Alaska Airlines SFO Lounge Returns to Priority Pass With a New $15 Fee
⏱ 5 min read
If you hold a premium travel card and you connect through San Francisco on your way home to Hawaii, you already know the drill. You've paid a hefty annual fee. You expect lounge access. For a long time, that expectation was met. Now it still is, sort of, but Alaska just added a $15 co-pay at its SFO lounge for Priority Pass members.
That fee is small on its own. But combined with what already happened at HNL with the Plumeria Lounge, it's part of a pattern worth paying attention to as kamaaina travelers.
What Happened to Priority Pass at Plumeria
On April 1, 2025, Priority Pass access to the Plumeria Lounge at HNL ended. If you were relying on your Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or another premium card to get you into Plumeria before your flight to the Mainland, that benefit disappeared during the Hawaiian-Alaska merger transition into what is now Atmos Rewards.
Priority Pass did eventually return to HNL, but not through Plumeria. It came back via the Premier Club in Terminal 1, which is a step down in quality and ambiance. So technically you still have lounge access at HNL with certain cards, but the better lounge is now off the table for Priority Pass holders.
A major new lounge at HNL is planned for the Mauka Concourse, expected to open around late 2027. It's supposed to be about five times larger than Plumeria and serve both Alaska and Hawaiian passengers. That's the long-term picture. Right now, though, you're dealing with the Premier Club as the Priority Pass option at HNL.
Alaska's SFO Lounge Is Back in Priority Pass, With a Catch
SFO is one of the most important connecting airports for Hawaii travelers. Plenty of kamaaina fly through San Francisco on Alaska and Hawaiian metal, and the Alaska Airlines Lounge in Terminal 1 is a genuinely nice space. It has a full bar, hot food, comfortable seating, and great runway views. Here's what the current Priority Pass access looks like:
- You must have an active Priority Pass membership through a qualifying card
- You must be flying Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, or a partner airline that day
- You must enter the lounge within four hours of your scheduled departure
- There is now a $15 per-visit co-pay required at the door
So the lounge is still technically in the Priority Pass network. Your card issuer can still market lounge access as a perk. But you, the traveler who already paid a $550 or $695 annual fee, now also pay $15 at the door. That's a real change to the math.
This Is Happening Across the Industry
Alaska's SFO move is not an isolated decision. The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at LAX recently returned to Priority Pass with a $35 co-pay. The pattern is consistent: the lounge stays in the network, the benefit description stays on your card's marketing page, but you pay extra to actually walk through the door. The annual fee stays the same.
For kamaaina travelers who use SFO as a connection point, this matters because the calculus on premium travel cards is changing. Lounge access has been one of the clearest reasons to justify a high annual fee. When that access gets watered down, or adds a surcharge, the value of the card needs to be reassessed.
Where Is the Alaska SFO Lounge?
If you do want to use the lounge on your next trip through SFO, it's located in Terminal 1 between the B and C gates. After clearing security, follow signs toward the B/C gate area. The lounge sits between the two concourses and is easy to spot on the terminal map.
If you hold the Amex Platinum, you also have access to the Centurion Lounge at SFO in the International Terminal. If you are connecting through SFO on Alaska or Hawaiian and your card covers it, that may now be the better play over paying the $15 co-pay at the Alaska lounge. Check which terminal your flight departs from before committing to the walk.
What Cards Still Give You the Most Lounge Value for Hawaii Travel
With Priority Pass co-pays spreading, it's worth thinking about which cards still deliver the most consistent lounge coverage for the routes most kamaaina fly. Here's what still holds up well:
- Amex Platinum: Centurion Lounges at SFO, LAX, and SEA offer premium access without a co-pay. Still among the best lounge networks for Hawaii-bound travel
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: Priority Pass membership included, but you are now subject to co-pays at participating lounges like Alaska SFO. The Reserve also has its own Pay Yourself Back and travel credit benefits that help justify the fee
- Alaska Airlines Visa Signature: No lounge access included, but strong earning and companion fare benefits for HNL flights
- Capital One Venture X: Priority Pass included plus access to Capital One Lounges, though coverage at Hawaii-relevant airports is still growing
Scottie's Take
Honestly, the $15 co-pay on its own is not a dealbreaker. If I'm flying Alaska through SFO and I want to grab a decent meal and a drink before my flight, $15 is still cheaper than buying food at the airport. I get that.
But what bothers me is the direction of travel here, no pun intended. We already watched Plumeria disappear from Priority Pass at HNL. Now the Alaska SFO lounge adds a fee. Virgin Atlantic LAX adds a fee. The lounge access benefit on premium cards keeps getting diluted while annual fees keep going up. At some point, the math just doesn't add up anymore for kamaaina travelers who are paying $550 a year expecting clear, consistent lounge access on our routes.
The good news for those of us flying out of HNL is that a much better lounge is coming to the Mauka Concourse, expected around late 2027. That will serve both Alaska and Hawaiian passengers and should be a meaningful upgrade from what we have now. But 2027 feels like a long way off when you're sitting in the Premier Club right now.
My advice: if lounge access is a primary reason you're holding a premium travel card, spend some time this year reviewing whether your card still delivers. The Ohana Program is a great free way to do exactly that. Mahalo for reading, and as always, drop your questions or experiences in the comments below.
