Southwest To Build 11 Airport Lounges In Partnership With Chase

Southwest just announced it's building at least 11 airport lounges in the coming years. Austin (AUS), Baltimore (BWI), Honolulu (HNL), and Nashville (BNA) are already under construction, with opening dates in late 2027. At least seven more lounges will follow.

The airline is launching a new premium Chase credit card next year to provide access. No further details are available about the card just yet — not the cost, guest rules, or other included benefits.

Southwest likely picked these four because they have dense Southwest traffic and available real estate. Austin's got 20,000 square feet ready to go. Nashville is Southwest's most profitable station. Baltimore is their biggest East Coast hub. Honolulu is the backbone of the airline's Hawaiian operations.

Andrew's Take

There's no doubt this is a credit card play. Southwest makes $2.6 billion a year from its partnership with Chase, and new lounges tied to a premium card are a way to capture more of that. Regardless, Sapphire Lounges prove that Chase can make a damn good airport lounge, so I'm hopeful the bank will bring that expertise to the table with this deeper Southwest partnership.