Feb 18, 2018, 11:44 am
Last edit by: JDiver
Please edit or add information to this wiki as necessary.
The Escape Lounge is a small-medium lounge in Terminal 1 airside, across from Gate 9, between Gates 8 and 8A.
Complimentary access for American Express Platinum Card® and Centurion® Members as part of the American Express Global Lounge CollectionSM. Also to departing International Business class or higher passengers such as British Airways.
Access for walk up clients is $45.00; booking in advance via Escape Lounges is $40.00. This is not a Priority Pass or airline lounge.
Amenities include a selection of complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, as well as
• Ultra-Fast internet provision, separate from the main airport Wi-Fi
• Easy, free of charge, access to the web
• Print, scan and copy
• Cellphone / tablet charging points abd poser points
(No showers; lavatories across the concourse)
Link to Escape Lounges page on OAK lounge
Link to OAK Airport lounge page
The Escape Lounge is a small-medium lounge in Terminal 1 airside, across from Gate 9, between Gates 8 and 8A.
Complimentary access for American Express Platinum Card® and Centurion® Members as part of the American Express Global Lounge CollectionSM. Also to departing International Business class or higher passengers such as British Airways.
Access for walk up clients is $45.00; booking in advance via Escape Lounges is $40.00. This is not a Priority Pass or airline lounge.
Amenities include a selection of complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, as well as
• Ultra-Fast internet provision, separate from the main airport Wi-Fi
• Easy, free of charge, access to the web
• Print, scan and copy
• Cellphone / tablet charging points abd poser points
(No showers; lavatories across the concourse)
Link to Escape Lounges page on OAK lounge
Link to OAK Airport lounge page
Escape Lounge OAK
Nov 29, 2016, 11:50 am
#91
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,639
Nov 29, 2016, 11:58 am
#92
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
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Dec 14, 2016, 4:44 pm
#93
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Lafayette, CA
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Posts: 113
My visit to the newly opened Escape Lounge at Oakland International Airport - mid Dec
Oakland is my airport, if I can arrange it that way. Finally it has its own lounge, and a few weeks after I saw it finally open, I splurged and bought a 1-day membership before today's flight, through my Lounge Buddy app. My reasoning for spending the $44 was the following: I had arrived about 1:45 early for my flight, and wanted to eat something at the airport, and I wanted some peace and quiet if possible. I received a Chili's Gift card at some employee appreciation function at work a few years ago and have always wanted to use it at that company's airport location, but the restaurant is always busy (this evening there was a line,) and they don't really want to seat you if your flight is leaving anytime in the near future. A hostess talked me out of it last year because my flight was leaving in 70 minutes. The photos of the food on Yelp look life-limiting. Deep fried carbs etc. I don't mind the Chinese place, but I've seen them run out of food at the time of day that I've been there, and I don't like eating a meal in a gate room. The bar with light meals is always super busy and tonight was no exception. So I was ready to give the lounge a try. I have a bit of a history with lounges if you will. At the age of 12 I purchased a one-year Red Carpet Club membership for my mother's birthday gift in the fall of 1978, which included a unique delivery method. It was a totally different era than that of today, but it was a gift that she ended up enjoying for the remainder of her life. Read the Introduction to this Trip Report if you're interested, to find out more.
I used my first time $10 coupon code from Lounge Buddy and paid for the Escape lounge on the van from the parking lot. So yes I only spent $34.
Shortly thereafter, I arrived. The terminal was crowded. The Norwegian flight to Gatwick was waiting to board, about 20 minutes late, and a Hawaiian A-330 on a San Jose to Honolulu trip had been diverted to Oakland, and there were lots of people waiting around gate podiums with agents assisting them. I entered the Escape lounge. Two gentlemen were checking in before I had arrived. I believe they had been on the diverted flight. Checking them in at the lounge took 8-10 minutes. When we are waiting we tend to exaggerate our wait time, but I started looking at the time pass, wondering what the holdup was. Two agents were at the desk, one being trained, but it was taking forever. I waited. While waiting two lounge “members” on that 1-day membership, passed by confirming with the staff that the restrooms were indeed outside of the lounge. “Yes they are just across the hall,” was the reply.
Finally they were "in" and it was my turn. I had paid on this app on my phone and the woman asked if I was Mr rosscali when the gentlemen in front of me had left the counter. Obviously not a huge group of people doing what I had done. She wanted to scan my boarding pass but not the bar code on my app. I was given the lounge's WiFi code and there was a menu of what was included at the front counter, and at the tables a menu of premium wine and booze and two meals one could buy if the food on the buffet was not enough.
