What happened
Southwest announced its first airport lounge network in partnership with Chase, with work already under way in Austin and Baltimore. Honolulu and Nashville are in that first group as well. The first lounges are expected to open in late 2027, and the airline plans at least 11 sites.
The build is modeled in part on the Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge Network. Access runs through a premium Rapid Rewards card planned for 2027, the only path the airline has identified. Priority Pass is not part of that description. Lounge designs have not been published.
Southwest tied the project to Rapid Rewards and to its 30-year partnership with Chase. Existing Rapid Rewards status is not named as an entry path.
The only move now is to wait for the 2027 premium Rapid Rewards card and its lounge rules.
- Announced
- Sep 2, 2026
- Numbers
- 11 lounges: minimum planned lounge network size
- 30-year years: length of the Southwest-Chase partnership
- Where
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Daniel K. Inouye Honolulu International Airport (HNL), Nashville International Airport (BNA)
- Takeaway
- There is nothing to book or register for now; watch for the 2027 premium Rapid Rewards card and fuller access rules as the first lounges near opening.