Southwest Took Austin Airport’s Planned Bank Lounge Space — Now The Airport May Add Two Credit Card Lounges

Austin’s airport will get a bank lounge. All of the banks have shown interest, there’s been a couple of near misses, but they’re now looking at possible spaces for it – and maybe even spaces for two different lounges.

• Chase used to have a ‘terrace’ space beside the Delta Sky Club that was mostly exposed to the elements. That reverted to common use after two years. But they’d certainly want to be in the airport.

• American Express was almost in the airport through their partnership with Escape lounges just prior to the pandemic. A recommendation was made to award space for a Centurion Studio, but the award was contested and the pandemic got in the way (the space was then going to be used for a new American Airlines lounge, but that lounge is now being built at the west end of the airport instead).

• Capital One has visited the Austin airport and worked through possibilities.

Chase Sapphire Terrace Closed March 2025

The airport’s original plan was to build one above the new security checkpoint they’ve just opened as part of the West Infill project. I’ve been watching for that RFP.

However, that’s where Southwest Airlines is building their new lounge under the code name “Project Oasis.”

• The contact name on the project matches a Southwest Airlines employee named on other airport construction projects.

• Southwest’s CEO confirms they’ve been signing leases for lounge space, even though they haven’t officially announced their lounge plans. They have at least 5 known lounges in their pipeline (Austin, Dallas, Nashville, Denver, and Honolulu).

• Since the new West Infill lounge is being built without an RFP process, that means the space is being taken by a signatory airline to the airport’s use and lease agreement. United, Delta and American already have lounges there (and known lounge plans). No other carrier is large enough in Austin or can grow enough there to warrant a lounge.

The permit for the space lists “20,000sqft tenant finish out for new lounge space in the airprot” [sic] with an estimated completion date is March 1, 2027 (though these things frequently slip).

The airport tells me, though, tells me that they still have plans for a bank lounge (that had originally been slated for the Project Oasis space):

We still do have plans to have a credit card/financial institution lounge RFP process, but still determining locations – basically Concourse B; Post-AD Hall build out Concourse A; or possibly even both concourses – we’re still assessing

Chase Sapphire Lounge Philadelphia Bar

Capital One Lounge New York JFK Cheese Counter

Today, Austin’s airport has a Delta Sky Club, a United Club and an American Airlines Admiral’s Club. Going forward, though:

• It’s going to get a new Admiral’s Club at the West End of the airport.
  
• Delta will build a new lounge at the beginning of the connector out to the new concourse (and keep the existing club space, so presumably turn that into a Delta One lounge – it is right beside the international gates and there’s been talk about both Paris and Seoul flights).
  
• United will eventually build a new club.
  
• And Southwest Airlines is building a lounge.
  
• Plus, there may be space for two bank lounges as well.

Current Delta Air Lines Sky Club Bar

So the lounge game at the Austin airport is going to get a whole lot better over the next five to seven years.