Southwest to Open Premium Airport Lounges Across the Country

Southwest Airlines will open premium airport lounges across the country starting late next year, a major shift for a carrier famous for catering to budget travelers.The airline announced on Wednesday that it had begun construction on its first four lounges, at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, in Texas; Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport; Daniel K.Inouye International Airport in Honolulu; and Nashville International Airport.

The company added that it planned to open at least seven more lounges in the next several years.“We know our current customers want lounges — especially in the initial locations we’ve chosen,” Bob Jordan, Southwest’s chief executive, said in a statement, “and we will provide them with an experience that matches or exceeds any that’s currently in the marketplace.”For months, including in a July earnings call, Mr.Jordan had teased the idea of opening airport lounges, stressing their importance in retaining loyal customers in a competitive landscape where most major domestic airlines already operate them.

Delta Air Lines, for example, has more than 50 Sky Clubs worldwide.Loyalty programs and co-branded credit cards are generally very lucrative for airlines.The biggest U.S.

carriers, such as Delta and United Airlines, make billions of dollars each year from their cards and frequent-flier programs.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....