A nostalgic look back at the old American Airlines Admirals Club in T2 at SFO

ByScott

The following is a detailed overview of my visit to the American Airlines Admirals Club at SFO in August of 2014. Back then, it was located in Terminal 2. Not only that, it looked nothing like the Admirals Clubs of today.

A detailed overview of what the American Airlines Admirals Club at SFO was like in 2014

Those of you who aren’t happy with the current status of American Airlines lounges might find this “flashback” review interesting. At the very least, it’ll be a big fat reminder of how things used to be – and that maybe things aren’t all that bad nowadays.

Location

This particular Admirals Club was located in Terminal 2. Remember – American Airlines hadn’t yet hooked up with Alaska Airlines, so they were pretty much on their own at SFO.

Entrance to the American Airlines Admirals Club SFO Terminal 2
It’s worth noting that the main entrance looked very similar to the entrance of the United Global First Lounge over in Terminal 3. Honestly? I’m not sure if it’s United or American who needed to be embarrassed about this.

The entrance to this lounge was located relatively close to the security checkpoint. It didn’t require walking very deep into T2 to reach it.

How I get in

I got in using my Platinum American Airlines AAdvantage MasterCard, which came with a complimentary system-wide lounge membership. A pretty sweet deal for a newbie flyer such as myself, though the annual fee for that card was a little spicy IIRC.

The most common ways to get into this lounge included:

  • Having a same day International first or business class ticket on American Airlines or any Oneworld partner.
  • Having a same day transcontinental first or business class ticket on American Airlines.
  • Being an Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro, or Platinum Elite with a same day international ticket in any class of service.
  • Having an Admirals Club membership.

Layout

As far as domestic US airline lounges go, this one wasn’t any more special (or worse) than most US domestic lounges at that time. It actually looked and felt a lot like the Anchorage Alaska Airlines Lounge.

Inside of the American Airlines Admirals Club SFO Terminal 2
I can still hear the light piano music and clinking glasses from the bar. Criticize this all you want, but you can’t deny that this was lounge-y AF.

Although it opened in 2011, the design and decor felt a twinge old and a tad tired. It was certainly comfortable though – and well laid out with a really nice view of the ramp outside. The best part? It was every bit as comfy as the old LAX American Airlines Flagship Lounge IMHO.

Seating inside of the American Airlines Admirals Club SFO Terminal 2
Brown leather chairs! God I miss 2014.
American Airlines Admirals Club SFO Terminal 2 furniture
The black “cube” chairs were nowhere near as comfy (or cool) IMHO. At least they were pointed towards the brown leather chairs, which made it easy to make a beeline for one of them whenever there was a vacancy.
American Airlines Admirals Club SFO Terminal 2 central seating area
It was a fairly decent sized lounge actually. With trees!
Business center in the American Airlines Admirals Club SFO Terminal 2
The business center. A perfect place to fax in your application for the Chase United Mileage Plus card.

Food and drinks

With only a small variety of fresh fruit and small pastries available, I found the complementary snacks to be lacking. Coffee, juice, and soda were also available for free.

American Airlines Admirals Club SFO Terminal 2 snacks and drinks
Years later, and this selection of snacks and drinks is as disappointing to me now as it was back then. No cheese cubes?? The hell kind of lounge is this?
Self serve snack and drink bar American Airlines Admirals Club SFO Terminal 2
I believe this was the moment that I started kicking around the idea of not renewing my Platinum AA MasterCard for another year. No annual fee is worth paying if it doesn’t include cheese cubes.

There was also the option to order real food from a rather extensive menu of options. None of it was free though, so I was happy enough just to munch on an apple. Good times.

The view

One of the best things about this lounge was the view to the outside world. The windows were huge, and it was possible to see aircraft parked at both Terminal 2 and 3.

The view from from the American Airlines Admirals Club SFO Terminal 2
You just know that American Airlines was none too pleased about the fact that pretty much the only thing you could see from this lounge was United Airlines aircraft. But I didn’t mind a bit. I’m an equal opportunity plane spotter.

Pros and cons

This was my first ever visit to an Admirals club, so I didn’t really have much to compare it against. That said, it didn’t impress me as much as the Delta Sky Club at DTW did. That one felt like a proper lounge. This one felt like a waiting room.

Pros

  • The variety of seating options made it easy to find a comfortable place to sit.
  • There was a lot of natural light from a huge windows.
  • Despite the fact that I only sipped on ice water (to wash down the apple), the size of the bar didn’t go unnoticed. It was impressive.
  • Being able to order a proper meal off a real menu made this a lounge worth visiting if you needed to grab a bite to eat between flights.

Cons

  • The selection of free snacks was disappointing. No cheese cubes? Come on, man.
  • The decor was dark and moody (in their defense, this was common at the time).
  • Nothing on the menu is free. They tried their damnedest to get you to use your fancy Platinum American Airlines AAdvantage MasterCard, that’s for sure.

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