Follow me on my $100,000 honeymoon, booked entirely using points and miles! Today we’re in the Emirates Lounge SFO.
- Introduction: My $100K Honeymoon on Points & Miles
- Emirates Lounge SFO
- Emirates First Class San Francisco to Dubai
- Afternoon Tea at the Burj Al Arab (Sky Tea at Skyview Bar)
- IMG Worlds of Adventure Review
- The Westin Dubai Al Habtoor City Review
- Emirates First Class Dubai to Paris
- Park Hyatt Paris Review
- St. Regis Rome ReviewEtihad Business Class Rome to Abu Dhabi
- Four Seasons Abu Dhabi Review
- Etihad First Class Lounge AUH
- Etihad First Class Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles
Our honeymoon trip started in San Francisco, where we checked-in for our Emirates flight to Dubai. First Class check-in was quick and efficient as you would expect, and we were told that we’d have access to the Emirates Lounge. We headed straight there after security, where there was a sign to point us in the right direction.
Check-in for the lounge was through the doors, but the lounge itself was downstairs (both stairs and elevator available).
The lounge is spacious and has plenty of seating, shower facilities, and a decent view outside for some plane spotting. Food options were not extensive but still very good. I wish there were more electrical outlets, but I was there early enough to snag a good spot.
Emirates Lounge SFO Seating
The one thing that could have been better is that at SFO there isn’t a separate section/lounge for First Class passengers. I suppose this makes sense given that there’s only one Emirates flight per day out of the airport, even if it is on an A380, but it would have been nice to have a separate section with better dining options or more personalized service. Still, it’s nice that they have such a large lounge as it is for just the single daily flight.
I’ll spare you the play-by-play of every food item available and instead let the pictures do the talking. I will say that the food wasn’t particularly good or fresh but was adequate.
Emirates Lounge SFO Food & Drinks
An interesting quirk of this lounge (at least as far as lounges in America go) is that there is a prayer room.
Emirates Lounge SFO Prayer Room
The bathrooms included two shower rooms, both of which were being used at the time so I wasn’t able to get a picture. There was a placard on the sink area that said shower kits were available by notifying reception.
Emirates Lounge SFO Bathroom / Shower Room
Emirates Lounge SFO Summary
The lounge had plenty of seating, lots of food options, a business center, a prayer room, and showers. It hits on all the basics that you’d want in a lounge, with the large exception that the wifi was so painfully slow that it was essentially unusable.
Why would a separate first class lounge be needed? As you said one flight a day and frankly there are few other carriers that offer a differing lounge just for “everyone else”. I am not sure “quirk” would be appreciated by people that use prayer rooms. If one travels internationally to any degree this is more common place everyday. Disclaimer I am not Muslin.
A separate first class lounge is definitely not needed, but it’s a nice perk to have for those that pay extra (whether miles or cash) for it. Quieter area, better food, better wifi, etc. is appropriate for those paying a premium.
I appreciate your concern for being sensitive to the “quirk” description. As a Muslim myself, I used the prayer room and thought “quirk” was appropriate. I definitely didn’t mean it in a negative way.
I have flown both classes paid and awards, and have found other than pure size in Dubai both lounges offer similar fare in food, again more of a variety in the FC lounge. Which frankly is larger than it needs to be. WIFI is more the airports issue and not so much the airlines. SFO is a nice lounge much nicer than US carriers.
Aside from all this EK particularly the 380 is a great ride both First and Biz
Travel safe
how can someone apply for a job position in the lounge? Thank you
I recommend the Emirates careers page.
http://www.emiratesgroupcareers.com/english/