA)

The publication reports that Southwest plans at least seven additional locations over the next several years. That gives the announcement a scope beyond the opening group, although the first four airports remain the concrete destinations travelers can assess today.

The timing deserves a little care. Openings are expected to begin from late 2027; that isn’t a promise that all four lounges will welcome passengers simultaneously. Likewise, the card’s planned 2027 launch and the start of lounge openings are separate milestones. A card arriving that year shouldn’t be confused with a fully available lounge network.

Austin and Baltimore/Washington are therefore part of the first announced group, rather than confirmed winners of a race to open Southwest’s first lounge.

Lounge access will be tied to a new Chase card

The clearest access route announced so far is the forthcoming premium Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card issued by Chase. Aerospace Global News reports that the card will include access to the Southwest lounge network.

The card’s annual fee, guest policy and whether other passengers will be able to purchase access have not been disclosed, according to the publication. Those are consequential details for anyone weighing the benefit, particularly travelers who usually fly with a partner or family.

Until those terms arrive, there isn’t enough information to put a dollar value on the lounge proposition. The announced benefit belongs to a new premium card; it shouldn’t be read as a blanket promise of access for existing Southwest cardholders or everyone enrolled in Rapid Rewards.

There’s also a branding distinction worth keeping straight. Aerospace Global News describes the facilities as appearing to be a separate Southwest-branded network developed with Chase, rather than new Chase Sapphire Lounges. The publication reports that none of Southwest’s first four announced lounge airports currently has a Chase Sapphire Lounge.

Chase’s involvement helps explain the concept, but it isn’t, by itself, an access policy. Travelers should evaluate the eventual Southwest card terms rather than assume that a different Chase card will open the door.

What Southwest says the lounges will offer

According to Aerospace Global News, Southwest says the lounges will combine its hospitality with sophisticated design, locally inspired food and amenities similar to those available in Chase lounges today.

That establishes the direction: a more polished airport experience with a local food component, rather than simply a Southwest waiting room. It does not yet amount to a detailed, airport-by-airport amenities list. The sensible expectation is the experience Southwest has described, not a menu or feature borrowed from another lounge.

The Chase partnership is central to that pitch. Southwest is drawing on an established lounge concept while creating facilities under its own brand, according to Aerospace Global News. For regular Southwest passengers, that makes this a distinct addition to the airline’s airport experience, not merely a referral to an independent lounge.

Nashville shows the scale of the investment

Separate reporting from Simple Flying gives a more tangible sense of the project’s ambitions. The publication reports that Southwest has secured a permit for a roughly 30,000-square-foot Nashville lounge with a reported $53 million construction and fit-out cost.

That figure applies to Nashville’s project, not the entire planned network. Still, it’s a substantial commitment for an airline historically associated with keeping its product simple.

Simple Flying also reports that Southwest accounts for a majority of Nashville’s passenger traffic. The publication frames the lounge as an effort to persuade an existing customer base to pay for an improved airport experience, rather than create demand from scratch.

Its analysis highlights another distinction: Southwest does not operate a traditional first-class cabin. The publication sees the lounge economics as depending instead on premium seating, the new high-end Chase card and loyalty relationships. In other words, this isn’t simply a first-class waiting room attached to first-class ticket sales.

A different proposition for Southwest regulars

Aerospace Global News places the lounge announcement alongside Southwest’s introduction of assigned seating, extra-legroom seats and baggage charges. Taken together, those changes represent a departure from the airline’s traditionally simpler passenger offering.

There is a relevant precedent, though not an identical one. Aerospace Global News reports that JetBlue opened its first BlueHouse lounge at New York JFK in December 2025 and its second at Boston Logan on Aug. 27, 2026. JetBlue provides access to eligible Mint passengers, top-tier Mosaic members and qualifying cardholders, while selling limited access to some other eligible passengers.

Southwest’s announced approach centers on its new Chase card. That difference matters more to a prospective customer than the broader novelty of a low-cost airline building lounges.

For now, the useful move is to keep the lounge plan on your radar without building a booking decision around it. Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Honolulu and Nashville give travelers a concrete starting map. Whether the benefit is worth paying for will depend on the card terms and how well those airports match the trips you actually take.