Southwest Airlines lounges? CEO drops biggest hint yet that they're coming
It's hardly a secret at this point: Southwest Airlines is preparing to open airport lounges in the future. It appears to just be a matter of when ... and where.
For well over a year, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan has dropped hints about the airline's plans to potentially offer clubs in the future.
But Jordan on Thursday offered perhaps his strongest signal yet about what's on the horizon.
"I know I've teased the lounges," he said. "Obviously, there's work underway."
It wasn't a formal unveiling — Jordan said the carrier wasn't prepared to make any announcement "yet."
But it now seems like a pretty safe bet that frequent Southwest flyers could find themselves relaxing in an airport lounge in the not-so-distant future.
And it appears access will be a key perk that the airline plans to eventually offer as part of its lineup of cobranded credit cards.
An open secret
To be fair, none of this comes as a huge surprise.
Last year, filings uncovered in Hawaii revealed planning was underway for a Southwest outpost in Honolulu.
And Jordan has routinely alluded to lounges as one of the features the airline might like to add as part of a larger push to "follow the customer." (He has also frequently mentioned long-haul flights and true premium seats.)
A big reason for the growing momentum on lounges, specifically: credit cards.
Are lounges the future Southwest credit card perk?
Across the airline industry, carriers have raced to open clubs to sweeten the appeal of upper-echelon cards with higher annual fees.
Lounge access was a key perk in the premium card Alaska Airlines unveiled last summer. And JetBlue recently unveiled its first lounge in tandem with the rollout of its new, higher-tier card.
Southwest's vision on lounges and cards could be similar.
"The whole purpose again is to expand cobranded opportunities, and expand the card set," Jordan told analysts Thursday on the airline's earnings call. "And provide to our customers something that they really, really want."
Where could Southwest lounges open?
Southwest isn't technically confirming that the lounges are even coming.
So it's far too early to say for sure where any clubs might be located.
Certainly, the wheels appear to be in motion for an outpost at Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).
Beyond that, we'd only be speculating.
The carrier has a significant presence at Denver International Airport (DEN), Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).
Dallas Love Field (DAL) is Southwest's home base, and the carrier has also been touting its presence as the top carrier at Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS).
I'd also note that Jordan, for his part, has previously mentioned Nashville International Airport (BNA) when discussing hypothetical future offerings the carrier might launch. Southwest has grown its departures in Nashville by 30% from just two years ago, per Cirium.
So, count all of those as airports to watch in the years to come.
But only time will tell when and where these clubs might ultimately pop up.
Part of a larger Southwest transformation
Longtime Southwest flyers will likely find even the talk of potential lounges surreal.
After all, the airline was known for decades for its egalitarian, low-frills experience — more focused on getting from "point A" to "point B" than on premium touches.
But Southwest has evolved rapidly over the past two years in a push to boost revenue and win more customers.
Last year, Southwest launched checked bag fees, ending its longtime "bags fly free" tagline. After half a century, it ended its open seating policy in January in favor of assigned seats. It has also made a host of loyalty changes and inked partnerships with nine international carriers.
It's currently installing Starlink Wi-Fi on its planes, after making the service free to all Rapid Rewards loyalty members last year.
"We're not done," Jordan reiterated Thursday. "We're going to continue to pursue the customer, whether that is product-related, [or] it is cobrand related, [or] different things that they want from the company."
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