In the fall I wrote about long term lounge plans at the Austin airport, with a new midfield concourse and a gate expansion of the current Barbara Jordan terminal being built, along with additional space being added in the main terminal.

They’re building four new lounge spaces, there will be reshuffling of the current airline lounges and will make room for credit card issuers and common use operators that join programs like Priority Pass.

Currently, the airport features an American Airlines Admirals Club, United Club, and Delta Air Lines Sky Club. There was a temporary Chase ‘Terrace’ which closed last month.

American Airlines leased 11,575 square feet of space in the new West Gate expansion that’s projected to open in 2027 and includes an outdoor terrace. This is a different location than what American announced for a new lounge (‘gate 14’) in November 2021. There will be a new 30,000 square foot lounge in the tunnel connecting the main concourse and new concourse and a 28,000 square foot lounge on the new concourse, along with 20,000 square foot lounge in the West Infill space.

I FOIA’d the airport for correspondence with airlines and potential other lounge operators to see what interest there is, matching the airport’s internal plans that I was first to reveal. Here is their responsive material.

Delta Air Lines

Delta’s real‑estate team began working with the airport in late 2023 on a new Sky Club of roughly 25,000 ‑ 30,000 square feet linking the Barbara Jordan Terminal new concourse A to the east and the existing concourse D to the west. For the very first time, Delta exceeded American’s passenger numbers in Austin in April (though just by 4,068, so essentially they were flat with each other).

Internal e‑mails show Delta pushing for the club to be “mid‑concourse” and, if geometry allows, to offer direct jet‑bridge boarding from the lounge, which the carrier currently offers at their Atlanta B and Minneapolis G clubs.

A kick‑off workshop on August 5, 2024 confirmed that the schematic drawings already reserve about 25,115 square feet for the club plus vertical circulation; Delta will decide later whether to keep its present 9,000 square foot club once the new space opens.

The airport is now collecting detailed utilities and IT requirements (survey issued Mar 2025), suggesting design development will start this year, with a realistic opening once the hall itself is delivered – currently projected for 2028.

Two possible clubs dovetails with a full move to the midfield concourse where they could triple or quadruple their current size, building a real Texas operation in Austin. They’re best-positioned to do this as American Airlines pulled back from its own focus city after losing money on a regional jet operation that violated its pilot scope clause (because regional jets are supposed to feed mainline flying at hubs).

American Airlines

American is surrendering its existing Admirals Club (near gate 22) and relocating to the West Gate Expansion mezzanine that is under construction immediately west of today’s gates 33‑34.

The design architect issued the “club area study” in January 2024 and the airport hosted an alignment meeting with AA on December 81, 2024 to talk through utilities, service core access and the schedule. The base‑building contractor expected a temporary certificate of occupancy in July 2025; American asked for early access before the ceilings and floors are closed so it could rough‑in plumbing and power.

Assuming the space is turned over in Q3‑2025, American could fit‑out and open the new lounge late 2026. My guess then is a 2027 opening. The move a dozen gates down situates the club above AA west gates and frees up the present club shell – a space United is already lobbying to inherit.

United Airlines

United is working on two parallel lounge projects. First, it wants to expand into American’s vacated club shell once they move west; discussions about takeover timing began in May 2024. Second, United is planning a new United Club in the future Concourse B, part of the long‑range expansion that will push the terminal east of today’s runway shoulders.

The airport sent United a formal survey on March 14, 2025 titled “New United Club at AUS” to capture HVAC, IT and program needs; United executives were briefed that finalizing the Concourse B gating plan is a prerequisite. Concourse B is the final element in the AEDP timeline (after the A/D Hall), so the new club is unlikely to open before 2028‑29, 2030 more likely, but the interim expansion could be ready several years earlier, preserving proximity to United’s current gate set near the center of the pier.

Capital One

Capital One has pursued a Capital One Lounge at the airport but is hostage to the city’s repeatedly delayed common‑use lounge RFP. E‑mails show the airport’s commercial development chief pushing the release from January to February 2025 and then pausing it again because the legal team is rewriting procurement policy while finalizing a new airline use and lease agreement.

Capital One continues to check in (they even hosted airport staff at their DFW lounge during the Airport Experience conference) but cannot bid until the RFP appears. The RFP is expected to cover shell space in the West Gate Expansion alongside American’s club. Any 2027 opening seems like a stretch at this point.

CAVU / Escape Lounges (MAG USA)

In April 2025, CAVU—parent of Escape Lounges—formally asked the airport to be briefed on “future AUS lounge opportunities.” They will almost certainly compete for the same common use RFP as Capital One; their e‑mail references Escape’s pay‑per‑use plus Priority Pass business model, which dovetails with Austin’s desire to diversify beyond airline‑run spaces. No design work is under way yet; timing will mirror whatever happens to the stalled RFP.

The lack of separate American Express correspondence released by the city suggests an Escape (Centurion Studio) would be their approach. That was the plan in 2020 that was tabled just before the pandemic.

TAV Airports / primeclass / HelloSky

TAV’s regional director reached out earlier positioning primeclass and HelloSky as additional bidders once Austin releases its lounge solicitation. They are currently in information‑gathering mode and have no space reserved, but their interest underscores the level of competition the city can expect when it finally moves ahead.

Chase Lounge / The Club

The city didn’t release correspondence with Airport Dimensions, which operates The Club lounges, however Chase was in the airport with a modest ‘terrace’ space for two years and would almost certainly be interested in space here (and, if not, one would expect Collinson to be interested itself).

How Pieces Fit Together

The West Gate Expansion should open next year adding three gates west of today’s pier, allowing the airport to lose three gates to build a connector with the planned new concourse. This will host American Airlines.

Delta plans to anchor a new “flagship” Sky Club above the confluence of concourses and immediately adjacent to its planned gate assignment. The mezzanine location also permits the vertical separation needed for the direct‑boarding concept Delta is studying.

United aims to grab the old Admirals Club shell to relieve crowding, and is considering a new, larger club.

Because the airport is prioritizing a new airline lease and a procurement‑policy rewrite, card issuers and independent operators cannot yet lock space. Collectively, the correspondence shows an airport trying to line up lounge growth with a multi‑phase terminal build‑out: airline‑specific facilities advance fastest, tied directly to gate realignment, while bank‑ and operator‑run lounges remain in limbo until the city gets its RFP house in order.