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Raft of new perks for elite flyers at SFO

Walking in to United's exclusive new Global Services/First check in lounge at SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Looking through the frosted glass at United’s exclusive new Global Services/First check in lounge at SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Elite flyers at San Francisco International are in for a few new treats this month.

On Wednesday morning, United opens a new dedicated United Global Services/Global First check in lounge and Premier Check in area in near Door 5 at  Terminal 3. (Other such Global Services lounges are located at Chicago O’Hare and Newark Liberty)

At the same time, American Express is preparing for an early November reveal of its much anticipated Centurion Lounge, located on the mezzanine level at the far west end of Terminal 3 near the International Terminal. (Currently there are Centurion lounges in Dallas, Las Vegas and New York La Guardia airports.)

I took a stroll through Terminal 3 this week and here’s what I saw and heard.

First, starting Wednesday, all United Premier flyers will enter security through a new dedicated check in and security area located near Door 3 at the EASTERN end of Terminal 3. This is also the new PreCheck line. The Premier check in area at the west end of Terminal 3 is now for non-Premier passengers.

Here’s a photo of the new Premier check in area:

United's brand new Premier Check in area in SFO Terminal 3 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

United’s brand new Premier Check in area in SFO Terminal 3 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Now here’s a photo of the new Premier security entry point– note the frosted glass door where Global Services/Global First passengers enter from the corridor and exit into security.

United's new Premier Security line- see the Global Services lounge behind the frosted glass? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

United’s new Premier Security line- see the Global Services lounge behind the frosted glass? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Now, let’s take a 360 degree look at the new United Global Services check in lounge in the video below. This is where Global Services and Global First passengers will enter the security screening area via two sets of frosted glass doors.

First, they enter the lounge where there are five check in podiums flanked my a huge photo of downtown San Francisco, a twinkly chandelier, four mod chairs and a coffee table. They walk in the door, flash their ID and boarding pass, the continue on through another frosted glass door into the front of the line of the security screening area located adjacent to the lounge.

The door is positioned so these passengers will be able to break into the front of either the PreCheck and regular security lines. Now that’s exclusive!

Just behind the Global Services lounge (airside) is a dedicated passageway to the ramp below the terminal where United’s fleet of two brand new 2015 silver Mercedes GL 350 BlueTec SUVs can whisk passengers who are late for their flights. (The new 2015 models in go into service this week.)

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Now let’s move on to the new American Express Centurion Lounge, which has been shrouded in secrecy, but a few details are emerging (most  of which have not been confirmed by American Express).

The AMEX Centurion Lounge is above the T3 security checkpoint behind the glass (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The AMEX Centurion Lounge is above the T3 security checkpoint behind the glass (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

>The lounge is located on the mezzanine level above the (now old) Premier Check security lines on the western end of Terminal 3.

>It is expected to open the first week of November.

>Access to the lounge will be airside only, which means that it only makes sense for those departing United’s Terminal 3 or the adjacent Boarding Area G of the International Terminal.

>The lounge is open to American Express Platinum and Centurion card holders. American Express cardholders who do not have Platinum or Centurion cards can get in by paying a $50 fee, and admittance is subject to lounge capacity.

Amex Platinum

These are the only Platinum cards that will get you in the Centurion Lounge door for free. All other AMEX cards must pay a $50 fee.

>Access to the lounge will be via a glass elevator across from gates 74 and 75.

Expect to see a "living wall" like this one in Las Vegas at SFO's new Centurion Lounge (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Expect to see a “living wall” like this one in Las Vegas at SFO’s new Centurion Lounge opening in November(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

>The design of the SFO lounge will be similar to the lounge at Las Vegas, with a large “living wall,” rich wood paneling and modern furnishings. There will be a bar as well as different areas for working, socializing, and tranquility. There are restrooms and a shower room.

>Windows on either side of the lounge will look out into Terminal 3, not out onto the tarmac.

>The lounge will provide a hot buffet created by Christopher Kostow, the chef at Michelin Three Starred The Restaurant at Meadowood. 

That’s it for now! Are you one of the lucky ones who will get to enjoy these new perks, or perhaps has enjoyed them at other airports? Please leave your comments below.

-Chris McGinnis

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Comments

  1. That was definitely not my experience when I used the new line Monday morning. Pre-check had its own line and scanner.

  5. When they can finally do a Global First Checkin Lounge for International – THAT would be awesome, since the Int’l Security line can be horrid (between 9am-12pm). I noticed Singapore Airlines have been doing this at Changi Airport…their PPS Solitaire (I guess equivalent of 1K or UGS on United?) checks in at the lounge, drop off their luggage etc, kick back and have a drink…and on the other side of the lounge is a dedicated Immigration/passport control desk (so no waiting with the commoners =)).

  6. Darn, I missed that United check in and Mercedes at SFO lack week for
    my first class ticket (purchased) on United. That would have totally made up for the poor
    service, lack of entertainment system on the newly updated United plane, poor wifi,
    and a blanket from 2005 with no pillow. Good to see United is improving in its
    service where it counts.

  8. Chris, thanks for the pictures. So passengers flying Global First out of Terminal G can use the GS/GF check in lounge?

  11. How in the world do you know if your Amex card is valid for this Club? Their website just seems to suggest any Amex card works but there’s no way that’s true!

  15. The new precheck line is not an improvement. There was a longer line than the non pre-check line in this area. Airport security obliviously does not prioritize the pre-check line and important to note they redirected me to the non-precheck counter because they didn’t have a smartphone scanner at the pre-check line.

  17. I hope they open the Centurion lounge soon…headed to NY on Nov 6th. I really enjoyed the Las Vegas location and hope this is just as good or better. Will send pics in case it is open by then.

  20. Just in time for SFO to become my home airport next week. United 1K and Amex Platinum cardholder. Mega score.

  21. Thanks for the info Chris. Hopefully the Centurion Lounge opens before Thanksgiving as I am flying into SFO on United so it works for that time but having it post security in T3 is gonna bite due to SFO’s layout listed above. I don’t like flying on UA to SFO much due to them using RJ’s a lot from the middle of the country. I think pre security like LGA would’ve made more sense.

  22. Thanks, Chris, I think your new wording is fair. It’s unfortunate that SFO’s layout means they couldn’t find an inter-terminal option. They put the lounge pre-security in LGA for this very reason, and DFW and LAS are well-connected by comparison.

    I still plan on trying it out for a future AA flight, I’ll just get to the airport even earlier. 😉

  24. Chris – do you have a citation for the assertion that only United travelers will gain access to the Centurion Lounge? As a rule of thumb, TSA doesn’t care that you go through the wrong security checkpoint — as long as you have a valid boarding pass for day of travel and a matching ID, you can enter any.

    Admittedly, it’s a fairly time-consuming affair if you’re flying an airline out of another terminal, but if you have e.g. PreCheck and are flying out of T2 it’s not that bad a strategy if you have time.

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