Sea-Tac International Airport could get a 16,000-square-foot Chase Sapphire Lounge on the A Concourse, as the Port of Seattle Commission was scheduled to consider a 15-year lease and concessions agreement on Tuesday, October 27. The new space would sit beside the expanded Delta One lounge at the end of the concourse, giving premium cardholders a shower-suite-and-cocktails option near the gates.
The agreement, first brought before commissioners in late September, authorizes AD Partnership LLC to build and run the lounge after the Port issued a request for information, according to a Port of Seattle agenda memorandum. The deal includes a $4 million security deposit, and the Port projects it will generate roughly $7.9 million a year in new non-aeronautical revenue with no additional Port investment required. Chase, meanwhile, is expected to spend about $70 million building out the space and later refurbishing it, according to a report from SeattleRed.
A Reworked Plan for a Once-Scrapped Project
The A Concourse space wasn't always destined for Chase. It was originally planned to house a revamped, Port-owned common-use lounge near Gate A11 — essentially a bigger version of The Club at SEA — after commissioners approved that expansion back in May 2022. That plan got scrapped after the Port had already spent about $34 million on it, per the same SeattleRed account, before the agency decided a lounge run by a financial institution or airline would deliver stronger returns with less capital risk on the Port's end.
Getting Chase into the space isn't as simple as handing over keys. United's club currently sits near Gate A10 and is slated to relocate to the B Concourse in 2027; only after United vacates can The Club at SEA move into the old United space, and only after that handoff can Chase actually start construction. The Club at SEA will occupy the former United space with reduced Port investment, and it also maintains an additional location on the mezzanine above Gate S10. No opening date for the Chase lounge has been announced.
Rent Structure and a Revenue Dispute
Under the proposed terms, rent starts at $500 per square foot and climbs 10 percent in lease years six and 11, the SeattleRed report notes. The Port's own memo puts total projected lease revenue at $131.69 million over the 2026-2043 analysis period, while a separate account from View from the Wing cites a $135 million rent figure — the discrepancy between the two numbers hasn't been explained.
The proposal would bring Chase's Sapphire Lounge brand to Seattle.
Who Gets In, and What's Inside
Access follows Chase's existing Sapphire Lounge model: Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders, Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business cardholders, J.P. Morgan Reserve cardholders and The Ritz-Carlton credit cardholders all receive complimentary entry, along with up to two guests. Additional guests cost $27 each, and children age 2 and under get in free, according to View from the Wing's reporting. The lounge is expected to offer shower suites and seating. Chase plans to staff the lounge.
The proposed Chase lounge would add a premium lounge option at Sea-Tac. Chase's Seattle presence is also part of a broader buildout; the company's lounge network is expected to reach 12 locations once Seattle, Los Angeles and Miami open and a Phoenix location expands, per View from the Wing.
Commissioners Weigh Local Business Impact
The vote didn't happen without pushback. Commissioners heard concerns that a premium credit-card lounge could cut into small businesses' revenue by pulling well-heeled travelers away from concourse restaurants and shops.
The Port's own data offered some reassurance on that front: lounge visitors are about as likely as non-lounge visitors to spend money elsewhere in the airport, and they tend to spend roughly the same amount, according to the presentation cited by View from the Wing. About 12 percent of Sea-Tac passengers in 2025 were Chase customers, and roughly one in six of those passengers were eligible for Sapphire Lounge access — and nationally, lounge access is no small draw, with View from the Wing reporting that 47 percent of lounge users choose their flights or connections specifically based on which lounges they can get into.
