Priority Pass Lounges SFO Guide (Domestic, Restaurants, KLM) [2021]

SFO is home to two Priority Pass airport lounges and two restaurants.

But how do you find these lounges/restaurants and which terminals are they located in?

This article will tell you how to get to these Priority Pass SFO lounges and what to expect when you get there when it comes to things like food, drinks, showers, crowds, etc.. I’ll cover the Air France/KLM Lounge, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, the Giants Club House, and the Yankee Pier and also show how to connect to the domestic and international terminals.

Interested in finding out the top travel credit cards for this month? Click here to check them out!

What Priority Pass lounges are at SFO?

There is one Priority Pass lounge at SFO and three restaurants.

• Air France/KLM Lounge — International Terminal
• Lark Creek Grill — Terminal 2
• San Francisco Giants Clubhouse — Terminal 3 
• Yankee Pier — Terminal 3 

How to get Priority Pass

You can get Priority Pass by purchasing a club membership but I always recommend considering credit cards that offer you a Priority Pass Select membership.

These cards would be cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Platinum Card from American Express. Those cards do come with higher fees so you might want to think about credit cards with lower annual fees that offer Priority Pass like the Hilton Ascend card, which offers you 10 free lounge visits every year.

If you don’t normally spend a lot of time visiting airports and traveling, then 10 lounge visits is more than enough for you and you’ll benefit from the lower annual fee.

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

SFO terminals

You can connect to all of the different terminals pretty easily with the AirTran but note that there’s currently a lot of construction going on which could make things a little complicated. Many of the terminals cannot be reached when traveling airside so you might have to re-enter security when going between terminals. Given the ongoing construction, my advice is to do specific search inquiries for the terminals you’d like to connect with.

Here’s a helpful FlyerTalk thread on SFO airside terminal connections.

You should be able to clear security in any terminal in SFO with a valid boarding pass departing that day. You might get some push back from the TSA agents but if you explain to them that you’re trying to access a lounge, they should let you get through.

Check here for more information.

Harvey Milk Terminal 1

American Airlines

American Airlines is located in Terminal 1, Boarding Area B.

jetBlue

JetBlue is located in Harvey Milk Terminal 1, Boarding Area B.

Southwest

Southwest Airlines is located in Harvey Milk Terminal 1, Boarding Area B.

Terminal 2

Alaska

Alaska Airlines is located in Terminal 2, Boarding Area D and the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.  Please view the website for up-to-date information.

Delta

Delta Air Lines domestic flights are located in Terminal 2, Boarding Area C and D.

Terminal 3

United (Domestic)

United Airlines domestic flights are located in Terminal 3, Boarding Area E and Boarding Area F.

International Terminal A

AeroMexico

AeroMexico is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

Air France

Air France is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

Alaska

Alaska Airlines is located in Terminal 2, Boarding Area D and the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.  Please view the website for up-to-date information.

Avianca

Avianca is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

British Airways

British Airways is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

China Airlines

China Airlines is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

China Eastern

China Eastern is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

China Southern

China Southern is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

EL AL

N/A

Emirates

Emirates is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

EVA AIR

EVA AIR is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

Finnair (Seasonal)

Finnair is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

Frenchbee

N/A

Frontier

Frontier Airlines is located in International Terminal G.

Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

Iberia (Seasonal)

Iberia is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

KLM

KLM is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

Korean Air

Korean Air is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

Level

Level is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

Philippine Airlines

Philippine Airlines is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

Qantas

Qantas is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

Qatar Airways

N/A

Sun Country

Sun Country Airlines is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic flights are located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

WestJet

N/A

International Terminal G

Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

Air Canada

Air Canada operates from the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

Air China

Air China is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

Air India

Air India is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

ANA

ANA is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

Asiana

Asiana is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

Copa Airlines

Copa Airlines is located in the International Terminal Boarding Area G.

EL AL

N/A

EVA AIR

EVA AIR is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

Fiji Airways

Fiji Airways is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

Frenchbee

N/A

Lufthansa

Lufthansa is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

SAS

SAS is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

Swiss International Air Lines

Swiss International Air Lines flights are located in the International Terminal Boarding Area G.

TAP Air Portugal

N/A

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines is located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

United (International)

United Airlines international flights are located in the International Terminal, Boarding Area G.

