Southwest Hints Strongly at a Premium Credit Card and Airport Lounges in Surveys Sent to Customers

Southwest Airlines is sending surveys to select customers, asking for feedback on potential high-end credit cards it’s thinking about introducing. Additionally, these surveys indicate that the airline will open airport lounges for eligible flyers in the future.

Here’s what we know so far.

Southwest Surveys Point to Premium Cards and Lounges

View From the Wing has reported that some Southwest flyers have received surveys soliciting input on the perceived value proposition on a number of still-theoretical premium credit cards, ranging from a $395 up to $695 in annual fees.

Also, the surveys that customers shared with View From the Wing say in no uncertain terms that “Southwest Airlines will be opening Premium Airport Lounges in multiple Southwest hubs.”

Access to these lounges would be included with whatever premium card ends up being introduced to the market, and it’s among the specific features Southwest is asking survey recipients to prioritize. The full list includes:

• Unlimited primary cardholder access to Southwest-operated lounges featuring complimentary food and beverage, Wi-Fi, power outlets, and more.
• Unlimited access plus-1 guest to Priority Pass lounges via a select membership
• A Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit once every 4 years
• Select Preferred Seats and upgrade to Extra Legroom within 48 hours of departure
• A free round-trip ticket worth up to $400 after $25,000 in annual spend on the card

The surveys indicate other benefits are being considered, including:

• A flight-specific or general travel credit
• Confirmed extra legroom upgrades after meeting an annual spending threshold
• CLEAR^® credit
• Authorized user lounge access
• Seating, baggage, and boarding benefits
• Ability to earn elite-qualifying points on spending
• Annual elite-qualifying point boost
• A hotel or vacation rental credit
• Rideshare credits
• The Edit by Chase Travel benefits
• Dining credits
• Wellness credits
• The Shops at Chase credits

Of course, none of the above is confirmed. This is information found in the survey — sent by a third party to select Southwest flyers. We can assume the contents of the survey were approved by the relevant parties at the airline; however, just because these kinds of benefits are mentioned doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to make their way into a finished card product.

But, given the price ranges the airline is floating, and considering that Chase is the issuer of Southwest’s existing lineup of co-branded cards, these benefits seem like they’d be a good fit. We’d expect to see a shorter list of benefits on a card that costs $395 than on one that costs $595 or $695 per year.

What we can learn from this survey, however, is that Southwest is very likely will offer a premium card option — and an airport lounge product — and both of those should come soon.

It may seem out of character for Southwest, which for decades tried to maintain its unique business model that it was founded with. However, the airline has recently changed course, recognizing that it needs to adapt to new market realities to remain profitable.

Since its shift in direction, the airline has eliminated its long-standing “Bags Fly Free” policy, introduced an assigned-seating policy, and introduced a basic economy product, among other changes.

Soon, it appears that it will introduce another significant change in the form of airport lounges. Details are light at the moment, but we can begin to speculate on where these lounges could be located. While Southwest has never explicitly referred to its largest bases as hubs, they effectively function like hubs.

For example, we recently reported that Southwest has signaled interest in creating a lounge at Dallas Love Field (DAL), which is actively expanding its terminal and creating space large enough to accommodate an airline lounge. And View From the Wing points out that Southwest CEO Bob Jordan made an explicit reference to a lounge in Nashville (BNA) earlier this year.

However, beyond those airports, it might be an uphill battle for the airline to find the space required to offer a compelling lounge product for its flyers — and there’s no doubt it’d take time (lots of it) to build out a network that could even begin to compete with what its competitors American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines offer at present.

Furthermore, at this point, it’s hard to envision what Southwest Airlines lounges would look like. Would the airline partner with its credit card issuer, Chase, to offer a product as elevated as its own Sapphire Lounges, or would the spaces be less amenity-laden, which perhaps would be more in line with the airline’s target flyer demographic?

At any rate, all of this is speculation until we hear anything official from Southwest, Chase, or both. They may receive the survey results and decide to scrap the idea(s) altogether. However, that would come as a surprise to us, as the airline has admitted that it’s losing out on acquiring premium customers through a high-end card offering and elevated experiences, which could be vital to the carrier’s bottom line going forward.

Final Thoughts

The fact that Southwest customers are receiving surveys regarding premium credit card products and airport lounges reveals a lot, but this also raises many questions.

We can infer that Southwest is ready to introduce premium products for its flyers in hopes of recapturing some of the premium passengers (and their spending) it may have lost to competitors.

However, there’s a lot we don’t know — from the cost of the supposed premium credit card to the look of the airline’s upcoming airport lounges (if it decides to move forward with that project at all).

We expect to learn a lot more about these developments as we head into the new year, and we will keep you updated every step of the way.