Review: United Global First Lounge San Francisco Airport

By: Ben Schlappig

Published: August 2, 2017

20 comments

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My flight from Los Angeles arrived at Terminal 3 at around 10AM, so upon arrival I walked over to International Terminal G, where Star Alliance international flights depart from.

International Terminal G at SFO

One of the things I love about walking from Terminal 3 to International Terminal G is the line-up of heavy aircraft you have a great view of. In this case there was also an Air Canada A321 in the new livery, which looks stunning in person — it’s like the plane is wearing sunglasses.

Air Canada A321 at San Francisco Airport

A view of the Singapore A350 flying nonstop to Singapore doesn’t suck either!

Singapore Airlines A350 San Francisco Airport

I walked towards the end of the concourse to the United Global First Lounge, which I had access to on account of my Air China first class ticket. The Global First Lounge is located between gates 98 and 100.

A couple of months ago I reviewed the United Club San Francisco Airport, prior to my United 777-300ER Polaris flight to Hong Kong. The lounge is presently under construction and is pretty terrible, so I was happy to have access to a better lounge this time around.

Keep in mind that United will eventually close the Global First Lounge. That’s not just because they’re eliminating Global First as of next year, but also because they’re hopefully opening the Polaris Lounge early next year, which should feature a la carte dining.

United Global First Lounge entrance San Francisco Airport

The associate informed me that my Air China flight was delayed, and that they don’t make boarding announcements in the lounge. I already knew it would be delayed before I left LAX, given that the flight departed Beijing several hours late.

The main part of the Global First Lounge is located one level below the concourse, and can be accessed either by elevator or stairs. At the bottom of the stairs and to the left is a desk where agents are available if you need any help rebooking.

United Global First Lounge San Francisco Airport

Past that is the lounge itself, which is reasonably nice. The decor sort of reminds me of what you’d expect in the lobby of a solid four star hotel in Florida, but I guess that’s not really an insult for an airline lounge. 😉

Inside the entrance is one large room with a pretty traditional design.

United Global First Lounge seating San Francisco Airport

To the side of that is a smaller private section with about a dozen chairs, which feels a bit like a cave.

United Global First Lounge seating San Francisco Airport

And then past the main room is another room with the buffet and some dining tables.

United Global First Lounge dining area San Francisco Airport

There are dining tables near the TV, and then also along a bench near the buffet.

United Global First Lounge dining area San Francisco Airport

Along the windows on that side are a few more seats, as well as a selection of magazines and newspapers.

United Global First Lounge seating San Francisco Airport

United Global First Lounge magazines & newspapers San Francisco Airport

The lounge has views of the nearby gates, though there are blinds throughout the lounge that make it tough to actually look outside.

United Global First Lounge view San Francisco Airport

In terms of drinks, there was an extensive selection of self serve liquor.

United Global First Lounge drink selection San Francisco Airport

Then there were two “towers” with United’s signature nuts (which are pretty tasty), along with Moet & Chandon, which is a solid champagne for a lounge.

United Global First Lounge nuts & champagne San Francisco Airport

There was also a selection of wine, as well as plenty of soft drinks.

United Global First Lounge wine selection San Francisco Airport

United Global First Lounge drink selection San Francisco Airport

Then there was an Illy coffe machine.

United Global First Lounge coffee machine San Francisco Airport

When I first arrived breakfast was still being served, which included whole fruit, sliced fruit, oatmeal, toast, cake, cold cuts, cheese, cereal, cookies, and breakfast sandwiches.

United Global First Lounge breakfast selection San Francisco Airport

United Global First Lounge breakfast selection SFO

On top of that there were a few hot options, including scrambled eggs, chicken teriyaki, potato hash, etc.

United Global First Lounge breakfast selection SFO

At 10:30AM the breakfast selection got swapped out for lunch.

United Global First Lounge buffet SFO

Lunch consisted of cheese, a few hors d’oeuvre, sushi, chicken sliders, salad, fresh fruit, soup, etc.

United Global First Lounge lunch selection SFO

Then in the other section were a few hot options, including egg rolls, stir fry, chicken teriyaki, etc.

