Southwest Airlines airplanes sit on the tarmac at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Nov. 26, 2025, in Baltimore, Maryland. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — For the first time ever, Southwest Airlines is joining the airport lounge race with plans to open lounges in four cities next year.

The airline announced Wednesday it will open lounges in Austin (Austin-Bergstrom International Airport), Baltimore (Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport), Honolulu (Daniel K. Inouye International Airport) and Nashville (Nashville International Airport) in 2027.

At least seven more lounges are expected to open over the next several years, according to Southwest.

The Dallas, Texas-based carrier is partnering with Chase on the lounges, and travelers will need to have a Southwest credit card to access them.

The card, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card issued by Chase, will also launch in 2027, according to Southwest.

In opening lounges, Southwest is keeping up with competitors like American and Delta Airlines that already offer lounge access for travelers who hold certain credit cards.

With airline-specific credit cards, the airlines get a cut of the profit from purchases on the credit card, and the cards help build brand loyalty to the airline.

Earlier this year, Southwest made another change that also put it in line with competitors when it switched to assigned seats on its planes instead of using boarding zones.

In 2025, the airline also ended its longstanding policy of free checked bags, charging customers $35 for their first checked bag and $45 for their second checked bag.