Southwest Airlines has changed considerably over the past year and a half, from assigned seating and extra-legroom seats to bag fees. But the airline isn’t finished reshaping the guest experience.
Southwest CFO Tom Doxey spoke this week at Morgan Stanley’s annual Laguna Conference and offered a handful of updates on what passengers can expect next.
Some could start showing up fairly soon.
Starlink Is Coming to Hundreds of Southwest Planes
Southwest recently began installing Starlink, and the rollout is moving quickly.
Doxey said the airline expects around 300 aircraft to have Starlink installed by the end of this year, with installations continuing into 2027.
That means the faster Wi-Fi should become much easier to find on Southwest flights over the next few months. There will still be some luck involved, though, as plenty of planes will continue offering Southwest’s existing Wi-Fi until they get Starlink.
Southwest’s Lounge Plans Are Already Taking Shape
Southwest recently confirmed plans to open its first airport lounges in partnership with Chase. This is an amenity the airline has never offered before.
The airline has already said it plans to start with 11 lounges, and Doxey indicated there could eventually be more. But perhaps more interesting is how far along some of those first locations already are.
Construction has started at some locations, Doxey said, while designs and mock-ups are already taking shape. He suggested that early construction work contributed to the lounge plans becoming something of a “worst-kept secret” before Southwest announced them.
He also hinted that the finished product may not look quite like what some people expect from Southwest.
“I think some people are going to be a little surprised, actually, when they say, ‘Oh, this is the Southwest lounge,’” he said.
Southwest still hasn’t revealed all 11 locations. Doxey didn’t name any additional airports, but said the choices should look “very logical” when looking at a map of Southwest’s network.
A More Premium Southwest Credit Card Is Coming
The lounges also give Southwest something new to offer current and future credit card holders.
Southwest has already confirmed plans for a more premium credit card that will offer lounge access, but there’s still no word on when it will arrive or exactly what it will include.
Doxey was unusually direct about why Southwest wants one. He called the absence of a top-tier premium card a “hole” in the airline’s current credit card lineup.
For now, details such as the annual fee, other benefits, and launch date are still up in the air. But with lounge construction already underway, both pieces are getting closer.
The Boeing 737 MAX 7 Could Finally Arrive Next Year
Southwest also expects another long-awaited change to its fleet.
The FAA certified the Boeing 737 MAX 7 in August after years of delays. This finally cleared the smaller MAX variant for commercial service.
Southwest already has 27 MAX 7s that were built before certification and have been sitting in storage. Doxey said Boeing is now working to bring those aircraft up to the final approved specifications.
Southwest expects some of those planes to begin arriving around the end of this year before entering passenger service in early 2027.
International Long-Haul Flying Is Still on the Table
One much bigger potential change is less certain.
Southwest executives have repeatedly floated the possibility of eventually flying farther internationally. Doxey confirmed that the airline is still considering it, although no decision has been made.
“We haven’t decided what we’re doing with that particular item,” Doxey said. “But what we have said is that we’re absolutely considering whether that should be part of the offering that we have.”
There are still some big questions to answer, including where Southwest might fly and what aircraft it would use. For now, long-haul flying is something Southwest is considering rather than a firm plan.
But it’s another example of just how different Southwest could look a few years from now. Assigned seating and bag fees are already changing the airline people know today. Add lounges, a higher-end credit card, better Wi-Fi, and perhaps longer international flights, and Southwest starts to look different in ways that go well beyond how boarding works.
