American and Southwest plan new airport lounges in Austin

American Airlines has shared new renderings of a larger Admirals Club planned for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), and Southwest Airlines has named its upcoming lounge network Southwest Icon Lounges, with first openings expected from late 2027. Neither lounge has a confirmed opening date, so frequent flyers in both airlines' networks will need to wait.

American's new Admirals Club in Austin

According to One Mile at a Time, the new Admirals Club will cover 12,000 square feet on the west side of the terminal, nearly doubling the current lounge of around 6,000 square feet. Construction is due to begin this year, and the existing lounge will stay open until the new one opens.

The lounge will use American's new-style design, currently found at a limited number of airports. It will offer views of downtown Austin and the airfield, with separate zones for relaxing, dining, working and recharging. It will also have the first outdoor terrace in the Admirals Club network. No opening date has been announced; the One Mile at a Time author expects late 2027 or 2028, but that is an estimate rather than an airline statement.

American also says it is investing in more than 12 premium spaces expected to open in the near future, including Admirals Clubs, Flagship Lounges, Flagship Dining and joint lounges. One Mile at a Time notes that new Flagship Lounges planned for Miami and Charlotte have no timeline yet. The site also points out that American has scaled back in Austin after losing money on growth there, while Delta has expanded.

Southwest Icon Lounges

As Live and Let's Fly reports, Southwest Airlines announced its lounge plans in September and has now revealed the Icon Lounge name and a first rendering of the Nashville site. The image shows a large bar, warm wood tones and upholstered seating. The lounges are being developed with Chase, and Southwest says they will offer locally inspired food and drink, work and relaxation space, and amenities drawing on Chase's Sapphire lounge experience.

Southwest's lounge page lists four initial locations, with openings expected to begin in late 2027:

• Austin (AUS)
• Baltimore (BWI)
• Honolulu (HNL)
• Nashville (BNA)

At least seven more lounges are planned over the following years, for a network of at least 11. Those airports have not been announced.

Access to the Southwest lounges

Access will come through a new premium Southwest credit card issued by Chase, expected to launch in 2027. According to Live and Let's Fly, the annual fee, guest privileges and full access rules have not been announced. The outlet cautions against assuming that existing Southwest cards, Chase Sapphire Reserve or Priority Pass memberships, or elite status alone will grant entry; this is its own caution rather than an announced policy.

What this means for travellers

Nothing changes immediately. American's current Austin lounge stays open during construction, and the larger club is unlikely to arrive for at least a year. Austin is the one airport to feature in both announcements, so travellers there may eventually have a choice of lounges, though Southwest's would require its new card.

For Southwest customers, the key unknowns are the card's fee, who can enter and how crowding will be managed. With only four initial airports, many customers will not have a lounge at their home airport. Travellers considering a new card for lounge access would be wise to wait for those details.

Sources: One Mile at a Time; Live and Let's Fly.