For months, Southwest Airlines has been teasing the possibility of true premium seats, long-haul routes and airport lounges.
Now, it appears at least one of those things may be coming true.
According to Hawaii state records, the airline this month gained approval (PDF link) to lease space to build a lounge at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).
The news was first reported by industry blogger Enilria.
According to documents (PDF link) reviewed by TPG, the space would likely span two floors and measure an expansive 12,000 square feet inside Terminal 2, where Southwest operates its HNL flights.
This would be the first airport lounge for the Dallas-based carrier, and by far its deepest foray into the premium space.
It’s also something that the airline’s CEO, Bob Jordan, has been hinting at for months — including just last week on the company’s earnings call.
“We’re actively looking at continued changes to widen our product offering for our customers,” Jordan told analysts Oct. 23.
“Including things,” Jordan added, “like premium seating, airport lounges and long-haul international destinations.”
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A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 on the ground in Hawaii in 2019. JESSICA PUCKETT/THE POINTS GUY
Southwest has so far not publicly confirmed it’s adding airport lounges.
Because of that, it remains unclear how the airline might determine access for any future clubs. However, it seems a likely bet the carrier could use lounges as a way to sweeten the deal for its top-tier credit card lineup — which just got a refresh this summer.
Southwest is in the midst of a major transformation. After adding checked bag fees earlier this year, the carrier is now less than three months away from ditching its long-standing open-seating policy in favor of assigned seats — along with its new extra-legroom product now available on roughly half of its planes.
2025 has also seen the carrier strike up new international airline partnerships with Icelandair, China Airlines and EVA Air, and it expects to debut Rapid Rewards partner redemptions on some of those carriers next year.
Southwest launched Hawaii service in 2019, and, as of this month, flies nonstop from HNL to eight U.S. mainland airports. It also operates several interisland routes.
If the airline indeed moves forward with a Honolulu club, it would join a competitive lounge landscape at the state’s biggest airport. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines all have clubs at HNL, as do international carriers All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines and Qatar Airways. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are plotting a new premium club at the airport following their 2024 merger.
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