United Club

What a let down for international travelers. I’m in the international terminal United Club right now.
The cappuccino comes out tasteless and almost cold.
The buffet consists of unripe bananas, stale pastries and plain yoghurt with fruit.
No shower rooms that I can see and very crowded.
I’ve been in BA, Virgin, Singapore, Cathay and Emirates lounges and they all kick United’s lounge’s ass by an order of magnitude.
United and the other US airlines need to do better, a lot better.
The internet speed is molasses slow. Might actually be quicker to hand deliver a message from SFO to Denver then get online and send an email…

Flight was delayed because the crew didn’t arrive to fly the plane! Went in there with my annual credit card pass and the dude said I needed one for each family member. Couldn’t even cut us a break with our flight being delayed! I really hate these exclusive clubs for high class people!

Bad service. Crappy food.
Dear United:
Why do you bother to open a lounge just to show that you don’t care about service? It’s bad enough you gave up on service in the air. Now, you don’t have to prove it once again on the ground. United = bad service. I get that. It’s really a toss up between bad service and no service. After what I’ve been through in this lounge, I’d choose the latter. As to the specifics of bad services, please refer to comments by other Unilocalers.

This lounge is pretty good. It does not compare at all with any foreign airline lounges and United should be ashamed at itself for having very low cost amenities at its lounges. Any Asian airline lounges beats the U. S airline by a mile!!!

Comfortable, a few decent food selections.

Yay! I got the pleasure of coming into the United Club. I was able to get something to drink and eat while I charging my phone and studying. There were a ton of seating when I was waiting for my flight home. I enjoyed the quietness and ample amount of chairs.

Beware if the United Club attendant is a fellow named Ralph Mellilo. United has a partnership with Amtrak, and I had a temporary Club Acela pass sent to me with the following message:
«Look for your 2016 Select Plus membership card and kit to arrive in late February. In the meantime, please download and print your temporary membership card for immediate access to all ClubAcela®, Amtrak Metropolitan LoungeSM, First class lounges and United Club locations.»
Ralph refused to let me in with the temporary membership card, which was represented in an email (that he refused to even look at), insisting I needed the physical card (which, based on the above message, I wouldn’t get for a couple of months). Amtrak customer service was willing to talk to him, but he also refused. He said I needed a physical card because anyone could just copy info on a cell phone (wouldn’t it be more secure with a member # and an ID, which I had?). As he says this, he keeps letting people past me just by scanning their cell phones… with no physical cards. The worst part is the self righteous attitude the entire time, as if I’m trying to sneak in or something and he’s protecting the company from intruders.
All I can say is, something about this partnership is messed up, and my wife and I were denied something that I earned justly through that partnership, which made three hours of layover that much more difficult.
Update: At the next stopover in Chicago a few hours later, the United Club representative checks me in, no problem. I’d give that a five star review.

For a United Airlines Hub you would think they would be smart enough to have showers for their non First Class customers, but NOOOO! I haven’t had a shower in 24 hours coming from Asia.
If I had a long layover, I’d go to Singapore Airlines to get that shower!

United has at long last made UNITED CLUB worthy of association with the airline’s history and service. While not over the top as airline lounges go, the recent addition of limited food offerings is a welcome change. Also, the newest club location found in SFO Terminal 3, next to Gate 69, is smart, clean and comfortable. There are multiple charging ports located next to every lounge seat, and they accommodate USB connectors as well as the usual 110v plugs.
Sit back and take some of the stress out of air travel; the free cocktails, wine and beer naturally go a long way to achieving that goal!

Very good experience at the new club between gate 70 and the 60 – 69 wing. Looks clean and nice, lots of USB plugs in the comfy chairs.
I sat at the bar and ate a solid meal, especially since the spread changed before I left within an hour. I liked the soup (chili). Everything was good.
The bartender was attentive (I tipped each drink).
Tried wifi, but didn’t succeed on iPhone.

Love the new club! Beautifully designed, the Club food has been much improved over the past year. The reason I can’t give this 5 stars is that the seating is very limited for such an overcrowded airport.

