Today Southwest Airlines confirmed that Southwest lounges are being planned in partnership with Chase. Construction has begun on the following lounges:
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
- Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
- Daniel K. Inouye (Honolulu) International Airport
- Nashville International Airport
They are expecting some (all?) of these to be opened in late 2027. In addition another 7 lounges are planned over the next several years. Southwest also confirmed that a new premium Chase Southwest card will be launched that will grant access to these lounges. This card will also launch in 2027. None of this is a surprise (we posted about 5 lounges previously and a survey was sent out last year about a premium card) but it’s nice to have confirmation.
It will be interesting to see if the new premium Southwest card will grant access to Sapphire lounges at all and if Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders will get access to these Southwest lounges. I could see them offering a few passes each year to respective cardholders.
