United’s finally opening the doors to its second Polaris Lounge this coming Monday, April 30, at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) — nearly a year and a half after the first location opened at Chicago O’Hare (ORD).Fast-acting frequent flyers are getting an early look on April 27, but the airline’s also hosting a media preview today, giving us a chance to take a peek at the gigantic new space before it opens to the public.And boy is it big. To put this space into perspective, Amex is opening the world’s largest Centurion Lounge at New York-JFK in 2019, measuring a whopping 15,000 square feet. United’s latest business-class lounge is nearly twice the size of that.Image courtesy of United Airlines.Given that record-breaking stat, I decided to dig into a few other key figures.Number of daily Polaris-eligible departing flights: 17Hours open each day: 18.5 (6:30am-1:00am)Number of floors: 2Total square feet: 28,120Different types of seating: 19Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Total seats available: 440Number of dining tables: 16Total wines available: 14, including 7 from California wineriesPower outlets: 492, plus another 492 USB portsNumber of shower suites: 8Total daybeds: 5I’m most impressed by the lounge’s size, though. The Chicago location fills up quite easily, and that lounge measures in at an impressive 16,292 square feet, with a total of 277 seats. And, that’s not even close to what’s available at SFO, and given the strict access restrictions, I’m hopeful that overcrowding won’t become an issue in San Francisco.A daybed at United’s first Polaris Lounge in Chicago.To get in, you’ll need to be traveling in one of the following cabins:United Polaris first classUnited Polaris business classStar Alliance long-haul first classStar Alliance long-haul business classFirst-class passengers may also bring a guest, but access is restricted to long-haul intercontinental travel — if you’re flying between the US and Canada, Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean, you won’t have access, unfortunately.
