San Francisco International Airport is one of the most important airports in the United States. SFO serves many International flights to Asia and domestic routes that connect San Francisco with the rest of the country. Delta Airlines has a small presence in the San Francisco Airport, and maintains one airport business lounge.
Here is our review of the Delta Sky Club San Francisco.
San Francisco International Airport layout
San Francisco International Airport is one of the busiest airports on the West Coast. It has five separate terminals: two international terminals (Terminal A and Terminal G), and three domestic Airport Terminals – 1, 2, and 3.
If you have been to San Francisco International Airport, you will understand the inconvenience of their decision not to connect each of the five terminals inside security airside.
It is simply not a great airport for transiting and continuing on with connections. The terminals are separated by different enclosed systems, including having their own TSA security gates.
That means that you will only be able to visit one (or two connected) terminals per TSA security clearance.
You won’t be able to visit other terminals without exiting and reentering the secured area.
The Gates at San Francisco Airport follow this sequence:
- International Terminal A – Gates A1-A12
- T1 – Gates 20-48
- T2 – Gates 50-59
- T3 – Gates 60-90
- International Terminal G – Gates G91-G102
The terminal you’re in is mostly determined by the airline you use. Check your boarding pass for the proper gate and terminal. Do not assume you can go to any terminal and get to your departure gate.
You probably can’t.
Delta Sky Club SFO Location
Delta Airlines occupies Terminal 1 in the San Francisco International Airport. The Delta Sky Club San Francisco is near Gate 41 on Concourse C.
By default, you will fly with Delta Airlines in order to have an access to the Delta Sky Club SFO Terminal 1.
If this is the case, you don’t have to worry about flying out from a different terminal.
Accessing Delta Sky Club San Francisco
Rules on Delta Sky Club access are the same everywhere in all Delta airport lounges.
Certain American Express Card memberships, as well as Delta Elite Status and Diamond Medallion members, gets you access to Delta Sky Club San Francisco.
If you fly as a Delta One and SkyTeam Premium Cabin passengers, you can also use this convenient lounge.
However, if you don’t have status or complimentary access, you can purchase the Delta Sky Club day pass for $59 at the front desk.
Certain Amex credit cards will allow additional guests either for free or at a discounted rate of $29.
The Delta Sky Club staff can assist you if you have any questions.
Another approach is to get a Delta Sky Club membership. There are two options for the membership: Executive Membership and Individual Membership. Annual costs are $745 and $495 respectively.
You can pay in full or in monthly installments of $65/$45 for the year.
If you prefer to do so, you can use SkyMiles to pay the fee: 70,000/47,000 miles will do it. You can find the exact rules to sign up at the official Delta Sky Club page here.
If you own the American Express Platinum card, you are also welcome to use this lounge as long as you have a same-day Delta boarding pass. You can use our referral link to apply for your Amex Platinum credit card.
Delta Sky Club SFO Layout
The check-in desk is on the first floor right after the main entrance. The staff will scan your boarding pass, as well as associated credit cards (Amex Delta Reserve or Amex Platinum cards) or the Delta Sky Club membership to verify your Delta Sky Club access.
The main lounge area is above Terminal 1. Both stairs and elevators connect the main entrance to the main space on the second floor. As soon as you step into the second floor, the whole lounge opens with floor to ceiling windows.
Aviator geeks rejoice: you can watch the busy tarmac from here.
With more than 9,000 square feet of space, Delta Sky Club San Francisco feels very open. Plenty of natural lights spills in from the huge windows.
At times, the white marble seems to shine inside and you may need to put on your sunglasses!
Delta Sky Club San Francisco Seating
Delta Sky Club SFO is basically one huge room. Several privacy screens divide the area into smaller rooms.
Almost immediately, you can spot the beverage bar on your left. There are bar seating options, which is a great place to strike up a conversation with the friendly bartender.
Right in front of the bar, you can find long communal tables with tall chairs.
There are a few seating options throughout the lounge. The majority of this is individual sofas with small tables (and plenty of electrical outlets) in the middle of the lounge.
Tall tables and chairs line the back perimeter of the lounge. Many of these face out towards the planes and tarmac – they are perfect for plane watching.
Workstations and more big tables are in the back. There are several small group seats scattered throughout the lounge. My favorite is the one right on top of the stairs at the entrance.
