For the past several months, the Air France Lounge San Francisco (SFO) has been closed, as it has been under renovation. The lounge finally reopened in the past few days, and looks gorgeous!
In this post:
A look at the refurbished Air France Lounge SFO
On June 16, 2023, the completely refurbished Air France Lounge SFO located in Terminal A reopened. The lounge is larger, has a new design, and has new spaces and amenities. Here are some of the basic details:
- The lounge is open daily from 10AM until 8:30PM
- The lounge is 565 square meters (~6,080 square feet), with seating for 117 guests; it’s 90 square meters (~970 square feet) bigger than before
- The lounge has a design with a focus on the Air France colors (shades of blue, white, and touches of red), with the use of materials like wood and leather
- The lounge continues to have a buffet for dining, described as being a Parisian brasserie concept; you can expect a choice of dishes that are hot and cold, and sweet and savory, with a focus on French cuisine
- The lounge has a bar, with French wines and champagne, as well as spirits and cocktails prepared by a bartender
- The lounge features a dedicated space for La Premiere (first class) passengers, featuring “its own restaurant and direct access to the bar”
- The lounge also has a reserved space for Flying Blue Ultimate customers, located near the entrance
- The lounge also has shower suites available for freshening up
Below you can find some pictures that Air France has shared of the new lounge. I’m impressed by the design — Air France has done a great job with its refreshed lounges, in my opinion. Furthermore, for first class passengers, it’s nice that there’s now a dedicated area.
It’s speculation on my part, but I suspect the picture immediately above is probably the La Premiere section, while the picture above that is probably the Flying Blue Ultimate section.
For those curious, you can read my review of the lounge from 2017 here. As you can see, quite a bit has changed.
Who has access to the Air France Lounge SFO?
Who can access the Air France Lounge San Francisco? This lounge follows standard SkyTeam lounge access policies:
- It’s intended primarily for premium passengers on Air France and KLM, including first and business class passengers, as well as SkyTeam Elite Plus members traveling in other cabins
- SkyTeam business class passengers and SkyTeam Elite Plus members traveling internationally same day on other SkyTeam airlines should also get access to the lounge
On top of that, the lounge belongs to Priority Pass. While Priority Pass members can technically visit any time the lounge is open, don’t be surprised if you get turned away in the afternoons and evenings, before the Air France and KLM flights. You can also expect that the food and drink selection will probably be a bit better in the hours leading up to the Air France and KLM departures.
Bottom line
The refurbished Air France Lounge SFO has reopened, after closing several months ago. The new lounge is a bit larger, has an all-new design, and even has new amenities, including a dedicated space for first class passengers. I’m sure many SkyTeam flyers and Priority Pass members will be happy to see this lounge return as the busy summer travel season kicks off.
What do you make of the Air France Lounge SFO?
Update: they do not let in priority pass members, at least not after they reopen at 4 pm. They redirect priority pass member to the Golden Gate Lounge. Food seemed better at China Air, but there was more room and it was quieter at Golden Gate. So don’t count on having any shower access at SFO after a transpacific flight unless you time it right for the Virgin Lounge.
Attempted to access lounge around 7pm on July 8, but hostess indicated that they no longer allow Priority Pass access, during ANY time. She said published information on PP website and app are wrong.
However when I contacted PP, they stated they were not aware of this change and will investigate further.
So hoping to get clarity soon.
same. noon on 7/12 and was denied access and sent upstairs to the Golden Gate lounge which is crap.
Same here with dragon pass. 6pm on July 26...
Got an update from Priority Pass today (August 9). They reiterated:
"The Air France Lounge at SFO has been accepting our memberships."
They also added:
"The only time our members will be denied access is if the lounge has reached capacity or if an airline has pre-booked the lounge.
...
If you are denied access by the lounge staff, and they mention that they no longer with priority pass. Rather, get the lounge...
Got an update from Priority Pass today (August 9). They reiterated:
"The Air France Lounge at SFO has been accepting our memberships."
They also added:
"The only time our members will be denied access is if the lounge has reached capacity or if an airline has pre-booked the lounge.
...
If you are denied access by the lounge staff, and they mention that they no longer with priority pass. Rather, get the lounge to call us immediately."
BUT, checking the PP app and website, I now see this note added below the LOCATION section:
"PLEASE NOTE THIS LOUNGE IS TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED..."
So, I am still confused.
Latest update (August 28) from Priority Pass:
...
We have received feedback from our Lounge Team.
The Air France-KLM Lounge reaches capacity fairly quick and therefore they may need to turn our members away. As an alternative they have added the Golden Gate Lounge for members to access if there is no space in the lounge.
For that reason it states the lounge is "temporarily suspended" on our website and app.
...
I tried to enter at 10:30am this morning with Priority Pass. They told me to go upstairs and follow the signs for "Golden Gate Lounge". When I checked in there, they said I could only stay until 12:30pm because that's when the lounge is reserved for business class. I don't remember any obvious AF branding, but there was an Eiffel Tower at the check-in desk and the walls were painted with blue accents. The food...
I tried to enter at 10:30am this morning with Priority Pass. They told me to go upstairs and follow the signs for "Golden Gate Lounge". When I checked in there, they said I could only stay until 12:30pm because that's when the lounge is reserved for business class. I don't remember any obvious AF branding, but there was an Eiffel Tower at the check-in desk and the walls were painted with blue accents. The food was the same as what I remembered from the old AF lounge. So I don't know if they are taking over the contract lounge full time or maybe it's just a temporary thing and they still have more work to do in the old space.
