When Alaska Airlines moved operations from Terminal 2 to Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in mid-June, passengers still had to make the long trip to Terminal 2 to use the airline’s lounge.
But now that Alaska Airlines has opened a new, 11,000-square-foot lounge in Terminal 1, that hassle is long gone.
Discovering the new Alaska Airlines lounge at SFO
The new Alaska Airlines lounge is located in Terminal 1 across from Gate B6 and the Amy’s drive-thru and is a few doors down from here. Club at SFO. You can find the entrance between the Pack-n-Go store and the proper food grab-and-go location — once you’re inside, you’ll have to go up a floor via an elevator or stairs to access the lounge.
Visitors can expect 230 seats (55% more than the T2 lounge), impressive views of the airfield, upgraded food and beverage options (including dual pancake printers) and plenty of charging ports.
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Need quiet?
Once you enter the new Alaska Airlines lounge, turn right into the quiet area. Here, you can take your pick of plush seating options, from couches and cubby booths to Alaska’s popular lounger chairs.
With seats arranged near a set of floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the tarmac, Alaska’s serene landscape is a wonderful place to plane-watch in peace.
If you need to take an important call, the SFO location is the first Alaska Airlines lounge to offer a Talkbox office phone booth, available on a first-come, first-served basis. Keep in mind that while these booths offer privacy, they are not completely soundproof. I entered and pretended to have a heated work conversation, and people sitting nearby could hear me.
Plenty of complimentary food and drinks
For food and beverages, turn left after you check in at the reception desk.
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If you need to jet fuel yourself, the lounge has two barista-staffed coffee stations that serve complimentary espresso drinks made with beans from San Francisco’s Ritual Coffee Roasters.
Remember the popular candy station from the Terminal 2 lounge? It has been moved here. Help yourself to a jar filled with squares of Ghirardelli chocolate, assorted colors of Jelly Belly jelly beans, and multicolored fortune cookies made by the Oakland Fortune Factory.
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However, travelers can’t (or shouldn’t) live on caffeine and candy alone. So, if you step into the “real” food section, you’ll find a bagel station with muffins, sourdough bread, English muffins, and spread options that include butter, jam, and garlic guacamole. Plus, there’s not one but two of the fan-favorite pancake-printing machines, along with an assortment of syrups and toppings.
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Harriet Baskas/The Points Guy
The buffet table spread varies by season, but during our visit, the options included a well-stocked ramen noodle station and everything you need to make a healthy protein-packed salad. There was also a nice selection of soup, meat and rice dishes.
If the complimentary food items aren’t enough for you, the bar offers a food-for-purchase menu daily from 6am to 8pm. Options include pizza ($7), cheeseburger ($12), chicken tenders ($10), chicken teriyaki pot stickers ($12) and tater tots or fries ($5).
Drink!
In addition to the espresso station, the new Alaska Lounge features self-service coffee machines, water machines and a Coca-Cola Freestyle soda machine that lets you mix and match flavors, as well as a bar staffed by friendly bartenders. If you want a place to relax with your drink of choice, there are plenty of seating options near the large TV screens and windows.
In addition to complimentary local craft brews, West Coast wines, cocktails and creative mocktails, the bar offers premium wines and top-shelf spirits for purchase.
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Bonus features and amenities
Power outlets are next to almost every seat and can accommodate (mostly) any type of plug.
Here are the rules of stability. So, while the barista will give you the option of serving your espresso drink in a to-go cup, you’ll find very few single-use items in the lounge. There are no paper plates or plastic utensils in sight. Instead of individual plastic packs of butter, jam, salt and pepper, the food area is stocked with glass jars filled with balls of butter and jam, as well as salt and pepper shakers. Signs on the paper napkin dispensers tell you to “save trees” and “take only what you need.”
What’s missing?
Regular visitors to the Alaska Airlines lounge in Terminal 1 may notice that some features do not switch to Terminal 2. Gone are the vintage-style sourdough carts — sourdough bread is now the only option at the bread station. There is no cozy fire pit. Additionally, the memorabilia-adorned San Francisco Giants-themed children’s room is no more.
Still, the new lounge is so “wow” that if we hadn’t mentioned what was missing, you might not have noticed that these former features were gone.
How to get into an Alaska Airlines lounge at SFO
Single-entry day passes may be available for Alaska Airlines lounges, subject to lounge capacity.
Access to this lounge is also open to Alaska Lounge members, Alaska Lounge+ members and first-class passengers with paid or award tickets on flights of 2,000 miles or more. For full details and to see if there are other ways to access the new lounge, see List of Alaska Airlines lounge policies and regulations.
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