New Alaska Airlines Lounge at SFO: Bigger, But Less Character

Alaska Airlines’ new lounge at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) opens today, Wednesday, July 24, as part of its move to the airport’s newly-expanded Harvey Milk Terminal 1. In comparison to Alaska's old lounge at SFO, which was situated in Terminal 2, every aspect of this lounge is amplified — except its San Francisco character.

Clocking in at about 11,000 square feet, the new lounge is physically bigger, adding about 55% more seating than its predecessor. San Francisco is a major hub for Alaska Airlines, so more space is a welcome improvement, especially as many lounges across the U.S. deal with overcrowding issues.

Here’s a preview of the new SFO Alaska lounge, including what's gained and what's lost.

The lounge offers an eclectic array of seating. One room is dedicated to peace and quiet. There, you’ll find a mix of couches, booth seating and Alaska’s iconic recliners.

With the recliners, putting your feet up is encouraged.

Nearly all the seats are stocked with abundant power outlets.

Two private phone booths offer privacy for calls. They are first-come, first-served.

The lounging area is bright and airy, with large windows that overlook the airfield.

The dining area and back room with bar are primarily served by booth and counter seating.

Unlike many lounges with completely free food, the Alaska Airlines lounge serves a mix of paid and complimentary items. Luckily, the free stuff is robust enough to comprise a complete and healthy meal.

What’s complimentary

The salad bar has fairly standard toppings like onions and tomatoes, and it also offers protein options including chicken and tofu. Quinoa and noodles can make the salad even more filling.

Adjacent to the salad bar sits complimentary hot foods. When we visited, there was orange chicken, vegetable fried rice and soup, though the menu rotates seasonally.

There’s also the Alaska lounge staple — the made-to-order pancake machine. It sits aside various toppings to dress up pancakes, including fig fruit jam and peanut butter. There’s also a toast and bagel bar that offers toppings like guacamole to make avocado toast.

All the complimentary food options feel thoughtfully curated. There’s a range of healthy foods, which might be appealing if you’re about to sit on a long flight, but the more indulgent, fried options might be more appealing for those in vacation mode.

As far as sweets go, there’s an all-you-can-eat supply of Lotus Biscoff cookies, as well as treats like muffins. There’s also a treat bar specific to San Francisco Bay-area cookies and candy, featuring Oakland Fortune Factory fortune cookies, Jelly Belly jelly beans and Ghirardelli chocolates.

What costs extra

Additional food items available for purchase are largely of the bar fare variety. Items include pizzas, cheeseburgers, potstickers and chicken tenders. Prices range from $5 for a side of fries to $12 for a more complete meal, such as potstickers served with rice and edamame or a burger served with tater tots.

The free healthier food — particularly the fresh veggies and chicken breast — was surprisingly high-quality. Meanwhile, the paid items tasted pretty bland and mediocre.

Maybe I just have a bias against fried food.

Like the food, some drinks are complimentary, while premium drinks incur an extra cost.

A Coca-Cola Freestyle machine is available, as is an espresso bar, where you can order a handcrafted latte from the barista. Serve-yourself coffee stations are also spread throughout the lounge.

The lounge's bar, where bartenders mix handcrafted cocktails or mocktails, is situated towards the back. Unless you opt for premium spirits, the cocktails are complimentary, too.

The bathrooms are modern, with large, round mirrors bordered by bright, vanity lighting.

The bathroom amenities are luxurious, including complimentary feminine products. Salt & Stone provides the soap and lotion.

The Alaska Airlines lounge is in Terminal 1, which is where Alaska’s flights operate out of. It’s just past the security checkpoint and The Club SFO, which is another airport lounge. Both lounges are one floor up from the main terminal, so you'll enter via stairs or elevator.

There are a few ways to access the Alaska Airlines lounge, which include:

Buy a day pass: Alaska sells single-entry passes for $60 per person (subject to space availability).

Hold Alaska lounge membership: An Alaska lounge membership program can get both you and limited guests into lounges. There are a few membership tiers, but prices start at $450.

Fly first class on Alaska: Passengers who purchase a first-class ticket or redeem miles for a first-class award ticket on flights of 2,000 miles or more get complimentary access. Travelers who receive an upgrade to first class don’t get in for free, but they can purchase lounge access at a discounted rate of $30.

Fly as Active Duty military personnel on government-sponsored travel: U.S. military personnel traveling on official government-sponsored travel booked through SATO (and ticketed to fly on an Alaska flight departing within 3 hours) can enter for free. All other active duty military personnel with a valid ID and who are traveling on Alaska can purchase day passes at a discounted rate of $30.

See the complete list of ways you can get Alaska lounge access on Alaska's website.

The Alaska lounge at SFO is the second-largest lounge of eight Alaska lounges across the U.S., but it’s not clear yet whether it will sufficiently meet the growing demand for exclusive airport lounges.

The lounge itself is indeed delightful if you have the opportunity to visit. Its whole aesthetic is light and airy, though it’s missing many of the San Francisco touches that made its old location unique. There's no more San Francisco Giants-themed kids room, sourdough cart or firepit.

The complimentary food and beverage options are good, but the cost and quality of the paid menu items are skippable. For more robust food options, you might opt for a different lounge within the airport.

SFO has an array of other lounge options, though some are easier to gain access to than others.

Aside from this new Alaska lounge, other airline-branded lounges include SFO’s Delta Sky Club. Meanwhile, the SFO Air France lounge puts you in the French spirit before takeoff given its buffet of classic French dishes, including cheese, charcuterie, croque-monsieur and boeuf bourguignon. And SFO’s Air Canada Lounge stands out for its unique, outdoor terrace.

Then there are the lounges that aren’t tied to specific airlines. The Centurion Lounge at SFO stands out for its strong food and beverage offerings. The menu comes from Ravi Kapur, the Executive Chef at Liholiho Yacht Club, a popular San Francisco restaurant. That lounge is primarily accessed by folks who hold The Platinum Card® from American Express, which has a $695 annual fee. Terms apply.

For lounge access on credit cards with lower annual fees, consider credit cards that offer Priority Pass. There are a handful of San Francisco Priority Pass lounges, each of which generally offers complimentary food and beverages. That said, these lounges tend to be inferior in quality to the other SFO lounges named above.