Air France SFO Lounge is turning away priority pass customers in the morning 10:30 am.
I’m glad they finally got around to renovating this lounge. I remember seeing that it wasn’t that great in previous reviews. International lounges at SFO in general could really use some work. Too many cramped lounges and some of the airlines they have lounges for don’t make much sense (e.g. China Airlines only flies 1x daily to SFO). The fact that United’s Polaris Lounge is the best in the terminal by far says something (and...
I’m glad they finally got around to renovating this lounge. I remember seeing that it wasn’t that great in previous reviews. International lounges at SFO in general could really use some work. Too many cramped lounges and some of the airlines they have lounges for don’t make much sense (e.g. China Airlines only flies 1x daily to SFO). The fact that United’s Polaris Lounge is the best in the terminal by far says something (and even something about the design of the space in that lounge feels off when looking at the photos of it especially compared to Polaris lounges elsewhere).
New robbing location for the "socioeconomically deprived"? Actually, they might be the one robbing people with their self checkouts asking for tips LMAO what a joke.
What are you on about ?
Just looking at Priority Pass lounges for SFO...no BA Lounge, no AF, no Virgin only China Airlines and that looks very restricted. Add that no restaurant privileges through Venture X or Amex. Thanks Priority! You decimated LAX...now SFO. The West Coast lounge access has gone down the toilet!
Still listed on PP's website, though it does say it's still being renovated
https://www.prioritypass.com/lounges/usa/san-francisco-ca-intl/sfo11-air-france---klm-lounge
Even before the renovations it was one of the better lounges at SFO. Small but great food and drink selection. Should be awesome now that has been expanded.
lounges are a joke at sfo. even the polaris lounge is lame, and feels cramped, because it is narrow and long instead of wide open and spacious.
This one clearly isn’t. Beautiful design, light with windows
Lucky, they no longer accept Priority Pass regardless of hours. Was told so when I tried visiting June 17.
Good. That’s another company. Priority to their own customers.
The only good lounge for international pax at SFO is the Polaris lounge. Always packed because of it. One world options are a joke.
JAL for OneWorld is a joke, agreed. BA isn't bad, and the AA lounge in terminal 1 is actually nice for a US-based carrier.
Do you mean SkyTeam?
Has Cathay Pacific lounge not reopened? That was always the best Oneworld lounge by a country mile
Agree. The domestic lounges at SFO are too nice. Look at the Delta Sky Club for example. International lounges are subpar. I think a lot of it is that almost all the international lounges at SFO are concentrated in this one long and thin 3 story building right after security on each wing of the International Terminal. There’s somewhat limited real estate to work with. I find it dumb that JAL, Cathay Pacific, and British...
Agree. The domestic lounges at SFO are too nice. Look at the Delta Sky Club for example. International lounges are subpar. I think a lot of it is that almost all the international lounges at SFO are concentrated in this one long and thin 3 story building right after security on each wing of the International Terminal. There’s somewhat limited real estate to work with. I find it dumb that JAL, Cathay Pacific, and British Airways all have separate lounges here, each of which are cramped and just okay. And then there’s an Admirals Club in the new Terminal 1 that’s honestly oversized for the types of passengers that can get into it (SFO isn’t even a focus city or hub for AA). They should just consolidate all of them into one large Oneworld international lounge with first class and business class sections. In general the international terminal at SFO is very poorly designed.
In the last lounge, the food did not noticeably change at all before AF departures. In fact, I don't think the food noticeably has changed for several years (well before COVID, at least since 2018). In fact the lounge offering was so poor, when flying La Premiere, AF directed us to the Virgin Clubhouse instead. In the old lounge, there was a little cordoned off area, that was "reserved for fist class passengers" - when...
In the last lounge, the food did not noticeably change at all before AF departures. In fact, I don't think the food noticeably has changed for several years (well before COVID, at least since 2018). In fact the lounge offering was so poor, when flying La Premiere, AF directed us to the Virgin Clubhouse instead. In the old lounge, there was a little cordoned off area, that was "reserved for fist class passengers" - when flying Korean F - I was directed to that space. No differentiation in food or anything, just a windowless room with reserved seating. A refreshed lounge is very much welcomed!
Consider the Amex lounges. Centurion cardholders have a small roped off area but everything else is the same. SSDD.
I was going to make the same comment. I was astonished when I was escorted to the Virgin lounge when flying La Premiere. It is better that the old lounge but how embarrassing for AF!
Nice facelift, but doesn’t feel like a 25% increase in size is gonna fix that lounge’s biggest problem, which is simply that it’s unusably overcrowded. If AF starts sending La Première passengers there instead of opening the Virgin Clubhouse up for them early like they did previously, that seems like it represents a downgrade in experience…
Agreed, they need to get rid of priority pass, and have a dedicated PP lounge the size of terminal 2.
Do they still accept Priority Pass?
Maybe read the article?
Nope
As someone who had been to the old lounge probably a dozen times, I am very impressed. Can't wait to see how they actually reconfigured the space and fit in all the new features. AF must have knocked down a wall or two to open up the area.
Don’t think anyone will complain about the old NWA world club design with Fireplace being renovated with a new AF design