British Airways Creates New Buzz with SFO Lounge

British Airways opened its new revamped lounge in San Francisco this week, the third US lounge to benefit from the airline’s investment plan for its customers, following the recent opening of its First and Club lounge at New York JFK’s Terminal 7. The lounge was closed in 2018 to make way for this redesign.

The new contemporary lounge is spread across 7,158 square feet with riveting views of the runway through to floor to ceiling glass windows that run along the side of the lounge to let in natural light.

The airline has created a number of zones throughout the lounge to cater to its customers and enhance their comfort. A granite feature bar forms the hub of the lounge, complemented by such areas as a new study area with wireless printing facilities. The showers area, however, has been eliminated.

In the main seating area there is a deli bar where customers can help themselves to a wide range of food and drink options. For the airline’s customers traveling in First, there is a new exclusive Boutique Dining room, where customers can enjoy fine wines and menus inspired by some of world’s top chefs as what may be the airport’s most exclusive restaurant.

“We know that lounges form an important part of the journey for some of our customers, so we’re delighted to be able to open this new space in San Francisco, the third lounge in the US to benefit from our investment program,” said Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience. “We think customers will love the new look and feel and have heard from who have experienced our New York lounge … and they both follow the same design concept.”

British Airways worked alongside British designers Graven on the interior scheme in collaboration with San Francisco based William Duff Associates, who led the architectural design to maximize space. The lounge also features a number of pieces of artwork from Bill Jacobsen, Doug Hall and Ruth Root, who are all local artists.

San Francisco is an important destination, as the gateway to the technology hub of Silicon Valley as well as the rich cultural history of the city itself.  The city is a magnet for UK business and leisure travelers alike. Some 80 percent of the 146 seats in the main lounge have access to power, a necessity rather than a convenience for Silicon Valley travelers.

This is the fifth lounge to open under the new design concept after the airlines Club and First lounges in New York’s JFK, Rome in Italy and Aberdeen in Scotland. The British Airways lounge in Johannesburg will be next, with further investment planned in Geneva, Chicago and at the airline’s hub, London Heathrow. In April, it opened its refurbished flagship U.S. lounge at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport’s Terminal 7 – a $65 million dollar project that transformed the 22,000 square-foot space into a flagship haven for VIP fliers on highly profitable flights between New York City and London.

2019 is British Airways’ centenary year. The airline is investing £6.5 billion for its customers over five years, including the installation of the best quality Wi-Fi and power in every aircraft seat, fitting 128 long-haul aircraft with new interiors and taking delivery of 72 new aircraft.  This year the airline is also introducing its Club Suite, a new business class seat with direct aisle access.