New San Francisco Lounge celebrates local flavor and flair
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Photos by Ingrid Barrentine.
Sip and savor your way through the iconic flavors of San Francisco at our newest Alaska Lounge, opening Aug. 31 at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Our lounge, conveniently located in Terminal 2 just past security, offers more than 9,000 square feet of relaxing space where guests can enjoy classic bites like San Francisco sourdough bread and a pint of the city’s famed Anchor Brewing Crisp Pilsner while taking in art inspired by the Bay Area. The lounge is a complete renovation of the former American Airlines Admirals Club and will be open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
SFO is the second-largest lounge in our network and has some fun features including:
- Trained baristas who will serve Starbucks coffee.
- A sourdough cart and candy bar with delicious bites.
- California beers and wines for smooth sips.
- Local art from artists in the Bay Area to brighten your day.
- Room for kids to play, inspired by the San Francisco Giants.
“We’re thrilled to give our guests a place to work, relax, unwind and enjoy some of the best of what the Golden City has to offer when they travel through SFO on Alaska or a oneworld partner,” says Sangita Woerner, senior vice president of marketing and guest experience at Alaska Airlines.
The Sourdough Cart
Sourdough bread – a part of San Francisco’s food scene since Gold Rush days – will be the highlight of our vintage-style cart featuring local bakeries like Acme Bread Company. Acme is known for its San Francisco Ferry Building location and the Bay Area restaurants it supplies, including Berkeley’s celebrated Chez Panisse. Available at lunch and dinner meal times, the sourdough cart will also offer a variety of sweet and savory toppings, such as ricotta with figs and honey, and burrata with pesto.
The Candy Bar
Just past the Lounge reception desk, a nook beckons with jars of jewel-toned Jelly Belly jelly beans and sweet squares of Ghirardelli chocolate. Ghirardelli’s roots in San Francisco stretch back to 1849, and Jelly Belly candies have called Northern California home for more than three decades.
Guests can also seek their sweet fortunes in custom travel-themed cookies from Oakland’s Fortune Cookie Factory, a third-generation family business that has been baking fortune cookies in the Bay Area for more than 60 years.
California beers and wines
Unwind with a taste of one of Northern California’s finest brews; along with Anchor Brewing, we’ll be pouring Lagunitas IPA, Calicraft Brewing’s Tiki Time tropical wheat ale and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. We’ll also offer a rotating selection of California wines, and our bartenders will mix up a new craft cocktail each month.
Guests can also enjoy an all-day buffet featuring steel-cut oatmeal, fresh salads and hearty soups – along with our famous pancake printer.
Art with a purpose
In addition to art by local artists sourced by San Francisco’s Minted, our new Lounge will showcase a piece called “Offshore” by American painter and printmaker Anne Neely, who is inspired by Alaska’s commitment to reduce our climate impact. “The artist saw the efforts we have been making in sustainability, and she gifted the art to support those efforts and add to the conversation,” says Jordan Womack, Alaska Lounge product manager.
Fans will have a ball
Young San Francisco Giants fans can cheer for the home team in the play area featuring baseball-themed games and art celebrating mascot Lou Seal.
The Alaska Lounge value
Alaska Lounge membership costs nearly 60 percent less than other airline lounge programs. “Hands down, Alaska offers the single best value of any airport lounge membership in the country,” Woerner says. “Our eight lounges redefine the guest experience and offer a calm oasis for every type of traveler.”
And like SFO, each lounge lets guests explore its region through its unique food and drinks. For example, here are some of the local beers featured:
Anchorage (ANC): Alaskan Amber, King Street Brewing
Los Angeles (LAX): Boomtown IPA
New York (JFK): Greenport IPA, Bronx Brewery Summer Ale
Portland (PDX): Deschutes Mirror Pond
Seattle (SEA): Airways Preflight Pilsner, Georgetown Bodhizafa IPA
How to visit Alaska Lounges
Guests can visit Alaska Lounges by becoming a lounge member, flying First Class with us or purchasing a day pass. Pro tip: Guests can enjoy 50% off a lounge day pass when they pay with their Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card*.
Giving you more options
Beginning Oct. 1, we’re updating our membership structure to give you more options and flexibility.
We’ll now offer two tiers of lounge memberships:
Alaska Lounge: Members will receive access to all Alaska Lounges when flying on any airline.
Alaska Lounge+: Members will receive access to all Alaska Lounges and an extended network of more than 90 partner airline lounges across the country, including all American Airlines Admirals Clubs.
Pricing will update to the following:
- Alaska Lounge membership: $450 annually ($350 for Alaska Airlines MVP, MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75k members)
- Alaska Lounge+ membership: $600 annually ($500 for Alaska Airlines MVP, MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75k members)
- New Lounge membership enrollments and renewals made before Alaska’s two-tier structure goes into effect in October will be grandfathered into an Alaska Lounge+ membership for the duration of the membership period.
Keep up with our Lounges on alaskaair.com.