You can search for specific lounges and airlines here. Locations are accurate as of October 2021.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Air France/KLM Lounge — International Terminal

Hours

• Mon, Tue, Sat: 7:30am to 4:30pm
• Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun: 7:30am to 4:30pm & 6:45pm to 12:00am midnight
• Hours may vary according to flight schedules

Location

• Airside – Concourse A, Level 3. Take the first left after the TSA Checkpoint and the lounge is located straight ahead

Conditions

• Maximum 3 hour stay
• Children under 2 years are admitted free
• Alcoholic drinks are only available to passengers 21 years of age or older

The Air France/KLM Lounge is a pretty basic Priority Pass lounge. It’s decently spacious with great views of the tarmac and lots of seating (although not a lot of privacy). The lounge can get crowded at times and outlets aren’t very easy to come by, so during peak times it can be a bit of a frustrating lounge visit.

There’s a special area for first class passengers though it appears it’s often used by other passengers.

The lounge offers a nicely stocked bar with a nice selection of spirits, as well as wine and beer. You’ll also find hot food items like pasta, rice, soup, etc. and things like salads and sandwiches along with some basic snacks like pretzels, cookies, etc. For a Priority Pass lounge, the food selection is mostly satisfactory and is one of the stronger features of the lounge.

There are no showers in this lounge.

Lark Creek Grill — Terminal 2

Hours

• Daily: 5:00am to 10:00pm
• Cardholders will not be admitted into the lounge outside these hours

Location

• Airside – after Security, proceed straight ahead and the restaurant is located on the right hand side. Domestic flights only

Conditions

• Cardholders can use their lounge visit entitlement to receive US$28 off the bill
• Each US$28 deduction represents a single lounge visit
• If a Cardholder registers 1 Guest they will receive $28 USD off their bill which will be charged as 1 Cardholder visit + 1 Guest visit on their account
• Only 1 Card per visit per Cardholder will be accepted and at point of registration
• The US$28 is valid for the purchase of any meal and/or drinks
• To be eligible, Cardholders must present a valid Card and Boarding Pass with confirmed same-day travel before placing an order
• Cardholder is responsible for the balance if total final bill exceeds US$28 per person. Any remaining balance cannot be used towards gratuity

San Francisco Giants Clubhouse — Terminal 3

Hours

• Daily: 5:30am to 11:00pm

Location

• Airside – after Security, Concourse F, near Gate F13

Conditions

• Cardholders can use their lounge visit entitlement to receive $28 USD off the bill
• Each $28 deduction represents a single lounge visit
• If a Cardholder registers 1 Guest they will receive $56 USD off their bill which will be charged as 1 Cardholder visit + 1 Guest visit on their account
• Only 1 membership card per visit per Cardholder will be accepted at point of entry
• The US$28 is valid for purchase of any meal and/or drinks
• To be eligible, Cardholders must present a Valid Card and Boarding Pass with confirmed same-day travel before placing an order
• Cardholder is responsible for balance if total final bill exceeds US$28 per person. Any remaining balance cannot be used towards gratuity

The restaurant only received 2 stars out of 5 stars on Yelp, so there’s been a lot of unhappy customers. However, plenty of others have enjoyed their food at the dining establishment. I think that if you’re getting $28 worth of free food, it’s a bit hard to complain and you should be able to find something you like as there are plenty of sandwiches, burgers, and other food items well under $28.

You can view the menu here. 

Yankee Pier — Terminal 3

Hours

• Daily: 5:30am to 10:00pm

Location

• Airside – Concourse F, near Gate F4

Conditions

• Cardholders can use their lounge visit entitlement to receive $28 USD off the bill.
• Each $28 deduction represents a single lounge visit
• If a Cardholder registers 1 Guest they will receive $56 USD off their bill which will be charged as 1 Cardholder visit + 1 Guest visit on their account.
• Only 1 membership card per visit per Cardholder will be accepted at point of entry.
•  The US$28 is valid for purchase of any meal and/or drinks.
• To be eligible, Cardholders must present a Valid Card and Boarding Pass with confirmed same-day travel before placing an order.
• Cardholder is responsible for balance if total final bill exceeds US$28 per person. Any remaining balance cannot be used towards gratuity.

Yankee Pier serves seafood, clam chowder, lobster and crab and has a full bar. It’s got better online reviews than the Giant’s Clubhouse so you might want to give it a shot if you’re a bit of a picky eater.

Final word

SFO has two true Priority Pass lounges and two restaurants. With only two lounges and limited airside connections, it can be a little bit of a headache to visit the Air France Lounge, especially since there are also often restrictions on Priority Pass members. However, the Air France lounge isn’t that bad and at least there are some options for grabbing some grub in some of the other terminals.

Cover Photo by Gregory Varnum via Flickr.