Background:
I was flying out on a night flight from Oakland to Orange County on Spirit’s Big Front Seat. I haven’t been to Oakland in a while, and now that I have the AMEX Platinum Card, I could access the Escape Lounge at Oakland Airport, The Centurion Studio Partner. I like that Oakland is a quaint small airport, a solid option in the San Francisco Bay Area. There are a lot of budget airlines operating out of Oakland, so for short hops to the Bay Area, it’s often cheaper than flying into San Francisco (SFO).
Access and Hours:
You can get complimentary access to the lounge with an American Express Platinum or Centurion Card (with 2 guests too) or Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card (for yourself only). (Note: Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card Members must be traveling on a Delta marketed flight that day)
If you don’t have any of the above mentioned cards, you could pay $45 with a walk in entry, or pre-book at least 24 hours in advance and pay $40.
The lounge is located in Terminal 1 across from Gate 9. Oakland is a small airport, and Terminal 1 and 2 are connected post security so you’ll be able to access regardless of which terminal you’re leaving from. I was particularly lucky my gate was 9A, so right in front of the lounge.
Hours are 5am to 8pm daily. My Spirit flight was leaving at 8:30pm so it worked perfectly. We actually stayed in the lounge until about 8:15pm, and the staff was very nice and did not kick us out or anything. There were a few people finishing up their drinks and meals as well.
The Lounge:
The Escape Lounge is on the smaller side but it makes sense for a smaller airport like Oakland. But has ample seating. Visiting on Sunday night, the lounge still had plenty of seating. There’s the entrance, a living room like seating area, then the buffet in the middle of the lounge, and more dining room seating with the bar in the back.
The self-serve buffet is not in operation currently, and a nice staff member came to take my order. Since we just had dinner an hour before, we just opted for a soda and cookie. He was so nice and encouraged us to order more food, but we politely declined. Amazing service!
The food menu was pretty solid, and if I didn’t have dinner already I would have tried the Soy Ginger Salmon. Next time if I’m here during the breakfast hours, I would love to also try the Chorizo Breakfast Tacos.
They also had plenty of drinks at the lounge, with 3 complimentary wines for all guests as well as free spirits and beers. Additionally, they had a selection of paid cocktails ($9) and premium wine & spirits.
One minor negative is that there isn’t a private bathroom in the lounge, but there was a bathroom outside, directly opposite the lounge. Oakland Airport could use a refresh as the bathroom was quite outdated.
The Verdict:
Overall, I enjoyed my visit to the Escape Lounge at Oakland Airport. The food offered is definitely better than your average US Domestic Lounge, and if my travels take me to Oakland, I will be excited to visit this lounge again and try more of the food options.
Have you visited the Escape Lounge at Oakland Airport before? How was your experience? Comment below!
Safe travels,
Ty
Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!