Airport layover: maybe the two most hated words in the English language. Most travelers would do anything to escape the depressing food, throngs of aggravating people, and jarringly loud overlapping announcements. An airline club is pretty much the only way to accomplish that, so hopefully you’ve either got some vouchers or plenty of disposable income. Ironically, SFO isn’t such a bad airport, with decent food and relatively spacious concourses, which means this club seems a paltry upgrade by comparison. Yes, it’s definitely quieter, which is a huge advantage, although they let small children in which means the quiet may not last. The desultory spread of snacks and beverages reminds me of school alumni events and some of the lesser work receptions I’ve been to, nothing you couldn’t find at your local supermarket. At least the seats are comfortable and there are plugs all around. Overall, this was a pleasant enough oasis from the madness of the terminal, but I’m glad I had a voucher and didn’t have to pay for the experience.

There is a new club. It’s near gate 70 at the gateway to the new 60 – 71 gates. I would say it holds about 150 people. It has a nice view of the flight line operations. Modern look but united still is stingy with plugs for charging. Food selection is average. Nice to have this added club.

This is your average United Lounge. It’s not bad for a domestic airport — it has your standard breakfast snacks (cereal, oatmeal, fruit) and the coffee is just ok. It’s free though so the price is right.

Great, newly updated United Club and this one is beautiful. (Houston United Clubs need to follow suit.) They must feel the AmEx Centurion Lounges hot on their heels. Great place to relax pre-​flight and worth the price of admission if you’re not a member.

I feel obligated to review this UC club as I have used it for years being a regular UA flier our of SFO. (Note that this review is for the older club at T3, just off the food court). As many have stated the club can be VERY crowded and often filled with families. At times even seats may not be available it may be so crowded. The food is basic to bad with the regular limited breakfast, lunch, and dinner snack selections. The club is now more than just a little run down as it really hasn’t been updated for years. Even the bathrooms are at times not particularly clean. Often the seating area is cluttered because of the high use and limited cleaning staff.
On the positive side, it is conveniently located in the central area of the old part of T3, just off the food court area.
My usual M.O. is to get a seat at the bar or in the bar area as it is typically open. Frankie is great if he is working when you head in. The well drinks are free as are the standard UA wines and beers. The do offer premium wines and beers as well as call drinks at an additional charge. I have found the premium wines to be actually good to excellent and they often offer some kind of discount if I us my UA visa to purchase.
The UA desk staff can be helpful but not overly friendly. Unless it is really crazy there typically is not much of a line for help.
Not really enough positive here lately hence my move probably to the AmEx club next year.

Even by United’s (low) standards, this club is really crappy. It’s super packed all the time, full of children (ugh), the bar is insanely expensive ($ 14 for a mimosa? Really? For a premier member?), the seating is limited and not comfortable at all. It’s also poorly located.
My credit card gives me free access. I would NEVER actually pay for it tho. I pity those that do, they got screwed.

The same mediocre experience you should come to expect from United. Club is usually packed and there are limited food and beverage selections. Be careful with the bar because they have a number of premium wines and food and you can order one without realizing, and end up with a $ 30 bill.
I will say though — we had help in a big way from a United rep who helped my wife get through security and deal with a boarding issue when United’s systems were not working. Customer service here is great, food and beverages are bad.

Airport lounge shoot-​out: Part ²⁄₅
This is the second of five airport lounges that I visited recently over a two week period. This United Club is situated in SFO Terminal 3. I had about an hour to burn before a Friday evening SFO-​SAN flight, and occupied a bar stool for that period.
Pros: Great premium taps — Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, both Cali natives. They let me plug my charger in at the bar area so I could reload my phone. Standard United Club WiFi with password clearly displayed.
Cons: The barkeep was not particularly friendly. But she was at the end of her shift so I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt. Some argument with a customer over the pistol not dispensing tonic. Pretty much default United Club offerings wrt snacks, but no yogurt covered raisins — I’m a pig and like mixing their sweet and salty snacks :(
All in all, a comfortable way to burn my SFO waiting time, but a pretty average (or below) lounge when compared to other Star Alliance lounges. Still, where else are you gonna go? :)

United has given up and gone home. So will I.
This place is trashed
Wrappers on the floor
Read newspapers on the side tables
Coffee mugs with sweetener packets on the coffee tables
Does anyone pick up around here?
Not only does United have one of the least appealing clubs when it comes to amenities the staff does not pick up after guests. Don’t get me started on the men’s room. That was disgusting.
If you need to take a break, high tail it to the International terminal and use that Club. It’s a little better kept.