Although it is a high traffic area, it is enjoyable to actually find my own corner!
Food & Drink at the SFO Delta Sky Club
At the bar, you can ask for complimentary beer on draft, which is surprisingly very limited. You can browse through the Bar menu to see specific brand and origin of the beers and wine. Some of these will require an additional fee (or SkyMiles).
The list includes bottled beer (domestic and imported), such as Corona, Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Blue Moon Belgian White and Stella Artois for $4 or 200 miles.
For cocktails, Delta features a complimentary cocktail that you can get. They also have a menu of craft cocktails you can choose from for $10 or 500 miles.
Being so close to the world-famous wineries in Napa Valley, Delta Sky Club in San Francisco Airport made an investment in their wine program with Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson.
You can purchase a bottle of red, white, and bubbly for a specific dollar or Delta miles amount.
Prices range from $14 or 700 miles for a bottle of Moet et Chandon Brut Imperial NV Champagne to $80 or 4000 miles for a Laurent Perrier La Cuvee Rose.
Amenities at the Delta Sky Club San Francisco
Member and Concierge Service
There is a dedicated desk inside the San Francisco Delta airport lounge for member and concierge service. The staff can assist you with any Delta related issue, including rescheduling or booking your subsequent flights.
This service is very handy if your Delta flights get delayed, which sometimes happens due to San Francisco’s bad weather.
They also can answer travel related questions about things to do in the Bay area and its surroundings.
Work Stations
There are desks for setting up your work laptop, if needed. The office chairs are comfortable and there is plenty of sunlight to brighten up the whole room.
Low partition walls between stations makes them semi private.
Showers and Restrooms
There are two showers in the Delta Sky Club San Francisco. To use one, ask the concierge staff to put your name on the list. They will give you a buzzer to call you whenever the shower stall is ready to use.
The showers are clean and include plush Heavenly Bath towels, which are standard Westin Hotels towels.
Delta Sky Clubs uses one of my favorite bathroom products from Malin+Goetz of New York – Peppermint Shampoo, Cilantro Hair Conditioner, and Sage Body Wash.
Restrooms are spacious, and clean.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is available. The password changes at Delta Sky Clubs every couple of weeks. The staff will let you know the password when you check in, but you can find the password posted everywhere throughout the lounge.
The connection is reliable and fast.
Delta Sky Clubs art installations
Delta Airlines has revamped many of its airport lounges with an art gallery theme to highlight mostly local artists. Here at the Delta Sky Club in San Francisco, a San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge photography collage is displayed at the back wall.
My favorite is the oil on canvas by Alexi Torres featuring Amelia Earhart, an aviation hero.
Things to know
Delta Sky Club SFO Hours
Hours for Delta Sky Club San Francisco are 5 AM to midnight.
Busy Airport Lounge
Delta Sky Club SFO can be a busy place. While it was not busy when I visited on a Sunday afternoon (there were plenty of empty seats), there was a feel of the hectic morning rush throughout the lounge.
I found stacks of dirty plates and glasses in corners, and at times, food was not kept up on the bar.
I had to wait at the concierge desk for about twenty minutes and another forty minutes for a shower.
It is worth mentioning that every staff I’ve seen was busy. Even the staff who checked me in at the front desk, as well as at the concierge desk came down to sweep up the dirty plates from the main lounge area!
Tip or not to tip
While this is a usual thing for American travelers to tip almost everybody who serves them, there are some confusions for others. Generally speaking, you should tip the bartender $1 per drink.
If you like, you can also tip the shower attendant.
More on Airport Lounges and Business Class Lounges
We have several memberships and airline status that allow us to access airport lounges all around the world.
If you want to learn more about airport lounges, start with our post, Is Airport Lounge Access Worth The Cost of a Priority Pass or Credit Card and also read more of our airport lounges reviews.
For more on Airport Lounges in San Francisco International Airport, check out our post on Amex Centurion Lounge SFO.
Delta Sky Clubs are not Priority Pass lounges
We love Delta Sky Clubs. But when we travel outside the US (or in airports where Delta is not a major presence in the US) we use our Priority Pass for airport lounge access.
Delta Sky Clubs don’t accept Priority Pass; however, we recommend getting one. Priority Pass is accepted in more than 1200 airport lounges around the world!
For More on the United States: When we travel, we use Lonely Planet
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