Now that I’m caught up on trip reports, I’ll turn my attention back to other posts I’ve been putting off. Or in this case, more like forgotten. US Airways’ final flight, a redeye from SFO to Philadelphia, brought me to San Francisco. My layover clocked in at 3 1/2 hours after my American flight from DFW, which meant plenty of time for some lounging. Though not an American hub, or even a focus city, AA operates an Admirals Club at SFO. After walking over to the US Airways gates to see if the pre-flight festivities had started (they hadn’t), I headed back to the Admirals Club to pass some time.
Admirals Club San Francisco
Date of Visit: October 16, 2015
Location: once you clear security in Terminal 2, head left, and the lounge entrance is in front of you.
Upon checking in at the desk, turn right to head to the seating area. The lounge is set up as a long, narrow rectangle. Immediately to your left as you enter is an interesting, circular seating area underneath a skylight.
Immediately to the left of this sitting area is a self-service snack area. As with most other domestic Admirals Clubs, this consists of a coffee/cappuccino machine and some salty snacks.
Continuing down the left-hand side of the lounge is the main seating area. This is a relatively spacious area, with a variety of different seating options. This includes sets of loungers by the windows, ideal if you’re traveling with someone. Also available: single U-shaped chairs down the center, and tables with chairs towards the wall if you need more space to spread out and work. There is also a departures board along the back wall. The club features plentiful power outlets, especially at the orange loungers. These contain a two-plug outlet for each set of two chairs. Incidentally, the window seats probably make for excellent planespotting. Unfortunately, nightfall made that impossible.
Restrooms are located adjacent to the main seating area. Surprisingly, the small lounge features showers, though I didn’t have a chance to check them out.
On the other (right) side of the lounge is the bar. The bar seating area is quite large, and there are also a few chairs and tables opposite the bar. The bar itself is staffed, though there is a self-service soda machine along the far wall if you just want a soft drink.
As at most other domestic Admirals Clubs, the club serves complimentary house beer and wine. Guests may pay for premium beer and wine. The beer is the usual swill, but the white wine (it was a chardonnay, but I don’t remember the name) was actually halfway decent. Guess that shouldn’t be a surprise, given the outstanding wine scene in SF. In addition, there is food available for purchase. The only complimentary offerings, though, are a few light snacks, depending on the time of day. And therein lies my primary issue with pretty much all domestic airline clubs. Given the hefty club or credit card fees charged for access, why so stingy with the free food offerings? If you’re going to charge for food, at least offer something innovative. Instead, it’s pretty much the same old menu you find in every Admirals Club.
Also on this side of the lounge is a business center, though it’s a bit of a joke. It consists of a printer, and I think six desktop computers available for use along the window.
Overall Thoughts
I rate this lounge fairly decent as Admirals Clubs go, certainly nicer than I expected to find in a non-AA hub. It won’t blow you away, but it’s a comfortable place to spend an hour or two during a layover.
