4 Things to Know About Alaska Airlines Lounges

Alaska Airlines has a small, but mighty lounge presence with eight locations at major airports in the U.S.

We’ve compiled a list of things you need to know about Alaska Airlines lounges — from where they're located to how to gain access.

» Learn more: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan: Your complete guide

What to know about Alaska lounges

1. Where to find them

There are eight Alaska lounges in six U.S. airports:

• Seattle (SEA) — three lounges.

• Anchorage, Alaska (ANC).

• Portland, Oregon (PDX).

• Los Angeles (LAX).

• San Francisco (SFO).

• New York-JFK.

American Airlines Admirals Club lounges

Alaska lounge members also can access select American Airlines Admirals Club locations, which adds 48 more airports to the Alaska lounge membership roster — six of which are outside the U.S. (Buenos Aires, Argentina; London; Mexico City; Paris; Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo). To use Admirals Clubs, you must be flying on a flight ticketed by Alaska Airlines or American Airlines.

Qantas Club lounges

Qantas is another Alaska Airlines partner that offers Alaska lounge members access to its clubs. To gain access to a Qantas Club, you must be ticketed on a same-day Qantas flight. This adds an additional 31 lounges to the roster, most of which are located in Australia. Note that Qantas lounge access for Alaska lounge members does not include Qantas first class lounges.

» Learn more: Baffled by points and miles? Let the 80/20 rule guide you

United Airlines, Cathay Pacific and other partner lounges

Alaska has five other partner lounges (including United and Cathay Pacific lounges) in Minneapolis, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington-National. All lounges require a same-day ticket for travel on Alaska Airlines to access (in addition to your club membership).

2. The five ways to get into Alaska Airlines lounges

You can access the Alaska lounges with a lounge membership, holding Oneworld elite status, buying a day pass (three lounges only) or when flying first class on flights operated by Alaska Airlines.

Fly first class on Alaska Airlines

Buying a first class flight does not guarantee access to partner lounges — only to Alaska lounges.

Additionally, access for first class passengers is limited by the fare code on your ticket, meaning it may not apply to travelers who have been upgraded to first class.

» Learn more: The guide to Alaska Airlines first class

Buy an Alaska lounge membership

An annual membership to Alaska Airlines lounges is $350 for Mileage Plan MVP elite status holders. The standard annual rate for those without elite status starts at $450. You can add a spouse or domestic partner to your membership for an additional $250 a year.

Alaska also has a lounge membership called Alaska Lounge+ membership, which includes access to more than 90 partner lounges as well as Alaska lounges. The price starts at $500.

If you enjoy your Alaska lounge experience after using a day pass, you can always purchase a membership. If you do so within 30 days of your day pass visit, the cost of the day pass will be refunded.

Become an American Airlines Admirals Club member

If you don’t fly Alaska Airlines enough to merit purchasing an annual membership, consider the American Airlines Admirals Club instead. As an Admirals Club member, you’ll have access to Alaska lounges in Anchorage, Los Angeles, New York-JFK, Portland and Seattle. However, you will need to have a same-day departure ticketed on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines to access the lounges this way.

Hold elite status with the Oneworld alliance

Emerald and Sapphire Oneworld members who earned status through Alaska or American Airlines are eligible for complimentary lounge access on certain international trips. If you're traveling on an itinerary to Mexico City, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia or Australia, you're eligible to visit an Alaska lounge with your Oneworld status.

If you hold Oneworld Emerald or Sapphire status that has been earned through an airline other than American or Alaska, you are not required to have an international itinerary.

Purchase a day pass

On June 13, 2022, Alaska increased the price of the day pass from $50 to $60. And to make things worse, you can only buy single-entry day passes to visit lounges in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York-JFK. You cannot buy a day pass for all other lounges. Note that lounges can (and do) decline entry to day pass holders when they're nearing capacity.

3. The rules for guest access

With an Alaska lounge membership, you can bring immediate family members or two guests with you for free. If you need to bring more guests, you can purchase additional passes for $30 per visit. Members can also purchase $30 day passes for guests who are not traveling with them. Children under 2 can visit for free with applicable adults.

Pets are allowed in Alaska lounges, as long as there is no conflict with local ordinances. All pets must remain quiet, well-behaved and kenneled. Whether you’re traveling with a service animal or a family pet, no animals are allowed on furniture, and they can’t drink or eat from Alaska lounge dishes.

4. What fun amenities await

Lounges are known for the free food and drinks, but Alaska lounges are upping the novelty factor with an opportunity to “print” your own pancakes. The machine can produce 180 pancakes an hour, and some frequent flyers are known to plan their travel around when the pancakes are printing.

Many lounges also feature nods to local food, drinks and artists. The San Francisco Alaska Airlines lounge has a sourdough toast cart, a candy bar with Ghirardelli chocolate and a San Francisco Giants-themed play area for kids.

Final thoughts on Alaska Airlines lounge access

Alaska offers its lounge members various opportunities to enjoy its lounges, American Airlines Admirals Clubs, Qantas Clubs, Oneworld and other partner lounges. Unfortunately, the purchase of single-use day passes has been restricted to only three lounges and the price has increased from $50 to $60, making it more difficult for flyers to access. However, the restriction isn’t surprising given Alaska’s recent membership in Oneworld and the increased traffic as a result.