nsx

35. Why doesn't Southwest offer an airline lounge?

a. (nsx) Aside from the fact that "Brown Carpet Club" has a poor ring to it, I believe the reason is that there would be insufficient demand for it. Air-side space is expensive, and Southwest's business travelers spend very little time at the airport. With Internet check-in, there is no need to get to the airport an hour early, even for a long-haul flight. Before Internet check-in, the lack of priority boarding meant that even Southwest's best customers needed to queue up to get a decent seat. Sitting in a lounge would have put them in the back of that queue.

b. (nsx) Southwest does, of course, offer the Mile High Club on the same basis as other airlines. However because of the lack of long red-eye flights, Southwest's MHC is far more difficult to join.