When I have passed the lounge before it was very quiet, but lots of Norwegian customers were there, and at the appropriate time the staff approached them individually and announced the flight's boarding. There were people on my Alaska flight to Seattle, and perhaps others waiting for some word on their trip to Hawaii. The diverted flight I think had flown for several hours only to come back to the mainland and not make it to the 50th state. Not fun.
That said the lounge can fill up fast. It is not huge, but has a selection of different seating options, and I wish there were more tall lounge chairs that foster privacy. I sat at a low table surrounded by four chairs near the wall, and quickly moved. I didn't want some delirious Chili's guest overloaded on margaritas staring in at what wonderment might exist just inside the decorated Windows, only to find me sitting there. There were restaurant like tables in another area and a few seats at the bar. There were also some tables near the tarmac window which looked up my alley but all those seats were taken.
The lounge has a selection of complimentary hard alcohol and sparkling and still wines and lots more available for purchase. Bulletin Bourbon is $6, not unreasonable. 30-year old Johnnie Walker Blue is $35. You don't see that everywhere, this lounge is most likely the only place at OAK offering it.
I had a glass of Prosecco, not fruit-forward, but not dry, that was included in the price; a more premium option was a glass of Schramsburg Brut for $11.
The buffet was set up one big counter in the center of the lounge. A few of the menu items were gone. Most of the stuff on the menu was there, but not everything. My thinking was that this day had been a little busier than projected. I wondered how they would cook the hamburger on the menu if someone had ordered it, but there is probably some small kitchen or pantry that I didn't see. I had Farro salad and some cold meat, prosciutto and turkey. There were two hot items when I was there, a stone ramekin containing polenta and another of Mac and cheese. I tried the polenta and thought it was quite good. There was a simple salad bar of greens, squash, and chicken that would probably make a nice salad. The Minestrone soup was good and tasted very homemade. So did the pita chips. Cookies in different jars and a panna cotta were the desserts. At a separate table there were different hot beverages set up. If I were to visit the lounge in the future to relax and eat something before a future flight at 5:30pm on a weeknight, I might politely inquire before paying how their edible supplies are holding up.
I overheard a male and female road warrior striking up a conversation with one another, rare these days in the transparent walls many fliers encase themselves in. The woman had visited the Escape lounge in MSP a few days prior and was so impressed that she wanted to try this one, knowing that they were affiliated with one another. The man had arrived four hours early for his flight, with no earlier options and this seemed like the perfect solution. They both were waiting for this lounge to become a part of Priority Club, whether that will happen or not remains to be seen. When one of the Hawaii pound gentlemen approached the buffet to get more food, the woman approached him and asked what took them so long to check in. He agreed that they were there a while but didn't really answer her. Maybe they were the exception.
The food variety was there but it was not a massive spread, but considering the size of the lounge and its 'only game in town' status, it was well prepared, and good tasting. The salad bar components looked organic and Northern Californian. The food offerings were head and shoulders above a domestic American or United lounge. While the Alaska Club has the self-service pancake machine and soup during the day, a solid caring staff, and some nicer amenities, in my opinion, than the United Club, the Escape lounge's food and drink puts themselves in a different class from the domestic lounges most are used to. In a little under an hour, I had two and a half glasses of Prosecco. When I left the lounge and entered the terminal on the way to the gate, I realized it had been a quiet escape, and relaxing before getting on a full flight, on which an upgrade had not been secured. :-)
I was glad to have this opportunity to experience the Escape lounge. If they offered a membership in the future for frequent OAK fliers I might consider it. While $44 a pop is more expensive than a meal in one of the airport's restaurants, it is an option with a different atmosphere to anything else in the terminal. You are paying for a premium food and beverage venue in a membership setting. I hope the check-in process gets streamlined for all for future visits. I also wonder if the entire business class cabin of a British Airways 777, slated to serve OAK in the spring of 2017, would fit, if that becomes an included option for those travelers.
I used my first time $10 coupon code from Lounge Buddy and paid for the Escape lounge on the van from the parking lot. So yes I only spent $34.
Shortly thereafter, I arrived. The terminal was crowded. The Norwegian flight to Gatwick was waiting to board, about 20 minutes late, and a Hawaiian A-330 on a San Jose to Honolulu trip had been diverted to Oakland, and there were lots of people waiting around gate podiums with agents assisting them. I entered the Escape lounge. Two gentlemen were checking in before I had arrived. I believe they had been on the diverted flight. Checking them in at the lounge took 8-10 minutes. When we are waiting we tend to exaggerate our wait time, but I started looking at the time pass, wondering what the holdup was. Two agents were at the desk, one being trained, but it was taking forever. I waited. While waiting two lounge “members” on that 1-day membership, passed by confirming with the staff that the restrooms were indeed outside of the lounge. “Yes they are just across the hall,” was the reply.
