It’s been quite a while since we’ve been to a United lounge, so we stopped by the United Club SFO by the F Gates since it was closest to our plane.

Access to United Clubs

There are several ways to access a United Club:

• Purchasing a membership:
  • An Individual membership ($750) that only providers access for you
  • An All Access membership ($1,100-$1,400) that includes access for two adult guests or one adult plus dependent children under 18
• Having the United Club credit card ($695) that includes access for one adult plus dependent children under 18
  • Spending $50,000 on the United Club credit card unlocks All Access membership
• Fly in Star Alliance first class (includes access for one guest)
• Fly in an eligible United or Star Alliance business class flight (no guest access)
  • United Polaris class
  • United Business class on an international flight or a premium transcontinental flight
  • Star Alliance business class
• Star Alliance Gold status
  • If earned via United MileagePlus, need to travel on a same-day international flight
  • If earned via a different Star Alliance program, any United or Star Alliance flight is eligible
• Use a one-time pass to the United Club (subject to capacity controls)

Note that entry on arrival is allowed only for those with membership, have the United Club credit card, or flying in an eligible United flight (not for those on other Star Alliance flights).

On our visit to the United Club SFO F gate lounge, we gained access with the United Club credit card. We just had to scan the primary cardholder’s boarding pass and we were allowed in. This lounge is open between 5AM and midnight daily.

Food and Beverages

To start, let’s just preface this by saying we’ve been spoiled a bit by Delta Sky Clubs. It’s not necessarily just their better lounges (like at LAX) but even the generic Delta lounge (like at IND) offers decent selection.

We arrived at the airport in the morning, so we got to see the breakfast service. What was there? Well, for hot items, you can choose between scrambled eggs and biscuits.

There’s also a different heating station that also included sausages. As evidenced by the picture below, staff simply could not restock the food fast enough.

Sadly, that’s it for the hot items. Cold options include bread, bagels, and muffins.

And a build-your-own yogurt bar, which only had yogurt, granola, raisins, and cranberries. If you prefer hard-boiled eggs, you’ll find them here as well. And if you’re a fan of guacamole for your toast, there is some here.

There’s not many fruits or vegetables to choose from.

Drinks

There is a bar in the United Club SFO by the F gates, but it can get a bit busy (even in the morning). There was a small wait to get a mimosa as the bartender seemed a bit overwhelmed with the crowds.

You’ll find the list of complimentary drinks, which includes a small selection of domestic beer (and Modelo). If you need a jolt of energy, you can get Red Bull from the bar too.

If you don’t want the alcoholic drinks, you’ll find some juice (orange, apple, and grapefruit) and illy coffee.

There’s also a Coca-Cola machine. Personally, I don’t care much for these machines. I know that they can mix in your choice of flavoring, but the flavors are always too strong and dominate the drink. Maybe I’m the only one who feels this way?

And there is a coffee machine, if you want something other than the pre-brewed stuff.

Seating

There is a lot of seating in the United Club SFO lounge by the F gates, but there’s a big problem. It’s not enough! We saw significant crowding in the lounge on a Sunday morning and that made it impossible for us to find a big enough space for the four of us.

The best we could do was find a pair of seats for the kids and we just hovered near them. There are plenty of people just hovering around in the area, waiting for others to leave. And when someone does leave, the seats are taken immediately. It’s a very inconvenient setup.

Unfortunately, there’s not much of a view from the lounge. While there is plenty of natural lighting, the problem is that you’re effectively looking right at a wall throughout the lounge.

Amenities

Let’s loosely call this an amenity, but there are cubbies for you to store your bags while at the lounge. No one else was using it, so we stuck our bags there. That at least hopefully meant no one would bump into us as we hovered by the kids.

And another semi-amenity is this robot, that moved to set areas in the lounge for guests to place their used plates. The kids enjoyed watching it come by and move around the lounge. It did seem to get in the way of other guests walking by as they seemed confused by the path it took.

Aside from magazines that you can use while in the lounge and a desk to help with rebooking, there’s not much else here.

Artwork

There is some artwork you’ll find in the lounge to hint that you’re in San Francisco. On the long entranceway to the front desk, you’ll find quite a few black and white pictures of the city.

There’s also a neat model ship by the front desk. Of course, I was more interested in it than the kids were since it wasn’t interactive.

We actually preferred not to be in the lounge…

Due in large part to the massive overcrowding in this United Club SFO lounge, we were uncomfortable during the entire visit. Once the kids ate their food (bananas and sausage), we pretty much called it for staying in the lounge. It brings up a question of what makes an airport lounge good, but not feeling like sardines is an important aspect.

United has already narrowed the rules this year to enter their United Clubs, but let’s be real–it’s not going to significantly help. Raising the price of membership from high to higher isn’t going to steer that many people away. All it does is continue to encourage people to choose their credit card as they can argue holding it now gives a greater value. It’s just a marketing ploy.

Would removing family access significantly help? I’d argue no–or at least not on our visit. There were very few families in the lounge and many tables were occupied by a single traveler or a couple. Rather, I think United just needs to invest in their lounges a bit more, especially at their hubs. That would improve both the seating and the lack of food (both quantity and quality).

Have you been to the United Club SFO by the F gates? Is there a better United Club at SFO you’d recommend?

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