Seattle's planned Chase Sapphire Lounge faces a new port vote on Oct. 27

Chase wants to open a large Sapphire Lounge at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. It will have to wait a little longer to find out if it can. Port of Seattle commissioners postponed a vote on the lease at their September 22 meeting, View from the Wing reported. The three commissioners present voted 3-0 to delay it, and the item is now due back on October 27.

What Chase is asking for

The details are in the Port's own commission memo. It asks commissioners to approve a lease with AD Partnership, LLC to run a Chase Sapphire Lounge. Key points from the memo:

• The lounge would be about 16,000 square feet.
• It would sit at the end of the A Concourse.
• The lease runs for 15 years.
• Rent is projected at $500 per square foot per year, rising 10% in years six and eleven.
• That works out to about $7.9 million a year for the Port.
• The security deposit is $4 million.

View from the Wing reports that Chase plans to spend $70 million on the build and a midterm refresh. It also says the lounge would be next to the Delta One lounge. No opening date has been given.

Why the vote was delayed

According to View from the Wing, commissioners raised several questions. Some asked whether premium cardholders should get dedicated airport space. Others asked how a big lounge might affect spending at shops and restaurants in the terminal. Two commissioners were absent, which was another reason given for waiting.

What it means for The Club SEA

This is the part that matters most for many Seattle flyers. The space Chase wants was first planned as a Port-owned common-use lounge for The Club SEA. The memo says an alternative location for that lounge has been found. It also warns there may be a short period with no common-use lounge on Concourse A, and that the new spot may need some upgrades.

The Club SEA on Concourse A is popular with Priority Pass members. You can see it on our The Club SEA page. There is a second Club lounge in the South Satellite, listed as The Club SEA (S). If the Chase deal goes ahead, watch for dates on the move so you are not caught out.

Who would get in

Sapphire Lounges are not open to every Chase card. According to Upgraded Points, free entry is for holders of the Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Reserve for Business, J.P. Morgan Reserve and Ritz-Carlton cards. It reports that extra guests cost $27 each, and others can buy a $100 day pass. Rules can change by the time a Seattle lounge opens, so check before you go.

If you hold the card, see our Sapphire Reserve page for the other lounges it opens. Chase already has Sapphire Lounges at airports such as Dallas Fort Worth and Boston. Our Seattle airport page lists what is open there today.

My take

Seattle badly needs more lounge space for people without Delta or Alaska status, so a big Sapphire Lounge would help Reserve holders. My worry is the gap for everyone else if The Club SEA has to move first. I will be watching the October 27 meeting closely.

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