Finally they were "in" and it was my turn. I had paid on this app on my phone and the woman asked if I was Mr rosscali when the gentlemen in front of me had left the counter. Obviously not a huge group of people doing what I had done. She wanted to scan my boarding pass but not the bar code on my app. I was given the lounge's WiFi code and there was a menu of what was included at the front counter, and at the tables a menu of premium wine and booze and two meals one could buy if the food on the buffet was not enough.
When I have passed the lounge before it was very quiet, but lots of Norwegian customers were there, and at the appropriate time the staff approached them individually and announced the flight's boarding. There were people on my Alaska flight to Seattle, and perhaps others waiting for some word on their trip to Hawaii. The diverted flight I think had flown for several hours only to come back to the mainland and not make it to the 50th state. Not fun.
That said the lounge can fill up fast. It is not huge, but has a selection of different seating options, and I wish there were more tall lounge chairs that foster privacy. I sat at a low table surrounded by four chairs near the wall, and quickly moved. I didn't want some delirious Chili's guest overloaded on margaritas staring in at what wonderment might exist just inside the decorated Windows, only to find me sitting there. There were restaurant like tables in another area and a few seats at the bar. There were also some tables near the tarmac window which looked up my alley but all those seats were taken.
The lounge has a selection of complimentary hard alcohol and sparkling and still wines and lots more available for purchase. Bulletin Bourbon is $6, not unreasonable. 30-year old Johnnie Walker Blue is $35. You don't see that everywhere, this lounge is most likely the only place at OAK offering it.
I had a glass of Prosecco, not fruit-forward, but not dry, that was included in the price; a more premium option was a glass of Schramsburg Brut for $11.
The buffet was set up one big counter in the center of the lounge. A few of the menu items were gone. Most of the stuff on the menu was there, but not everything. My thinking was that this day had been a little busier than projected. I wondered how they would cook the hamburger on the menu if someone had ordered it, but there is probably some small kitchen or pantry that I didn't see. I had Farro salad and some cold meat, prosciutto and turkey. There were two hot items when I was there, a stone ramekin containing polenta and another of Mac and cheese. I tried the polenta and thought it was quite good. There was a simple salad bar of greens, squash, and chicken that would probably make a nice salad. The Minestrone soup was good and tasted very homemade. So did the pita chips. Cookies in different jars and a panna cotta were the desserts. At a separate table there were different hot beverages set up. If I were to visit the lounge in the future to relax and eat something before a future flight at 5:30pm on a weeknight, I might politely inquire before paying how their edible supplies are holding up.
I overheard a male and female road warrior striking up a conversation with one another, rare these days in the transparent walls many fliers encase themselves in. The woman had visited the Escape lounge in MSP a few days prior and was so impressed that she wanted to try this one, knowing that they were affiliated with one another. The man had arrived four hours early for his flight, with no earlier options and this seemed like the perfect solution. They both were waiting for this lounge to become a part of Priority Club, whether that will happen or not remains to be seen. When one of the Hawaii pound gentlemen approached the buffet to get more food, the woman approached him and asked what took them so long to check in. He agreed that they were there a while but didn't really answer her. Maybe they were the exception.
The food variety was there but it was not a massive spread, but considering the size of the lounge and its 'only game in town' status, it was well prepared, and good tasting. The salad bar components looked organic and Northern Californian. The food offerings were head and shoulders above a domestic American or United lounge. While the Alaska Club has the self-service pancake machine and soup during the day, a solid caring staff, and some nicer amenities, in my opinion, than the United Club, the Escape lounge's food and drink puts themselves in a different class from the domestic lounges most are used to. In a little under an hour, I had two and a half glasses of Prosecco. When I left the lounge and entered the terminal on the way to the gate, I realized it had been a quiet escape, and relaxing before getting on a full flight, on which an upgrade had not been secured. :-)
I was glad to have this opportunity to experience the Escape lounge. If they offered a membership in the future for frequent OAK fliers I might consider it. While $44 a pop is more expensive than a meal in one of the airport's restaurants, it is an option with a different atmosphere to anything else in the terminal. You are paying for a premium food and beverage venue in a membership setting. I hope the check-in process gets streamlined for all for future visits. I also wonder if the entire business class cabin of a British Airways 777, slated to serve OAK in the spring of 2017, would fit, if that becomes an included option for those travelers.
