The Best Alaska Airlines Airport Lounges
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If you are flying Alaska Airlines, which are its best airport lounges? We outline the best lounges below.

1. Alaska Airlines Lounge New York JFK Airport, Terminal 7

The Alaska Airlines lounge JFK is superb and stylish, with lots of dark, natural rustic woods and varied seats with loads of power outlets. It’s one of the nicest-looking lounges in JFK, and it can be found in Terminal 7, which is the British Airways terminal.

You can access this lounge for free if you have premium American Express cards, such as The Platinum or the Business Platinum Card® from American Express which come with a free unlimited Priority Pass.

This JFK lounge is a Priority Pass Lounge, like other Alaska lounges. This means that if you’re flying out of JFK Terminal 7 on an Economy or Premium Economy ticket, you can access this lounge. This lounge is the best Priority Pass lounge in the terminal. I can’t think of a more stylish domestic airport lounge, plus it has windows with great views of the planes.

The food in the lounge is good but limited in choice. There are two food sittings, morning and afternoon. In the morning, you have pastry-style food; bagels, English muffins, greek yogurt, scones, and pancakes. Later on, there are seasonal salads, soups, a hummus bar, and cookies. Enough to temporarily keep hunger at bay, but not enough to fill you up long term. Instead, if you are ravenous, there are six larger a la carte “paid for” meals.

There are free soft drinks, good free coffees, and basic beer and wine in this lounge too, but premium beer and cocktails cost $8 each.

2. Alaska Airlines Lounge, Terminal 6 LAX

This new lounge is a part of Priority Pass and is found after security in Terminal 6 at LAX. Walk towards Gate 64 and look for the Alaska lounge sign. You then take the lift up to the lounge. You can access this lounge if you are an Alaska Lounge member, Admirals Club member, flying in First, or have a Priority Pass.

The lounge is bright and light, with a wall of windows looking out to the planes. There is lots of smart, stylish seating, including high tables and stools, sofa seats, cafe seats, and all have plenty of power points and USB ports. There’s also a kid’s play area, and there are workstations.

The buffet is OK but more snacky than filling, with hard-boiled eggs, bagels, yogurt, and oatmeal for breakfast and soups, salads and cookies in the afternoon. There’s also a pancake machine, craft beers, wine, and spirits for free, and premium food and liquor available for purchase.

Overall this lounge is a really nice space, beautifully designed, and gets a big thumbs up from us. The main problem with the lounge is that the food is rather limited compared to other airport lounges at LAX.

3. Alaska Airlines Alaska Lounge, Anchorage Airport

The Alaska Lounge at Anchorage Airport (ANC) is located in Concourse C, near Gate C-1, and is the best airline lounge in Anchorage Airport. The only other lounge is a military-only lounge. This lounge is free with your Priority Pass lounge, which means American Express Platinum Card holders get unlimited free access.

This lounge is bright with big windows overlooking the tarmac and planes. The windows stretch from the ceiling to almost the floor, and they run up one side of the lounge. The lounge doesn’t have any particular style but is pleasant enough, with brown carpeting and pine partitions: brown leather sofas, cafe-style seating, and high stools and tables by the window.

The food on offer is OK with snacks and sandwiches. Drinks are generous with fridges of soft drinks and alcoholic drinks, including free local beer, select wines, and select McCormick spirits (vodka, rum, whiskey, tequila), or for $7 USD, you can upgrade yourself to a premium spirit.

4. Alaska Airlines Lounge, Portland International

This lounge can be found in Concourse C close to Gate 5 and is accessible airside from all gates. Alaska Airline’s premium passengers, Priority Pass members, and American Express Platinum cardholders can access this lounge. You can also buy a day pass to the lounge.

It is worth noting that this lounge often has capacity restraints for Priority Pass members due to overcrowding. So you will not always be able to get into this airport lounge for free using your Priority Pass.

The lounge is small with brown seating, a small buffet area with cafe seats, a TV area, and a business center with a printer and copier. The lounge has views over the tarmac, a Coca-Cola soda fountain, and a Starbucks coffee machine. The food is limited and cold, with a fridge offering cheese and humus, limited and slightly unappealing veggies, leafy salad, a pancake-making machine (in the morning), and sweet and savory cookies. Beer and wine are available, served by attendants. There are very average bathrooms within the lounge too.

If you get free access to this lounge, it is worth using and is pleasant enough, if small and unexciting, but it is definitely not worth paying for this lounge (IMHO) at the door. Portland Airport is really nice, with loads of appealing restaurants and stylish cafes. Everywhere has free Wi-Fi, and there are plenty of more exciting places to relax and eat before your flight.

Alaska Airlines also has an airline lounge at Seattle/Tacoma Airport (SEA) that we have not yet reviewed.

Image © Anton Balazh / Adobe Stock.

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