Alaska Airlines Is Kicking Most First Class Flyers Out Of Their Lounges As Rules Change In February 2023

Alaska Airways is altering the principles for accessing their Boardroom Airport Lounges that are at the moment complimentary for all passengers with a First Class ticket however that received’t be the case for much longer.

For bookings made on or after November 18, 2022, for journey from February 15, 2023 and past, Lounge entry shall be based mostly on two standards: Distance (2100+ miles) and date of ticket buy.

Passengers holding a First Class ticket that was bought previous to yesterday’s announcement will proceed to be eligible for entry for the yr to return, simply as no person will discover a change with tickets at the moment bought till the February deadline kicks in. However after that each one bets are off.

Thus far Alaska Airways was the final airline that also allowed First Class passengers to make use of their membership lounge irrespective of buying a membership however that is going to return to an finish in mid-February 2023.

You may entry their web site with all of the lounge entry guidelines right here.

Alaska goes alternative ways to facilitate their lounge entry coming February and this has the potential to confuse numerous clients, particularly established Alaska fliers.

• First Class Lounge entry:
  • For bookings made on or after November 18, 2022, for journey February 15, 2023 and past, Lounge entry shall be based mostly on two standards:
  • Distance: Passengers touring on a paid First Class or a First Class award ticket* on flights operated by Alaska Airways the place one flight has a distance of not less than 2,100 miles. Lounge entry is granted on the day of the flight solely, to all lounges in that day’s itinerary, together with connecting flights which might be lower than 2,100 miles. Lounge entry shouldn’t be included for household or different company not touring in First Class. Entrance into different airline clubrooms shouldn’t be included with First Class fares or awards. To entry the Alaska Lounge, passengers should present their eligible same-day First Class boarding cross to the Alaska Lounge Workers. Passengers touring on a paid First Class or a First Class award ticket* the place no single flights exceed 2,100 miles can buy a reduced day cross**.
  • Membership 49 members: Membership 49 members can even entry the Lounge when touring on a paid First Class or a First Class award ticket* on flights operated by Alaska Airways, to, by or from the state of Alaska, whatever the flight distance, solely on their day of flight.
  • For bookings made on or after November 18, 2022 for journey by February 14, 2023: Passengers touring on a paid First Class or a First Class award ticket* on flights operated by Alaska Airways have entry to Alaska Lounge places solely on their day of flight. Lounge entry shouldn’t be included for household or different company not touring in First Class. Entrance into different airline clubrooms shouldn’t be included with First Class fares or awards. To entry the Alaska Lounge, passengers should present their same-day First Class boarding cross to the Alaska Lounge Workers.
  • For bookings made by November 17, 2022 for any future journey date: Passengers touring on a paid First Class or a First Class award ticket* on flights operated by Alaska Airways have entry to Alaska Lounge places solely on their day of flight. Lounge entry shouldn’t be included for household or different company not touring in First Class. Entrance into different airline clubrooms shouldn’t be included with First Class fares or awards. To entry the Alaska Lounge, passengers should present their same-day First Class boarding cross to the Alaska Lounge Workers.

Flights with not less than 2,100 miles embody coast-to-coast, Hawai’i and worldwide long-haul flights.
*applies to fares booked in C, D, E, J, or I class. Passengers upgraded to First Class, (booked in U class of service) whether or not complimentary, paid, or utilizing miles would not have complimentary entry to the Alaska Lounge.
**Day cross entry to an Alaska Lounge location is topic to area availability

I’m wondering who got here up with this extraordinarily complicated algorithm regarding lounge entry with Alaska Airways after they gave lounge entry to any First Class passenger flat out for therefore a few years!?

This in fact aligns Alaska with the opposite U.S. carriers that require a membership to entry the lounge at the same time as a ticketed home First Class passenger. The identical insurance policies exist for instance with American, Delta and United together with the availability that Transcon flights reminiscent of Los Angeles-Fort Lauderdale or Seattle-New York are nonetheless eligible for lounge entry as these flights are over 2,100 miles in distance.

There shall be no rule change for non-U.S. oneWorld elite members who’re nonetheless going to have the ability to entry the lounge when including their elite quantity to the reservation:

In case you are a oneworld Emerald or Sapphire member that has been earned by an airline apart from American or Alaska, you aren’t required to have a world itinerary. For legitimate entry, the qualifying frequent flier quantity have to be in your reservation.

Alaska Airways had a troublesome run with their lounges together with the fixed issues with Precedence Move the place members are nearly all the time denied entry:

Practically All Alaska Airways Lounges Have Simply Exited The Precedence Move Community (But Once more)

Portland  lounges left in early summer season, Anchorage final week, and the Los Angeles location as of yesterday (July 23, 2021) which I discovered to my detriment as I used to be making an attempt to make use of it myself.

• New York JFK stays within the community as the one AS location left (for now)

The Precedence Move has been very strongly pushed and at instances over-marketed, particularly by bank card merchandise on the U.S. market to the poin of the place these days each premium bank card product appears to return with a Precedence Move.

Alaska has all the time been a really outstanding member of the PP community and members did like their lounges however the places in Seattle in addition to in Los Angeles began to introduce the scary signal studying:

We’re not accepting Precedence Move or Lounge Membership right now. Apologies for the inconvenience.

Whereas some lounges do certainly restrict entry for exterior memberships throughout peak hours of their very own flights Alaska was by no means one in all these as their membership amenities are normally massive sufficient.

I all the time thought that Alaska going the additional mile and providing one thing additional for his or her premium passengers is a pleasant contact however they lastly went dumpster diving as effectively, becoming a member of the opposite U.S. carriers which is just too dangerous.

Conclusion

Alaska Airways is placing restrictions on their First Class tickets which not include lounge entry beginning February 15, 2023 excluding the lengthy transcon flights of 2100+ miles.

Evidently with these new insurance policies Alaska is making an attempt to fight overcrowding of their lounges which on the identical time extracting additional income by pushing gross sales of the Alaska Lounge memberships. I do marvel how many individuals will chunk and buy a membership membership from them, particularly because it’s going up in worth by one other $50 (from January).

What do you make of this modification?