Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is getting a Chase Sapphire Lounge. The Port of Seattle commission approved the lease this week, clearing the way for Chase and lounge operator Airport Dimensions to build a 16,000 square foot space on the A concourse, right next to Delta's lounge complex.
The approval didn't come easily. A month earlier, commissioners had voted to postpone the project after raising some remarkably basic questions. Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa asked what Chase Sapphire actually was and whether dedicating space to a cardmember lounge squared with the Port's equity goals. Commissioner Hamdi Mohamed wondered if lounge guests would skip paying for food elsewhere in the terminal. The plan then became a minor controversy when Vice President Sam Cho complained that details of the confidential-ish proposal had leaked online — despite the fact that everything was in the Port's own public agenda packet.
To get the deal over the line, airport staff returned with a 24-slide deck explaining what airport lounges are, who Chase is, and data showing lounge visitors buy food in the terminal at roughly the same rate as everyone else. Nearby concession sales kept growing even after the Amex Centurion Lounge opened, staff argued. The commission was satisfied.
The numbers are hefty: Chase will invest around $70 million across the initial build and a mid-term refurbishment, under a 15-year lease that should bring the airport roughly $135.6 million in rent.
For travellers, the fun part is the lounge domino effect it triggers. United is building a new club on the B concourse in the old Centurion Lounge space, vacating its current A concourse spot. The Priority Pass-accessible Club is expected to move into United's old space. Chase, meanwhile, takes over The Club's current home plus the adjacent area once earmarked for its expansion. Net result: more premium lounge capacity across the board at one of America's busiest trans-Pacific gateways.
Why it matters: Sapphire Lounges are free for holders of the Chase Sapphire Reserve and certain other premium Chase cards, and they typically include showers, local food and drink, and relatively calm seating. Seattle is a major hub for both Delta and Alaska, and a gateway to Asia, so extra lounge space — especially another Priority Pass-network property once Chase joins — should ease chronic overcrowding. If you connect through SEA regularly, this is genuinely good news, though you'll need to wait: with a $70 million build ahead, doors won't open for some time.
Story via View from the Wing.
