Southwest Airlines announced a series of proposed changes earlier this year, and one of those was plans to “implement premium lounges.”
Now, the airline can officially deliver on those plans as its first lease has been approved.
Southwest Airlines Moves Forward With First Lounge
“There’s active work in terms of developing the next strategy. And I’m hopeful to be able to lay parts of that out early in 2026,” CEO Bob Jordan said earlier this month. “We’re looking at what our customers would want in a lounge and where those lounges would be located.”
Just days later, it appears those plans are in motion as Southwest’s lease application at the Honolulu airport has reportedly been approved.
According to View From the Wing, the soon-to-be lounge space is located near where the American Airlines/Japan Airlines, Korean, Qantas, IASS and Ko Olina/LeaLea lounges cluster today.
“The 5-year lease is priced at $156.14 per square foot per year (the current lease signatory rate at the airport), so about $1.91 million per year with minimum buildout spend of $20 million,” the outlet reported.
A timeline for the construction is currently unknown.
Southwest’s Major Changes in Recent Months
The Dallas-based airline has undergone a series of changes to its business model in recent months.
- End “Bags Fly Free” policy: Southwest previously allowed passengers two free checked bags per flight but began charging customers for luggage back in May.
- End “Open Seating” policy: Southwest is doing away with its unique open seating arrangement, opting instead of assigned seating beginning in January.
- Free Wifi: The airline began offering all Rapid Rewards members free in-flight wifi on select planes earlier this month.
