United Global First Lounge SFO: Remember how awesome it was?

ByScott

“They don’t make ’em like they used to” is the proper way to describe the old United Airlines Global First Lounge at SFO. Although this lounge still exists as a run-of-the-mill United Club, it doesn’t have the same feeling of exclusivity that it had back in 2014.

Flying international first class on United Airlines was a pretty big deal back then. Beginning your journey in the Global First Lounge was the perfect way to prepare for the long journey ahead.

A detailed overview of my SFO United Global First Lounge experience in 2014

I visited this lounge in April of 2014 (prior to flying United Airlines first class to Beijing). I feel thankful for having the opportunity to experience it, as it was a step above a typical United Club at the time.

Global First Lounges no longer exist now that United no longer offers an international first class product.

Location

The old United Global First Lounge was located in Terminal 3 / Concourse G (between gates G6 and G9) at the San Francisco International Airport. It’s still there as a matter of fact. It’s just been dumbed-down into a standard United Club.

Entrance to the United global first lounge SFO
The main entrance. It didn’t look like all that much, but it was one of those kinds of situations where it was important to remember that it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

After checking in at the front desk, there was a stairway down to the lounge area. At the bottom of the stairs was a customer service center, but it wasn’t staffed on the day that I was there.

Stairs leading down to the United global first lounge SFO
Most airport lounges require going up a flight of stairs to get in. This one gave you the opportunity to trip and fall (eliminating the possibility of arriving with grace and style. And dignity).
Customer service desk in the United global first lounge SFO
Tripping and falling wouldn’t have mattered anyway. There wasn’t anyone here at the customer service desk to witness the carnage.
You know you’re in for a hoity-toity experience when the first thing you see is a closet to hang your jacket. You’re not gonna see that in the Alaska Airlines Board Room up in Anchorage!

How to get in

I was able to get complementary access via my first class ticket to Beijing in United Global First. I didn’t even have frequent flyer status with United at the time. I believe I was just a standard Mileage Plus member.

The only way to get into a United Global First Lounge was to have a same day ticket for United Global First (or international first class on any Star Alliance airline). Having a ticket for international business class and/or simply being a very high tier United / Star Alliance member wouldn’t have been enough.

Layout

I was blown away at how nice this Global First Lounge was. The high ceilings made it feel grand, as did the sectioning of the separate seating areas (which were all very large rooms). There were plenty of places to work and relax.

Main seating area in the United global first lounge SFO
Now that looks good. A virtual high five goes out to the designers who figured out how to incorporate high ceilings into a basement lounge.
Furniture in the United global first lounge SFO
I think the interior designers deserve a little credit too (a fist bump at least). Even the furniture was nice.
Individual rooms in the United global first lounge SFO
I will admit that some of the nooks and crannies were little bit dark (and creepy), but considering the exclusivity of this place (and how difficult it was to get in) the chances of being maimed / murdered were minimal.
Interior of the United Airlines global first lounge SFO
As I said at the top of this review, they don’t make ’em like this anymore (and I’m not just saying that because the overhead lights looked like boobies).

Unlike other United lounges at the time (the HKG United Club is a good example), this Global First lounge felt special and exclusive.

Food and drinks

The food spread was quite good – though perhaps not as extravagant as other dedicated first class airport lounges of the time. There was fresh fruit and veggies, sushi, all kinds of breads, and a pretty respectable beverage assortment.

Self serve food bar in the United Airlines global first lounge SFO
I know. Even though I will admit that United was probably half a**ing it, this was on par with the typical food situation in most first class lounges back in 2014.
Food items in the United Airlines global first lounge SFO
Half a**ing it indeed. However – being such a newbie to airport lounges at the time, this seemed pretty freakin’ baller. I had a slight fetish for cheap sushi and cheese wedges, OK?
Alcohol and other drinks in the United Airlines global first lounge SFO
Soda pop, water, alcohol, coffee, and tea. With cheese wedges and cheap sushi in hand (“omg!”), this was of little interest to me.
Snack plate in the United Airlines global first lounge SFO
Cheese wedges consumed. Next up: sending cheap sushi down the hatch (and trying to ignore the fact that they didn’t have any United Global First napkins).
Café and dining area in the United Airlines global first lounge SFO
In this overall pic of the café / dining area, you can see a secondary food bar directly across from the main one. That’s where the sushi was. The big one was just a salad bar. Knowing how I feel about sushi and cheese wedges, it shouldn’t surprise you that I didn’t think that the salad deserved such a prime spot.

Workstations / Business center

When it comes to places to getting work done inside of an airport, this was probably one of the best lounges I have ever seen for doing that. Not only were there a lot of individual desks and workstations, the fact that it was so quiet made it an excellent place to concentrate.

Private workstations in the United Airlines global first lounge SFO
Minimal risk of being murdered / maimed or not, I didn’t have the courage to venture into the deepest of crevices. These individual workstations looked like a decent place to hop on a call though.
Fax machine in the United Airlines global first lounge SFO
That fax machine. What a unit!

The view

One of the best things about this lounge was the windows (which were huge). Unfortunately, the thick blinds obstructed the view to the outside. I consider that to be downright criminal considering how many 747s were parked nearby.

View all the airport from the United Airlines global first lounge SFO
Looking at the 747-400 that would be taking me to Beijing that morning (in the same way that your creepy neighbor watches you mow your lawn through her blind covered windows).
Large windows in the United Airlines global first lounge SFO
Why they gotta cover the windows like that? Hrmph.

The bathroom

I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that the bathroom in this lounge looked exactly the same as what you saw in my review of the DTW Delta Sky Club (in 2014). It was definitely nice – though I’m not sure if it was nice enough to be considered “first class.”

Men's room in the United Airlines global first lounge SFO
It’s a nice bathroom and all, but check out my ability to stay out of view! That’s some expert level introversion right there.
Urinals in the United Airlines global first lounge SFO
Thanks for the dividers, United. Much appreciated.

Pros and cons

I miss this lounge. Yes, it technically still exists, but there was something very special about strolling into a Global First Lounge before a long international journey. Especially this one here at SFO.

Pros

  • The high ceilings and large rooms made it feel grand.
  • It was as quiet as a library – which makes sense considering how exclusive it was.
  • The decor felt very high-end (kind of like a luxurious hotel).

Cons

  • The food was decent – but probably not worthy of a proper first class lounge.
  • It wasn’t all that easy to get in. FWIW, I also consider this a “pro.”
  • The blinds on the windows made it difficult to do any plane spotting.

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