Southwest Is Building 11 Airport Lounges. You'll Need a New Chase Card to Get In.

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Southwest Is Building 11 Airport Lounges. You'll Need a New Chase Card to Get In.

Southwest Airlines confirmed on September 2, 2026 that it is building its first airport lounges. Four are under construction now, in Austin, Baltimore, Honolulu and Nashville, and they open in late 2027. Entry will come through a new premium Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card from Chase, launching sometime in 2027.

The short version

4 lounges are under construction: Austin (AUS), Baltimore/Washington (BWI), Honolulu (HNL) and Nashville (BNA).
At least 7 more are planned, for 11 or more total.
The first ones open in late 2027, roughly 15 months from now.
Access requires a new premium Chase Southwest card. No annual fee has been announced.
Southwest already sells 4 Rapid Rewards cards through Chase, with fees from $69 to $149.

Which airports get a Southwest lounge first?

Southwest Airlines named four airports in its September 2 announcement: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, and Nashville International Airport. Construction has already started at all four. Southwest says at least seven more lounges are planned "across high-demand business and leisure markets," which puts the eventual network at 11 or more.

Notice what is missing from that list. There is no Chicago Midway, no Denver, no Las Vegas, no Phoenix. Those are four of Southwest's largest operations. Austin, Baltimore, Honolulu and Nashville look like a test batch rather than a rollout, and the seven that follow will tell you far more about how serious Chase and Southwest are.

What will the lounges be like?

For the Southwest lounges, the airline has pointed to the Chase Sapphire Lounge network as the model, promising similar design, dining and amenities. That is a real signal, since Sapphire Lounges sit at the top end of U.S. airport lounges. It also matches the partnership: Chase is building these with Southwest, and Chase already runs a lounge business.

Keep expectations calibrated to the calendar, though. Late 2027 is a long way out. Airport construction slips. Menus and hours get decided later. Nothing about the food, the shower situation, or the guest policy has been announced.

How much will the new Southwest card cost?

Southwest and Chase have not published a fee, an earning structure, or a welcome offer for the new premium Southwest Rapid Rewards card. All Southwest has said is that access comes via "a new, premium, Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card issued by Chase."

Here is a useful reference point. Southwest's current Chase lineup runs from the Rapid Rewards Plus at $69 a year up to the Rapid Rewards Priority at $149. A lounge card sits well above that tier. Delta charges $650 for the Delta SkyMiles Reserve, and United charges $525 for the United Club Card. If Southwest wants lounge economics to work, a fee in the $400 to $600 range is the realistic zone. Anyone budgeting around $200 is likely to be disappointed.

Is this good news or bad news for Southwest flyers?

Both, and it depends entirely on how you fly. Over two years, Southwest Airlines has turned itself into a conventional airline. Assigned seats arrived. Extra-legroom seating arrived. Bags Fly Free ended in 2025, with checked bag fees now applying to most customers outside elites, higher fare classes, and cardholders.

Lounges continue that pattern. If you fly Southwest 30 times a year out of Nashville, a lounge and a premium card is a genuine upgrade to your travel life. If you fly Southwest twice a year because it was cheap and the bags were free, this is one more perk built for somebody else, funded partly by fees you now pay.

The strategic read is simpler. Cobranded card revenue has become one of the most profitable things a U.S. airline does, and lounge access is the strongest reason to hand someone a $500 annual fee. Southwest is not building lounges because passengers asked. It is building them because Chase wants a reason to sell a bigger card. If you want a broader sense of where premium travel cards stand right now, our best travel credit cards guide covers the current lineup.

Should you do anything today?

No, and that is the honest answer. There is no card to apply for, no offer to chase, and no lounge to visit for at least 15 months. Applying for a current Southwest card now to get ahead of the launch would be a mistake, since Chase typically restricts new bonuses on cards you already hold and the 5/24 rule still governs approvals.

One thing worth doing is watching what happens to the existing cards. When Chase launches a premium tier, the cards below it usually get reshuffled. Benefits move up, fees move up, or a card gets quietly retired. Something similar happened when Chase removed Priority Pass access from Sapphire Lounges on August 15, 2026, which we covered in our breakdown of that change.

What this means for you

Nothing changes in your wallet this week. File this one under "watch." If you are a heavy Southwest flyer based in Austin, Baltimore, Honolulu or Nashville, a lounge card is likely worth a serious look in 2027. Everyone else should wait for the fee before getting attached to the idea.

FAQ

When do the Southwest lounges open?

Southwest Airlines expects its first four lounges, in Austin, Baltimore, Honolulu and Nashville, to open in late 2027. Construction is already underway at all four airports.

How do you get into a Southwest lounge?

Southwest Airlines says access will be granted through a new premium Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card issued by Chase, debuting in 2027. No other access path, such as a day pass or an elite tier, has been announced.

Will A-List Preferred status get you in?

Southwest Airlines has not said. The only access method described so far is the new premium Chase card, so elite-only entry should not be assumed.

How many Southwest lounges will there be?

Southwest Airlines has confirmed four under construction and says at least seven more are planned, which puts the network at 11 or more over the next several years.

Do Southwest's existing Chase cards get lounge access?

No. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus, Premier, Priority and Performance Business cards have not been given lounge access. Southwest has tied entry to a separate premium card that does not exist yet.

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