Just over a month ago, I set off on a trip to Thessaloniki, Calais, and London booked with points and miles after finding business class award space on AirBerlin a few days before departure. My first stop on this adventure was the Air France KLM Business Class Lounge at San Francisco International Airport. The lounge is located in the same area where the Cathay Pacific First and Business Class Lounge is, just to the left of security on the first level. When I walked in, the lounge was packed but about a half hour later it emptied out and remained fairly deserted for the remainder of my time there.
Entrance to the Air France KLM Lounge at SFO
Upon walking in, I was met by two lounge attendants. One of them was helping a guest and the other motioned me over. As she was checking me in, some friends of hers came over and she shrieked, ran over and hugged the entire clan. She chatted with them and when one of them suggested a selfie, the attendant looked over at her colleague and asked her to take over. The colleague apologized and after checking me in, pointed out a bowl in front of her which looked like it was filled with discarded fortune cookie slips. In actuality, they were wifi codes, printed in tiny text.
Seating Area at the SFO Air France KLM Lounge
I found a place to sit, but it was kind of awkward because the seats were really close together and pretty much every single one was taken. The chairs were also really uncomfortable, which makes me wonder why anyone would buy these eggshell chairs – your arms either fan out over the chair or you have to squeeze them in and neither position is in any way comfortable.
After a while, the lounge emptied out and you could practically hear a pin drop. I used this as an opportunity to take some photos and find a better seat. The high chairs by the window were a lot better. I wandered around for a bit and found the place to be very well kept. During my 1.5 hours in the lounge, the staff was constantly making the rounds, clearing tables and tidying up the place.
Even the bathroom was very clean and as I walked in, the cleaning lady was finishing up her work.
Bathroom at the Air France KLM Lounge SFO
Air France KLM Lounge SFO Bathroom
The Air France KLM Business Class lounge has one large seating area, with window seating and a small snack bar. Off to the left is a “quiet” room which I consider more of an anxiety room because there are no windows and the powder blue furniture alone is cause for a panic attack.
Quiet Room at the Air France KLM Lounge SFO
Snack bar at the Air France KLM Lounge SFO
Past the small bar is the dining room, with lots of tables strewn about and a TV with kids shows playing. Eventually the channel was changed and all the adults left in the lounge were glued to coverage of the latest Donald Trump scandal.
Air France KLM Business Class Lounge at SFO Dining Area
Dining Area of the Air France KLM Business Class Lounge at SFO
The food selection at the Air France KLM lounge was pretty lackluster. there was some cheese, sandwiches, salad, and drinks. I don’t think its too much to ask that the food selection in a business class lounge at least be equal to what’s available in the terminal restaurants. Imagine if you paid $35 – 50 to get into the Air France KLM Business Class Lounge and had this to contend with:
Food and Drinks at the Air France KLM Business Class Lounge
Food Spread at the Air France KLM Lounge SFO
Don’t get me wrong, I gladly ate a sandwich, helped myself to some fruit, and washed it down with an 8 oz Kirkland Signature water (nothing says premium travel like Costco water), but if I’d paid for this I’d feel a little ripped off. But I didn’t, so I won’t dwell on it. Except for now, when I’m trying to make this post about a generic airport club lounge slightly more interesting with my snark.
One thing I will say about the lounge that I enjoyed was how it smelled like vanilla wafers. Screw chocolate chip cookies, nothing says hospitality like the smell of vanilla wafers. Oddly, they didn’t have these in the lounge so I have no idea where it was coming from. Another thing I enjoyed were the lovely views of the tarmac. Not only can AV geeks enjoy views of various planes passing through, but there’s also the scenery and the lovely weather to take in (on a dark, gloomy day you might feel less enthusiastic, looking at giant planes set against less than ideal weather conditions).
Tarmac View from the Air France KLM Business Class Lounge SFO
Overall, the lounge wasn’t anything to write home about. The snacks were subpar and the seating at the gate was more comfortable. This is the part where I’m tempted to say, “it was still better than nothing” but it wasn’t. I would have been ok with sitting by the gate for an hour – this isn’t me being ungrateful or jaded, just a realization about what I actually need out of the whole airport experience. In any case, I used my time in the lounge to relax and begin planning the rest of my travels.
I had a lot of anxiety on this trip – not about the flight, but traveling on my own and then trying to navigate a strange city. I’ve never been bothered by that concept before, but for some reason I felt really anxious before I left. It might be because I haven’t traveled abroad on my own for a while. Maybe its because my job encourages my hermit habits, much to my own detriment, and that stirs up anxiety about venturing out into the world. I did come back from this trip having overcome these somewhat irrational fears and anxieties.
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