Last edited by rosscali; Dec 15, 2016 at 10:34 am
Dec 14, 2016, 5:18 pm
#94
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Dec 22, 2016, 12:13 pm
#95
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 6
No Priority Pass yet
I am here at OAK right now and was eager to use my new Priority Pass for the first time and when I walked in an asked they said they do not currently take PP but their lounge in Minneapolis does. They are working on getting PP for the Oakland lounge but the employee couldn't say when. She just said they're working on it. So, as of 12/22/16, No PP yet. This is busy holiday travel time and OAK is pretty packed but only ONE person is in the lounge.
Dec 22, 2016, 5:13 pm
#96
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Berkeley, CA USA
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I am here at OAK right now and was eager to use my new Priority Pass for the first time and when I walked in an asked they said they do not currently take PP but their lounge in Minneapolis does. They are working on getting PP for the Oakland lounge but the employee couldn't say when. She just said they're working on it. So, as of 12/22/16, No PP yet. This is busy holiday travel time and OAK is pretty packed but only ONE person is in the lounge.
Dec 22, 2016, 5:22 pm
#97
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Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
Posts: 31,849
I notice some of the Priority Pass lounges do have specific restrictions on entry hours, so they could easily work around the international flights by only allowing access during certain hours.
Dec 23, 2016, 11:09 am
#98
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Join Date: Feb 2001
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That would seem to be absolutely required if the OAK lounge starts accepting PP. Otherwise, there will be scores of unhappy PP holders and premium cabin passengers on the international flights.
Dec 24, 2016, 6:19 am
#99
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Location: USA
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Talking to staff: Norwegian doesn't fill the lounge all that much. It's walk-ups during delays that really make the difference from time to time. And they can turn sales on or off to the walk-ups whenever they'd like.
Agree with review above. The food is very good; not quite Centurion, but close enough and safely above the usual legacy options.
Agree with review above. The food is very good; not quite Centurion, but close enough and safely above the usual legacy options.
Dec 24, 2016, 9:46 am
#100
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Posts: 38,631
Talking to staff: Norwegian doesn't fill the lounge all that much. It's walk-ups during delays that really make the difference from time to time. And they can turn sales on or off to the walk-ups whenever they'd like.
Agree with review above. The food is very good; not quite Centurion, but close enough and safely above the usual legacy options.
Agree with review above. The food is very good; not quite Centurion, but close enough and safely above the usual legacy options.
Dec 24, 2016, 1:16 pm
#101
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Jan 12, 2017, 12:44 pm
#103
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My guess is that PP will come to the OAK lounge after they've had a few months to evaluate the traffic and ensure that they can accommodate more people.
Jan 15, 2017, 5:27 pm
#104
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,639
It's an inferior product - anyone savvy traveler who is entitled to business class under corporate policy will drive a few extra minutes to SFO and take one of the many TATL nonstops that offer horizontal lie-flat seating. So that leaves Norwegian with folk who can't afford a seat on the SFO flights but are still willing to pay a significant premium out of their own pocket. Not too many in that bunch.
My guess is that PP will come to the OAK lounge after they've had a few months to evaluate the traffic and ensure that they can accommodate more people.
My guess is that PP will come to the OAK lounge after they've had a few months to evaluate the traffic and ensure that they can accommodate more people.
I'm surprised they haven't signed with PP yet, but perhaps that means they're doing better with walk in sales than I thought they would. I hope they add PP but it seems like if they were having much trouble filling the place/making money they would have added it pretty quickly, as they did at MSP. That they have not suggests maybe they figure they'll make more money without it.
Feb 21, 2017, 1:20 pm
#105
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: SFO
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Posts: 2,239
Norwegian seemingly can't expand fast enough at OAK, so it's also possible they're pretty happy with their Premium sales. Anecdote but my brother/his girlfriend and my in laws were both very happy to spend a comparable amount to economy on most carriers out of SFO and get a significantly superior product.
I'm surprised they haven't signed with PP yet, but perhaps that means they're doing better with walk in sales than I thought they would. I hope they add PP but it seems like if they were having much trouble filling the place/making money they would have added it pretty quickly, as they did at MSP. That they have not suggests maybe they figure they'll make more money without it.
I'm surprised they haven't signed with PP yet, but perhaps that means they're doing better with walk in sales than I thought they would. I hope they add PP but it seems like if they were having much trouble filling the place/making money they would have added it pretty quickly, as they did at MSP. That they have not suggests maybe they figure they'll make more money without it.