7 hours in SFO with United Club pass?
Feb 4, 2019, 8:50 am
#31
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: SJC / DPS
Programs: AS G75K, UA Silver
Posts: 1,757
aviation museum: international terminal, landside (naturally)
https://www.flysfo.com/museum/aviation-museum-library
https://www.flysfo.com/museum/aviation-museum-library
Feb 4, 2019, 8:56 am
#32
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: BA Bronze, United 1K, HH Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 3,477
I do too. Especially since I always travel with a rollaboard and a heavy briefcase.
Feb 4, 2019, 9:05 am
#33
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,446
Count me as someone who'd rather just hang out in a lounge and chill. Especially when I'm on a long trip. It's not so much that i think getting out of the airport is difficult; I just don't feel like dealing with any additional variables.
Some of my most pleasant travel memories involve luxuriating in the LH First Class Terminal in Frankfurt for the entirety of a 12-hour layover!
Some of my most pleasant travel memories involve luxuriating in the LH First Class Terminal in Frankfurt for the entirety of a 12-hour layover!
As a counterpoint, on a recent 8.5 hour layover at NRT, I entered Japan and booked a day room at one of the airport hotels. Then I went for an eight mile run along the Tokko river to the Great Peace Pagoda in Naritasan. Followed with an excellent udon and shrimp tempura lunch. It was way better than 8 hours in a lounge.
Feb 4, 2019, 12:20 pm
#34
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: San Francisco/Sydney
Programs: UA 1K/MM, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Something, IHG Gold, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 8,151
As a counterpoint, on a recent 8.5 hour layover at NRT, I entered Japan and booked a day room at one of the airport hotels. Then I went for an eight mile run along the Tokko river to the Great Peace Pagoda in Naritasan. Followed with an excellent udon and shrimp tempura lunch. It was way better than 8 hours in a lounge.
Feb 4, 2019, 11:52 pm
#35
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: USA
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,192
Thanks for the tip. I might have tried that the last time I went through NRT with a 9 hour layover except I was still so dog-tired, I enjoyed just relaxing and napping in the back of the ANA lounge.
Feb 5, 2019, 12:09 am
#36
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 41
Centurion Lounge has been observing this limit on access for quite some time - perhaps they were doing it at high traffic times rather than all the time, but I've run up against it starting months ago.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Feb 5, 2019 at 2:24 am Reason: repaired quote
Feb 5, 2019, 12:43 am
#37
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
Programs: United, American, Delta, Hyatt, Hilton, Hertz, Marriott
Posts: 14,796
It should be noted that the Centurion Lounge will start to limit entrance beginning Feb 22. It will only serve as a "departures" lounge and you can only enter within three hours of your departure flight time. I guess this is a result of people camping out for extended periods of time and not being able to handle the crowds. So if your flight lands in SFO and you want to get some work done before you exit the airport, you're out of luck. The person who checked me in last week at the desk there told me that they expect this to reduce traffic by at least 30%.
It is a great club, but it’s almost always packed to the rafters, at least that is the situation over the past two or three years or thereabouts.
Feb 5, 2019, 12:55 am
#38
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SAN
Programs: 1K (since 2008), *G (since 1990), 1MM
Posts: 3,217
On my last trip through there sat in the massage chair and went to sleep, but first time in a long time with no leg cramps in the bed on my first night back in a bed. Swearing by massage chairs with the leg roller.
Feb 5, 2019, 1:58 am
#39
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Silicon wasteland
Programs: UA 1KMM
Posts: 1,381
Feb 5, 2019, 8:28 am
#40
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: San Francisco/Sydney
Programs: UA 1K/MM, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Something, IHG Gold, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 8,151
I was instructed to backtrack through the transit security area.
The staff there wanted to see my boarding pass, and in my case there was some confusion as my flight was due to depart in about 2 hours which the staff at security decided was too close to let me out, until I managed to communicate to them that it was delayed by ~5 hours at which point the security staff walked me over to the departure board, confirmed the delay, and let me on my way.
From there it was just onto immigration as if I was an arriving passenger.
The staff there wanted to see my boarding pass, and in my case there was some confusion as my flight was due to depart in about 2 hours which the staff at security decided was too close to let me out, until I managed to communicate to them that it was delayed by ~5 hours at which point the security staff walked me over to the departure board, confirmed the delay, and let me on my way.
From there it was just onto immigration as if I was an arriving passenger.
Feb 5, 2019, 9:55 am
#41
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,664
Count me as someone who'd rather just hang out in a lounge and chill. Especially when I'm on a long trip. It's not so much that i think getting out of the airport is difficult; I just don't feel like dealing with any additional variables.
Some of my most pleasant travel memories involve luxuriating in the LH First Class Terminal in Frankfurt for the entirety of a 12-hour layover!
Some of my most pleasant travel memories involve luxuriating in the LH First Class Terminal in Frankfurt for the entirety of a 12-hour layover!
Feb 5, 2019, 10:04 am
#42
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA MM Plat, UA 1MM, Hilton Lifetime Gold, Marriott Gold, Hertz Gold, CLEAR, AS MVP Gold
Posts: 3,617
They now frown on even sleeping in the lounges. I remember the day when most lounges had couches, basically non of the lounges in the US has them. i have occasionally had long hold overs in SIN and even though the lounges there are very nice I usually opt for the "hotels" in the transit area where you can rent a room by the hour if need be. As I recall one them even had a pool although I have not stayed at that one.
Feb 5, 2019, 10:12 am
#43
Join Date: May 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 69
As SFO based, once in a while I connect thru home if I am going from one trip straight to another. Sometimes, I go home, but if I HAD to stay in the airport I would use the PP for each of the two restaurants in T3 (Yankee Pier and SF Giants Clubhouse), then mix that with some time in the UA club (which is not heavy on food, but has basic drinks). Otherwise before Amex's changes to lounge policy which allows on arrival, I used to go Amex solely because they have the best shower available in my opinion (which shortens and makes a long layover more comfy), but now the 3-hour policy restricts that...
Feb 5, 2019, 11:28 am
#44
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 15
Some fun stuff outside of the United Lounge too:
There's a new observation deck: https://www.sfgate.com/travel/articl...t-13588918.php
I haven't been to the new SFO food hall but I'm planning on skipping the Centurion Lounge on Saturday to check it out. Curious to see how they stack up compared to their city counterparts. https://sf.eater.com/2019/1/22/18193...tional-airport
https://www.yelp.com/biz/manufactory...-san-francisco
There's a new observation deck: https://www.sfgate.com/travel/articl...t-13588918.php
I haven't been to the new SFO food hall but I'm planning on skipping the Centurion Lounge on Saturday to check it out. Curious to see how they stack up compared to their city counterparts. https://sf.eater.com/2019/1/22/18193...tional-airport
https://www.yelp.com/biz/manufactory...-san-francisco