False alarm: Don’t count on visiting these lounges with your Priority Pass card
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On Tuesday, I noticed three interesting additions to the Priority Pass website: the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), the Alaska Lounge at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and P.F. Chang’s at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Although these additions wouldn’t have been completely unrealistic, they did seem too good to be true. Most notably, did Chase really secretly open its first-ever airport lounge without any fanfare? And, did it do so in a city that’s currently closed to U.S. tourists?
My suspicions turned out to be true — this was just another fluke by Priority Pass.
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In June, TPG broke the news that Chase is entering the airport lounge game with its Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club.
The first three locations will be in New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and both Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers and Priority Pass members can access. So, coming across the HKG lounge on the Priority Pass website would make sense.
The only problem? Chase has confirmed to us that no Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club locations are open yet. As of now, Chase has just said that the HKG lounge would open “later this year.”
While you may not be able to visit this lounge quite yet, this can certainly be an indication that it’s preparing to open soon. The Priority Pass site even lists a precise location for the lounge, which hasn’t been announced yet.
Related: Best credit cards for airport lounge access
Next up is the new Alaska Lounge at SFO, which just opened in August. Alaska Lounges have historically welcomed Priority Pass members, though all but the JFK location cut access over the summer.
When the SFO location opened, Alaska confirmed to TPG that it won’t accept Priority Pass members. And unfortunately, that hasn’t changed.
A spokesperson of the airline confirmed to TPG: “This is an error and we’re working with Priority Pass to straighten it out.”
Could this be an indication that the lounge will join the Priority Pass network soon? It’s possible, but I wouldn’t bet on it given Alaska’s response. Unlike the Chase Sapphire Lounge, this lounge has since been removed from the Priority Pass website.
Related: The ultimate guide to Alaska Airlines lounge access
Priority Pass also briefly relisted the restaurant P.F. Chang’s at LAX. The restaurant participated in the program from Sept. 2018 to Oct. 2019 and would certainly be a welcome addition if it returned considering that the Priority Pass options at LAX have thinned out. However, as with the Alaska Lounge, the restaurant has since been removed from the site.
Related: The best Priority Pass lounges around the world
So, how did this happen? Were these truly technical errors, or is Priority Pass actually working on onboarding these lounges and simply updated its site too soon?
Priority Pass wasn’t able to provide a statement in time for publication. Unfortunately, the former seems more likely as this isn’t the first time Priority Pass has listed a new lounge on its website in error. Back in June, Priority Pass added Cathay Pacific’s “The Wing” first class lounge at HKG to the app, but the airline quickly stated that was not correct.
Bottom line
Unfortunately, it seems the Alaska Lounge at SFO and P.F. Chang’s at LAX aren’t joining Priority Pass, and you’ll have to wait a little longer to visit the new Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club at HKG. That said, your Priority Pass membership will still prove to be valuable as travel ramps back up.
Most airport lounges have reopened and there have still been some other exciting recent additions to the Priority Pass network, such as most U.S. Lufthansa lounges and ANA’s lounges at Tokyo Haneda (HND) and Narita (NRT).
If you’re strategic, you might even be able to leverage your membership to get $112 in free food.
Featured photo courtesy of Alaska Airlines.
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