I am traveling in September on an AAdvantage Award in F from ORD to HKG via SFO. As I have never flown CX before, I am not sure of how the connection in SFO will work. I am assuming that my bags will be checked through to HKG from Chicago. I am assuming that we will then have to go to the CX ticket counter for our BP's to HKG - correct? Also, what is the lounge situation like in SFO for CX F passengers (good/bad/ugly?).

Thanks for the assistance!

I did the exact same thing a few months ago but not from ORD, I went from JFK.

My AA flight from JFK had a strong tailwind and arrived 40min early in SFO. This gave me a 4 hr layover.

The Check in agent in JFK gave me my boarding pass for the CX flight. When I arrived in SFO I had to go to a different terminal. The TSA agent there told me I could not enter the gate area as my boarding pass was not valid.

I returned to AA's terminal. They told me my boarding pass was valid, but issued me another one just incase. The TSA agent wouldn't take that one either. The CX check in counter wasn't due to open for another 30 min.

I waithed at the CX counter First class checkin line. A CX agent arriving to work saw me and asked if I needed help. I expalined I just needed a new boarding pass. She printed one for me. She hadn't even removed her overcoat. That is just an example of the service CX provides A rep from a US airline wouldn't have done that. I proceeded to the gate area entrance as I was looking forward to relaxing in the CX lounge.

That was when I discovered the CX lounge opens 2 hrs before the drparture time of my flight. I had about 1 hr to wait.

The moral is, yes you will need to get a CX boarding pass and depending on how long your layover is you may have to wait sometime for it. The CX lounge will be closed until 2 hrs before your departure time.

CX uses the Sakura Lounge for its flights out of SFO. It is a very ordinary lounge with free drinks and snacks. The F lounge, however, is "ugly" as it a merely a "closet" (others, most notably B Watson, have also called it that).

If you find yourself having a long layover, just hangout in the AC in the AA terminal until 2 hours before departure, when the CX liunge opens. CX counters at SFO open 4 hours prior to departure (around 2130).

There is also shopping and some good dining at SFO's international terminal...if you like sushi, I highly recommend Ebisu - it's pretty darned good "airport food"

The TSA is now requiring that the boarding pass show a gate assignment -- that was probably why the AA boarding pass was rejected. If you manage to get AA to issue you a pass with the gate number printed on it you will get through security. So it isn't the CX issued boarding pass that is required per se (but in practice I suspect AA can never know the gate being used by CX). My solution to this is to either leave the airport or hang out in the DL CRC which is conveniently outside of security at SFO and stays open until the CX counter and lounge opens.