United Global First Lounge lunch selection SFO

I spent several hours working in the lounge, and eventually requested a shower room, which was immediately available. The lounge has a few shower rooms, and they’re fairly basic. The shower room itself was nice enough, though it didn’t have a toilet, which I found a bit annoying.

United Global First Lounge shower room SFO

The biggest issue is that the water in the shower never really got hot, which was super annoying.

United Global First Lounge shower room SFO

The lounge had Cowshed toiletries as well as slippers, which are at least pretty decent.

United Global First Lounge shower amenities SFO

Due to the delay my flight was scheduled to depart at 4PM, with boarding scheduled for 3:25PM. So I decided to head down to gate G99 at around 3PM. Enroute I saw a United 787 pushing back from the gate.

United 787 SFO

Gate G99 is at the far end of the concourse, and the Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt was departing at around the same time from the gate right next door.

Walking to departure gate SFO

The one downside to gate G99 is that there’s no view of the actual plane, which is a real shame given how beautiful the 747-8 is.

Air China departure gate SFO

The crew arrived just moments after I did, though they weren’t allowed to board until 3:20PM. Finally at 3:45PM boarding began, starting with first and business class. I couldn’t wait to try Air China first class, and to check the last 747-8 off my list!

United Global First Lounge San Francisco bottom line

Overall the United Global First Lounge was a significant improvement over the United Club, which is a mess at the moment. However, this really isn’t competitive as far as international first class lounges go. Now that the Polaris Lounge in San Francisco is open, the Global First Lounge has finally closed. Thankfully, the Polaris Lounge is one of the best airport lounges available to long-haul business class passengers here in the US!

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Phil Guest

January 13, 2018, 7:45 pm

I was flying first class with United though SFO and was directed to this lounge. It was full to the brim and not one seat was available - except the quiet room which is now only for Global Services. When I enquiried as to where I should sit I was pointed to the eating area. I then asked if I could use the global services area (as 11 of the 12 were free) and I was abruptly denied. United if you want to have a business and first (but-not-really-first) you have to provide a difference in service.

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Dennis Guest

January 9, 2018, 11:36 pm

I flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong last year with economy ticket, but I got two passes from Chase Credit Card, so want to try the airport lounge there. First when I went to the one nearby the gate I broad, they said I can't access to that lounge, they showed me another lounge that I can asses which is about 10-15 mins walk from International terminal to domestic terminal. The United Club there is OK, just the foods they provided is like a cheap buffet compared to that pictures in Global First Lounge. On the way from Hong Kong, I used another pass to the United Club in Hong Kong, which is much much better. Quite similar services as the Global First Lounge. I want to say why does United Airlines to serve the passengers club access different way?

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Lukas W Guest

January 7, 2018, 9:46 pm

As of January 2018, this “First Class” Lounge now seems to be used for both business, first and all the status card holders therefore it is an absolute joke and disgrace. On Sunday at 7pm there is not a seat left even if you are flying first class. Another disappointing experience with United. This airline (compared to top European and Asian ones) is a complete embarrassment.

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Evan Guest

November 5, 2017, 10:51 am

Thanks for the review. I used this lounge prior to my UA1 flight to Singapore last week (late October), and the pics are up-to-date. I was there from 8:30pm-10:30pm and the only thing that differed was there were fewer dishes to choose from when I was there (maybe because it was past dinner time). I found the liquor section a notch better than most lounges, in terms of the selection of alcohol (several types of whisky, one Tequila, several red and white wines, 1 champagne etc). I understand this lounge also caters to other First and Business class passengers on Star Alliance as both the Singapore Airlines and EVA lounges next to the future Polaris lounge are closed. This means the lounge is more crowded than usual, as was the case during my visit (the chairs & tables near the food were fully-occupied, but the couches and seats further away weren't). All in all, it's much better than a United Club, but at least a notch below the better airline lounges.

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Evan Guest

August 9, 2017, 10:09 am

VX_Flier: Read title - it's united Global First loounge, not regular United Club (United Club at SFO is bad, IMHO at least a step below AA Admiral clubs). Thanks Happy. It looks better than the United Club at SFO, but only barely (having showers and more food selection than United Club). I hope they upgrade this lounge after they're done with polaris upgrade at the United Club + SQ lounge.

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