Baltimore/Washington International is about to lose a small pleasure and gain a big one. The free public observation gallery between Concourses B and C — a spot where anyone could walk in and watch planes without a ticket — appears stripped bare and papered over, and it looks set to become part of Southwest's new flagship lounge. A reader visit plus a tip from someone claiming to work for Southwest at BWI point the same way: a two-story, roughly 33,000-square-foot club near the Concourse C security checkpoint, with the lease signed and demolition already underway.
The location is a big deal for Southwest flyers. BWI is the airline's largest East Coast base, with around 230 daily departures and more than 18 million passengers a year, yet its current lounge option — The Club BWI in Concourse D — is a cramped 2,200 square feet with seats for just 50, stuck behind a separate security checkpoint from Southwest's A, B and C gates. The new space would be about 15 times larger and accessible from inside the secure area where Southwest passengers actually are. The observation gallery also happens to offer some of the best runway views in the terminal, so if the lounge keeps the windows, members could be in for a treat.
The trade-off: local families and aviation fans lose a free place to bring kids to watch planes. Observation decks have been disappearing from US airports for years, and this would be one more gone.
Baltimore is just the first confirmed piece of a wider build-out. Southwest has announced lounges for Austin, Honolulu and Nashville too, with the first openings expected in late 2027 and at least seven more locations planned. Reported pipeline spots include Denver, Dallas Love Field, Washington National's Terminal 1 and Orlando's Airside 2 expansion. Nashville's planned 30,000-square-foot lounge sounds especially family-forward, with a bar, buffet, grab-and-go food, a mother's room and a kids' zone featuring a treehouse, climbing wall and floor piano.
The money behind all this comes from a new premium Southwest credit card from Chase, due in 2027, which will include lounge access. Southwest and Chase have reportedly tested annual fees between $395 and $650, and the airline is promising design and dining standards informed by Chase's Sapphire lounge network. Details on guest policies, day passes and reciprocity for Sapphire Reserve holders aren't out yet — but at 33,000 square feet, BWI's club should have room for generous access rules if Southwest wants to be generous.
If you fly Southwest through Baltimore regularly, this is genuinely good news: a proper lounge at your home hub, arriving in late 2027 at the earliest. Planespotting families, meanwhile, may want one last visit to the gallery before the fencing goes up for good.
