Right now, the far end of Concourse A at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has three lounges: Delta One and Sky Club, a United Club, and The Club at SEA, the shared-use space open to Priority Pass members. Under a plan going back before the Port of Seattle commission on October 27, 2026, The Club’s space would become the first Chase Sapphire Lounge Seattle has ever had, and The Club itself would slide into the old United footprint.
Nothing is final yet. Port documents describe a lounge of roughly 16,000 square feet on a 15-year lease, worth an estimated $135.6 million in rent to the airport. No opening date has been announced.
Where the Chase Sapphire Lounge Seattle plan stands
There is no Chase lounge at Sea-Tac today. Port staff are asking commissioners to approve a lease with AD Partnership, LLC, which won a competitive request for information (RFI 26-7) to operate a Chase-branded card lounge. The Port classifies it as a financial institution lounge.
According to View from the Wing, the commission held off on a decision in September. It comes back as item 9a, listed simply as “Credit Card Lounge,” on the agenda for the October 27 special commission meeting. Until commissioners vote yes, the Chase Sapphire Lounge Seattle project is a proposal, not a done deal.
How the Concourse A lounge swap would work
The plan is a reshuffle, not an addition. Concourse A keeps three lounges at its far end.
| Space on Concourse A | Today | If the lease is approved |
|---|---|---|
| Current Club at SEA space | The Club at SEA (shared-use) | Chase Sapphire Lounge |
| Current United Club space | United Club | The Club at SEA |
| Near gate A11 | Delta One and Sky Club (opened June 2025) | No change |
The Chase space sits on a mezzanine level the Port considers a poor fit for shops and restaurants anyway. The staff memo flags two trade-offs: the relocated Club at SEA may need upgrades, and A Concourse could go briefly without a common-use lounge.
The money behind the Sea-Tac deal
The key lease terms from the Port’s memo and its October briefing deck:
- 15-year term for about 16,000 square feet
- Rent of $500 per square foot per year, or about $8 million a year at the start
- 10% rent bumps in years 6 and 11
- $135.6 million in total rent to the Port over the lease
- $70 million invested by the tenant for the initial build and a midterm refresh
- A $4 million security deposit
- 118 represented hourly jobs plus 10 management positions, per the operator’s submission
Staff put the net present value near $36 million, with a four-year payback on the Port’s sunk costs. Building out the full Club at SEA footprint instead would have cost an extra $24.36 million and taken 11 years to break even. That gap is why staff keep backing the Chase Sapphire Lounge Seattle proposal.
Why the commission got a lounge primer
The October deck starts from first principles, explaining why big airports mix airline, credit card and shared-use lounges. Then it tackles one worry: will lounge guests stop buying food and drinks in the terminal?
Port surveys from April, August and September 2026 found no meaningful gap in how often lounge and non-lounge visitors bought food or beverages. Lounge users were more likely to pick up gifts, personal care items and something to watch on the plane. After the Amex Centurion Lounge opened in the Central Terminal on February 1, 2023, most nearby concessions kept growing sales quarter over quarter.
What Sapphire Reserve cardholders should expect
Port materials call the project a Chase Sapphire Reserve lounge, and the Port describes credit card lounges as spaces for upper-tier cardholders. That points at the Sapphire Reserve as the card that matters. Chase has not published guest rules, hours or menus for a Chase Sapphire Lounge Seattle location, so any specific access policy should be treated as unconfirmed for now.
If you want the card mainly for lounge access in the Pacific Northwest, nothing changes today. Our look at whether the Chase Sapphire Reserve is still worth it covers the rest of the math, and our guide to how lounge guest access works for families and friends is worth reading before you count on bringing companions.
Common misconceptions about the Seattle lounge
- It is already approved. Not yet. The lease still needs a commission vote, and the October 27 meeting is the next chance.
- Priority Pass will get you in. The Port’s slides group Priority Pass under shared-use lounges like The Club at SEA, not under credit card lounges. The Club is not going away under this plan; it is moving to the former United space.
- Sea-Tac is adding a lounge. The count on Concourse A stays at three. A Chase Sapphire Lounge Seattle opening would replace a shared-use space, not add one.
Frequently asked questions about the Chase Sapphire Lounge Seattle plan
When will the Chase Sapphire Lounge in Seattle open?
No opening date has been announced. The lease still needs approval from the Port of Seattle commission, which is set to take it up on October 27, 2026.
Where will the Chase Sapphire Lounge be at Sea-Tac?
At the far end of Concourse A, in the space The Club at SEA uses today. The lounge would sit on a mezzanine level and cover about 16,000 square feet.
Can Priority Pass members use the Chase Sapphire Lounge Seattle?
Nothing published says so. The Port lists Priority Pass under shared-use lounges, and The Club at SEA would remain available in the former United Club space.
Should Seattle flyers plan around a Sapphire lounge yet?
Sapphire Reserve holders who fly out of Sea-Tac often have real reason to watch the October 27 vote, since a yes would put a large Chase space on Concourse A. Priority Pass users and everyone else can skip the worry, because The Club at SEA stays in the building. Just don’t book a trip around a Chase Sapphire Lounge Seattle opening until Chase names a date.
