First look at the new British Airways lounge at San Francisco International Airport

British Airways has re-opened its lounge in San Francisco with a brand new look.

Late last year we reported that British Airways had closed its lounge at San Francisco airport for ‘construction’.  At the time it was unclear if this meant a full refurbishment as we saw in at Rome, Aberdeen and, more recently, the lounges at New York JFK.

The good news is that this refurbishment looks like it has been done to the same standard as the Rome and Aberdeen lounges (Aberdeen is reviewed here) which are a big improvement on the old lounges.

The general consensus is that the new JFK lounge, only recently re-opened, is disappointing in comparison.  Rob recently had a look in on his trip to New York and said that it did feel rather soulless – we will be posting a full review very soon.

Whatever happened with the JFK lounge seems to have been a one-off, though, because the new British Airways lounge at San Francisco International Airport looks rather good from the photos that have been released.

The bad news is that the showers and the dedicated First lounge have been removed.

Click any photo to enlarge:

Although there were rumours a few years ago that British Airways might add in an extra floor for additional capacity, the lounge appears to have the same footprint as before – 655 square meters or around 7,000 square feet.

There are a range of seating areas. British Airways says a minimum of 80% have access to power sockets:

The lounge has the familiar new granite bar design used in other recent refurbishments – see top image.

There are floor-to-ceiling windows offering excellent views of the tarmac. You will be able to see your own aircraft on the stand and the lounge offers direct boarding:

Instead of a separate First / Gold card lounge, you have a new dining area for passengers travelling in First.  Like the Concorde Rooms at New York JFK and Heathrow, this looks like it is only open to ticketed First passengers and not BA Gold card / oneworld Emerald holders:

It is a proper dining room with nine tables offering a full meal service.  Here is a sample menu:

Selection from the Charcuterie Board

Busseto Prosciutto, Chorizo El Ray, Olli Salumeria Salame,
Columbus Coppa

Mitica Drunken Goat, Esperanza Manchego, Don Juan Mahon

Served with Marcona Almonds, Marinated Olives, Cornichons, Sourdough Toast and Fallot Grain Mustard

Soup

Garden Vegetable, Lemon Orzo Chicken

Entrees

Seafood Cioppino with Shrimp, Scallops, Sea Bass, Haricot Vert and Rouille

Rigatoni with Heirloom Cherry Tomato Sauce, Ricotta and Parmesa

Add Grilled Chicken, Shrimp or Scallops

Mezze Plate: Mini Vine Roasted Peppers, Grilled Local Shiitake Mushrooms, Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes, Hummus Warm Pita

Dessert

Blackberry Granola Yogurt Parfait

Cheese board

Laura Chenel, Goat Cheese, Sonoma County CA; Bellwether Farms Point Reyes Blue Cheese, San Andreas CA

Served with Fresh Pita Crisps, Fig Spread

Conclusion

On the whole it looks like the refurbishment of the British Airways Club lounge at San Francisco International Airport offers some welcome improvements and brings it in line with the new lounge concept.  The addition of the dining room for First class passengers is a fair trade off for the loss of the separate First lounge.

Somebody in the BA PR department had a good idea and decided to do a 360 Google Street View style tour of the lounge, which you can view here. It gives a very good sense of the space as it looks in real life, without fancy lighting or a professional photographer.

Johannesburg and Geneva are the next two lounges to receive a facelift, with both currently closed for a lengthy renovation.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 30,000 Avios. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 80,000 Avios! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

Huge 80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th December 2024, there are EXCLUSIVE sign-up offers for our readers on the two Capital on Tap small business Visa cards. You can earn 20,000 points on the Business Rewards card and 30,000 points on the new Pro card. Click here to apply.

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

20,000 points (ONLY TO 9TH DECEMBER) Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

30,000 points (TO 9TH DECEMBER) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.