Chase has rapidly built out a network of nearly 10 Sapphire Lounges and counting for travelers with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® in major airports across the country. The bank now has its sights set on Seattle.
View from the Wing was the first to report that a massive new Chase Sapphire Lounge could be heading to Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) airport’s Concourse A … and now it’s official. The Port of Seattle approved Chase’s plans during a meeting on Tuesday.
The schematics call for a stunning, 16,000-square-foot space decked out with all the usual Chase Sapphire Lounge staples: made-to-order food and drinks at your table via QR code, shower suites, family rooms, and more. Renderings also show a signature bar, something Chase is calling a “Collector’s Lounge,” and what appears to be a semi-outdoor terrace.
There’s no timeline for the lounge opening – or even beginning construction – and Chase hasn’t yet confirmed its plans for the new space beyond these public documents. But considering the bank has to boot The Club – a Priority Pass lounge currently occupying the footprint across from Gate A11 – from the space to begin teardown, expansion, and construction, travelers can safely assume this Chase Sapphire Lounge won’t open for at least a year or more.
Renderings show a beautiful space with the elevated-yet-homey decor that sets Chase’s lounges apart from the competition.
As with all Sapphire Lounges, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card will be the best way to get in. Reserve cardholders get unlimited complimentary access for themselves and two guests, while authorized users get their own access and guest privileges. Travelers with the Ritz-Carlton Card can also get in with two guests, but that card is no longer available to new applicants (but you can still get it!).
Chase recently stopped allowing travelers with Priority Pass memberships from other banks, such as American Express or Capital One, to access Sapphire Lounges once a year. So without a top-tier Chase card, day passes will run you $100.
Chase’s plans for the space were initially paused by Port of Seattle Commission members earlier this month, the latest chapter in a years-long saga to expand lounges at the airport. Port staff gave commissioners more data about the economic impact of lounges on dining and retail and committed to renewing the study for a five-year period as a condition of approval.
This whole process began in May 2022, when the commission approved a major expansion of the airport’s A Concourse to build a two-story Delta Sky Club and expand an existing Priority Pass-accessible “The Club” lounge. That space eventually became a new Sky Club with a 10,000-square-foot Delta One Lounge on the second level – both of which opened in late 2025.
But plans to build a larger “The Club” lounge stalled and were scrapped late last year – even though the Port of Seattle has already spent about $34 million on The Club SEA build-out. The commission says swapping in for a Chase lounge will get the Port off the hook for the remaining construction costs, and the revenue from the lease agreement can pay off the sunk expenses by 2043.
The Port says The Club SEA will take over a nearby space that United is leaving in 2027, which will cost significantly less to build out than the 16,000-square-foot Chase Sapphire space.
Bottom Line
It’s official: Chase has been approved for a new, 16,000-square-foot Sapphire Lounge in Seattle.
While the construction timeline and a potential opening date are still very much up in the air, it’s welcome news for travelers waiting for more lounge options at the airport.
All renderings courtesy of Port of Seattle
Considering how many years it took Chase to build that tiny lounge in Phoenix, I wouldn’t be confident that this one would be completed in a year.
Yeah a year is INCREDIBLY optimistic – hence “at least a year or more.”