Alaska Airlines just announced a new pricing schedule for annual membership to the Alaska Lounge. As of August 30, 2019, Alaska Lounge pricing will be:
- $450 for standard Mileage Plan members (no change)
- $400 for MVP members (increase from $375)
- $350 for MVP Gold members (increase from $295)
- $300 for MVP Gold 75K members (increase from $295)
Keep in mind that the new pricing is still less than the other players:
- Delta Sky Club: starting at $545 for a basic membership without guest access
- United Club: $450 for Premier 1K, $500 for Premier Platinum, and $550.00 for Premier Gold or other members
- American Admirals Club: starting at $550 for Executive Platinum and as much as $650 for members without status; renewals are $50 less
Alaska Airlines justifies the price increase with a number of recent improvements. For example, it has built a new Alaska Lounge at New York-JFK, its first lounge outside the West Coast. Last week it opened the new flagship Alaska Lounge at Seattle’s North Satellite, a 15,800-square-foot complex that looks more similar to an international business class lounge than what you’d expect from a largely domestic carrier.
You can renew at the current, lower rates if your current membership expires on or before September 30, 2019. However, you must still process the renewal before midnight on August 29.
In addition the carrier is in the process of remodeling lounges in Portland, Los Angeles, and Anchorage along with building a brand new lounge in T2 at San Francisco (reports are that this will be in a different location than the current Admirals Club in T2). There have been significant upgrades to the food and beverage offerings, including a staffed Barista service.
It’s true that Alaska Airlines only operates a few of its own branded lounges, but membership includes access to many other lounges including those operated by American Airlines, Qantas, and designated lounges operated by United Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and others. Some lounges require a same-day boarding pass on Alaska Airlines while others you can access with your membership regardless of which carrier you are flying.
And if you don’t want to buy a full membership, you can still take advantage of a new benefit for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card. The daily pass fee of $50 is discounted to $25 when you pay with your Alaska Airlines Visa.
Overall, the Alaska Lounge still overs a great value in airport lounge membership despite this coming price increase.
