Seattle Port Delays Chase Sapphire Lounge Vote at SEA Until October 27

A planned Chase Sapphire Lounge at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport will wait at least another month for approval. Port of Seattle commissioners voted 3 to 0 on September 22 to postpone a 15 year lease for a roughly 16,000 square foot credit card lounge at the end of Concourse A, pushing the decision to October 27, View from the Wing reports.

Nothing changes for travelers at SEA yet, and no opening date has been set. If you pass through Seattle on the way to or from a cruise, our guide to getting from the Seattle cruise port to the airport covers the transfer side of the trip.

A Postponed Vote, Not a Rejection

The item on the commission’s September 22 agenda asked commissioners to authorize a lease and concession agreement with AD Partnership, LLC for a non aeronautical, credit card lounge on A Concourse, according to the port staff memo. View from the Wing identifies the tenant as Chase and reports that the commission voted unanimously to delay rather than decide.

Commissioners raised two concerns, according to the report. Commissioner Hasegawa questioned carving out space for one group of travelers: “What are we doing and why are we carving out a specific space for one subset of people?” Commissioner Cho objected that details had circulated publicly first: “This news went out…three days ago before any of us got a chance to vote on it.” The item is now expected back on October 27. The September 22 meeting record is on the port’s meetings site.

What the Port Is Being Asked to Approve

The memo describes a space of approximately 16,000 square feet at the end of A Concourse and a 15 year term. Rent would start at $500 per square foot per year, rising 10% in years 6 and 11, which the port estimates at about $7.9 million in annual revenue. The tenant would post a $4 million security deposit.

The staff presentation lists a total tenant investment of $70 million, covering the initial buildout and a midterm refurbishment, with no additional port investment. The memo notes the port has already spent $25.9 million in allocated base building costs and $8 million on earlier lounge design work for the space. Neither document gives a construction start or an opening date.

Club at SEA Would Have to Move

According to View from the Wing, the Chase lounge would take the Club at SEA’s current location plus adjacent expansion space; the report describes the Club at SEA as the Priority Pass accessible lounge on the concourse. The memo says the Club at SEA must relocate to an alternative location with a set turnover date, and warns that the move could create a temporary gap in lounge service on Concourse A.

The presentation says a lounge location that United is set to vacate in 2027 would host a different shared use lounge. That lines up with United’s plan to move its club, covered in our report on the United Club move to Concourse B in 2027. If you rely on the Club at SEA today, expect its location to change before any Chase lounge opens.

What Chase Cardholders Can Expect

Neither port document addresses who could use the lounge, and access rules for a Seattle location have not been published, so do not plan a trip around it. The memo describes the space only as a credit card lounge, and the presentation shows renderings of dining, bar and seating areas without listing entry terms.

For now, SEA’s existing lounges are unchanged. View from the Wing lists an American Express Centurion Lounge in the Central Terminal alongside Delta Sky Clubs and Alaska Lounges, and a Delta One lounge near the end of Concourse A, close to the proposed Chase site. The next milestone to watch is the October 27 commission meeting, when the lease could be approved, amended or delayed again.