A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX8 departs from San Diego International Airport to Chicago on March 4, 2025 in San Diego, California. <\/p>\n
Kevin Carter | Getty Images News | Getty Images<\/p>\n
ARLINGTON, Texas \u2014 Southwest Airlines<\/a> is considering airport lounges<\/a>, more premium seating and even long-haul international flights to win over high-spending customers, CEO Bob Jordan said Wednesday.<\/p>\n “Whatever customers need in 2025, 2030, we won’t take any of that off the table. We’ll do it the Southwest way but we’re not going to say ‘We would never do that,'” Jordan said in an interview with CNBC at an airport industry conference. “We know we send customers to other\u00a0airlines\u00a0because there’s some things you might want that you can’t get on us. That includes things like lounges, like true premium, like flying long-haul international.”<\/p>\n Southwest is in the middle of a transformation. That has included undoing<\/a> some of its policies like open seating<\/a>, a uniform cabin and allowing all customers to check two bags for free, things that had set it apart<\/a> from rivals in much of its 54 years of flying.<\/p>\n But it has faced pressure from competitors, and an activist investor last year pushed the carrier to increase revenue.\u00a0And\u00a0airfare in the U.S. has dropped.<\/p>\n Southwest and other carriers pulled their 2025 forecasts<\/a> earlier this year, citing economic uncertainty. Jordan said Wednesday that the airline is continuing to see cheaper fares.<\/p>\n “The summer is generally never on sale, and the summer is heavily on sale right now,” he said.<\/p>\n Despite making major changes to its business model, Jordan said the carrier hasn’t seen customers defect to other airlines since it introduced no-frills basic economy tickets and bag fees late last month, policies rivals already had.<\/p>\n But making changes at the high end is important, too, he said.<\/p>\n Competitors like Delta Air Lines<\/a>, United Airlines<\/a> and American Airlines<\/a> have added more luxury tourism destinations<\/a> and roomier, more expensive seats, and they’ve also invested heavily in airport lounges<\/a>. For example, earlier Wednesday, American unveiled plans to nearly double its lounge space at its Miami International Airport hub.<\/p>\n Jordan said it’s “way too soon to put any specifics” on potential changes, but he called out Southwest stronghold Nashville International Airport \u2014 where the airline has a more than 50% market share, according to airport data \u2014 as a place where customers are hungry for luxury.<\/p>\n “Nashville loves us, and we know we have Nashville customers that want lounges. They want first class. They want to get to Europe and they’re going to Europe,” he said.<\/p>\n But getting those things means those customers have to book on another airline, which could make them more likely to add that rival’s co-branded credit card to their wallets, too, he said.<\/p>\n Read more CNBC airline news<\/p>\n “I want to send fewer and fewer customers to another airline,” he said.<\/p>\n