Southwest Airlines now has 5 lounges in the pipeline. They are working to launch a lounge network, because competitors offer them, customers expect them, and they open up the potential for a planned new premium credit card.
Southwest CEO Bob Jordan now acknowledges working to lease lounge space in Honolulu, Denver, and Nashville, even though they have not yet ‘announced lounges.’ And more are in the pipeline.
- Honolulu. Southwest agreed to take space for a 9,577 square feet lounge, and a five year lease was approved in October.
Then on January 8, 2026, the Hawaii Department of Transportation amended that prior approval and added additional space to the lounge lease (as well as granting a 12-month rent waiver conditioned on substantial space improvements).
- Nashville. Bob Jordan has named Nashville as one of the airports where Southwest is securing space. There are reports of a 30,000 square foot lounge they’ve secured, based on permit filings, in the center mezzanine area.
According to the airport, “Of all the Southwest bases they make more money in Nashville than anywhere else.” Nashville is clearly a key market for a Southwest lounge.
- Denver. Southwest is the second-largest carrier at the airport, but provides far fewer amenities than United. They have more flights out of Denver than any other city. Any lounge would presumably be in the Concourse C East expansion but I haven’t found any documents related to Southwest taking and building lounge space there.
The Southwest Airlines lounge pipeline also appears to include:
- Dallas Love Field. The airport doesn’t have any current lounge space, but is planning to build lounges there. Southwest has 90% of the gates at the airport. As the primary leasing tenant they have first position on taking the space, and it’s their headquarters airport.
- Austin. I FOIA’d the new Austin airport use and lease agreement signed at the end of 2025. Southwest is the anchor tenant for the new concourse being built And the lease has Southwest Airlines building out a 40,000 square foot lounge as part of the new development. The lease agreement lists this as a crew lounge. However a lounge of that size does not make sense primarily as a crew lounge.
Additional likely possible candidates seem to be Baltimore, Houston Hobby, San Diego, St. Louis and ideally Chicago Midway, though I just don’t know where any meaningful new lounge might go at Midway.
Southwest flew more than 18 million passengers at BWI last year, operating around 230 daily departures to 82 destinations, and BWI just opened its $520 million A/B Connector with 142,000 square feet of new construction plus 78,000 square feet of renovated space.
Houston Hobby is building a $470 million West Concourse expansion with seven new Southwest gates.
Southwest is the largest carrier in San Diego, operates out of terminal 1, and the new terminal 1 construction program includes new lounges. (I’ve reported that it’s getting an Escape lounge.)
So while I haven’t seen documents surfaced for Houston, Baltimore or elsewhere it seems likely that Southwest is pursuing additional lounge real estate beyond a clear pipeline of Honolulu, Raleigh, Denver, Dallas and Austin.
We don’t yet know what any design aesthetic or features might look like, or if a Southwest premium cobrand card might somehow piggy back on Chase lounges or Priority Pass access to launch with a larger footprint.
Good on you, Gary, for FOIA-ing. Transparency, oversight, and accountability matters, even when snooping on prospective airline lounges. I’m pleasantly surprised that WN is attempting this. I’ve had my doubts, and still remain skeptical, especially with the economic headwinds, but if they pull this off, that’s exciting. Now, for @Mike Hunt’s desired First Class… WN recliners, FTW!
as I have said, WN is on its way to becoming the next legacy/global carrier. They have the domestic network but lack first class and lounges (for now) as well as longhaul international which requires widebodies.
AS is further along in the process of becoming global but is far smaller.
WN will easily leapfrog AS as soon as it starts installing domestic first class and widebodies.
Surprised BWI wasn’t in that mix. Or maybe PHX. Yes, I think over the next decade you will see WN order 788/789s and begin to fly International as well as domestic first and business class seating. That’s where the real money is, along with potential higher income consumers for a cobranded credit card.