Southwest announces its 1st lounges at these 4 airports
Southwest Airlines airplanes sit on the tarmac at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Nov. 26, 2025, in Baltimore, Maryland. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — For the first time ever, Southwest Airlines is joining the airport lounge race with plans to open lounges in four cities next year.
The airline announced Wednesday it will open lounges in Austin (Austin-Bergstrom International Airport), Baltimore (Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport), Honolulu (Daniel K. Inouye International Airport) and Nashville (Nashville International Airport) in 2027.
At least seven more lounges are expected to open over the next several years, according to Southwest.
The Dallas, Texas-based carrier is partnering with Chase on the lounges, and travelers will need to have a Southwest credit card to access them.
The card, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card issued by Chase, will also launch in 2027, according to Southwest.
In opening lounges, Southwest is keeping up with competitors like American and Delta Airlines that already offer lounge access for travelers who hold certain credit cards.
With airline-specific credit cards, the airlines get a cut of the profit from purchases on the credit card, and the cards help build brand loyalty to the airline.
Earlier this year, Southwest made another change that also put it in line with competitors when it switched to assigned seats on its planes instead of using boarding zones.
In 2025, the airline also ended its longstanding policy of free checked bags, charging customers $35 for their first checked bag and $45 for their second checked bag.
In this Nov. 16, 2023, file photo, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman looks on during the APEC CEO Summit at Moscone West in San Francisco. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, FILE)
(NEW YORK) — OpenAI, the artificial-intelligence company behind ChatGPT, announced Monday night it had filed confidentially for an initial public offering (IPO), setting up the firm to raise fresh funds as it competes with deep-pocketed tech giants in the fast-growing AI industry.
In a post on X, OpenAI said it had not determined when the company would begin listing on public markets.
“We have not decided on timing yet; it may be a while because there are things we want to do that are likely easier as a private company. But it’s a complicated set of tradeoffs and this gives us the option to go public sooner if that ends up being best,” the company said.
The move would subject the privately held company to new scrutiny from public investors and regulators, as well as ongoing financial reporting requirements. OpenAI valued itself at $852 billion after a round of funding in March.
Kevin Warsh, Chair of the Federal Reserve, on April 21, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)v
(WASHINGTON) — The Federal Reserve is set to announce its latest decision on interest rates on Wednesday as the central bank weathers the highest inflation in three years.
The announcement will mark the first possible adjustment of the benchmark interest rate since Trump nominee Kevin Warsh began his four-year term as Fed chair last month.
The policy move is also set to arrive at a moment of flux for the nation’s economy, just days after an agreement between the United States and Iran offered hope for some price relief.
The U.S.-Iran accord, set to be formally signed on Friday, came as gasoline prices fell below $4 a gallon for the first time since March. Still, fuel costs stand well above pre-war levels, and an array of grocery prices remain elevated.
Futures markets overwhelmingly expect the Fed to hold interest rates steady when policymakers meet on Wednesday, according to the CME FedWatch Tool, a measure of investor sentiment.
In recent weeks, however, odds have risen for a potential interest rate hike by the end of 2026, the tool showed, granting a roughly four in 10 chance of a quarter-point increase in December.
The shift in expectations came after a stronger-than-expected jobs report earlier this month showed robust hiring in May. In theory, a resilient labor market could afford central bankers leeway to raise interest rates in an effort to dial back inflation, since elevated borrowing costs risk a hiring slowdown.
Inflation jumped for a third consecutive month as the Iran war continued to drive up prices in May, surpassing 4% for the first time in three years
The Middle East conflict prompted the Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime trading route that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of global oil supply. The standoff triggered one of the largest oil shocks ever recorded, sending gasoline prices surging.
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced a U.S.-Iran deal that included plans to reopen the strait. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed the deal had been finalized and said it would be signed in Switzerland on Friday. Oil prices fell to their lowest level since March.
The benchmark rate stands at a level between 3.5% and 3.75%. That figure marks a significant drop from a recent peak attained in 2023, but borrowing costs remain well above a 0% rate established at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rate decision will be the first major policy move overseen by Warsh, who will address reporters during a customary press conference minutes after the central bank issues its announcement.
During his term as a Fed governor in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Warsh gained a reputation as an interest-rate “hawk,” meaning he generally preferred higher interest rates as a means of ensuring low and stable inflation.
Last year, Warsh voiced support for lower interest rates. At his Senate confirmation hearing in April, Warsh emphasized the threat posed by elevated inflation.
“When inflation surges — as it has done in recent years — grievous harm is done to our citizens, especially to the least well-off,” Warsh said.
Bucking typical norms, former Fed Chair Jerome Powell Powell will cast a vote on interest rates as a member of the Fed’s 12-person policymaking board.
Powell said he would stay on at the central bank’s board of governors after his term as chair expired as an investigation into the Fed’s office renovation continues.
The Department of Justice moved to drop a criminal probe into Powell in April, calling on the Fed’s inspector general to carry out the investigation into cost overruns tied to the renovation. Powell will remain on the Fed’s board for an indeterminate length of time, he said last month.
The criminal investigation into Powell focused on alleged false testimony to Congress about an office renovation. Powell, who was appointed by Trump in 2017, has rebuked the probe as a politically motivated effort to influence interest-rate policy. Trump denied any involvement in the criminal investigation.
(NEW YORK) — The Transportation Security Administration has launched a new program that allows some people without a plane ticket to go through airport security.
The program, called Gateside by TSA PreCheck, allows eligible TSA PreCheck members to enter the secure area of participating airports to meet or see off friends and family at their gate, meet someone during a layover, or visit airport restaurants and shops.
Gateside is currently available at 13 airports across the United States, including Los Angeles International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas and San Diego International Airport.
The other participating airports are Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, John Glenn Columbus International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, Indianapolis International Airport, Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, Will Rogers International Airport, Eppley Airfield and Salt Lake City International Airport.
TSA is assessing the program as it looks to expand it to additional airports.
The program offers a new way for people without boarding passes to access airport gates, which has been heavily restricted since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
To use Gateside, visitors must have TSA PreCheck benefits and a Known Traveler Number, or KTN.
Visitors can apply online for a Gateside pass between one and three days before their planned airport visit. The Gateside pass is free and valid only for the approved visit.
Once approved, visitors must bring an acceptable form of identification and their Gateside approval to the airport and go through a TSA PreCheck security lane.
Visitors who do not have an acceptable form of identification can use TSA ConfirmID to verify their identity for a $45 fee, according to TSA.
Children can also participate but must be included on their parent or guardian’s application.
The new program comes as TSA continues to test new ways to change the airport security experience.
Earlier this summer, TSA began testing self-service ID checks for eligible travelers at several airports, including Los Angeles International Airport, Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
