READ THIS NEXT: Delta CEO Says You’re “Never Again Gonna See” These Flights. For most travelers, getting to the airport with time to spare can mean fighting off the urge to splurge on expensive terminal food and pre-flight cocktails. But for some premium ticket holders and frequent flyers, the first move after clearing security is to make a beeline for a lounge to kill time before takeoff. It’s no wonder why they remain a popular perk: Most of the spaces provide plenty of comfortable seating, complimentary food and beverages, fast WiFi, and power ports for charging. In fact, some carriers have been forced to limit how much time travelers can spend in them due to overcrowding. While lounges can sometimes be independently operated or set up by a credit card company, most major airlines also run their own facilities at their busiest airports across the U.S. and around the world. This includes Alaska Airlines, which has nine lounges for its Alaska MVP Gold, Gold 75K, and Gold 100K elite status loyalty customers; first-class passengers; and travelers who pay an annual membership fee for access. But now, the carrier has announced a significant policy change. Some travelers who count on their pre-flight lounge time might need to come up with a new airport routine. On Nov. 17, Alaska Airlines announced it is cutting lounge access for first-class passengers on any flights shorter than 2,100 miles, travel rewards blog One Mile at a Time first reported. The new rules will go into effect on Feb. 15 of next year. Travelers flying with a layover that includes a segment longer than 2,100 miles will still be able to access all lounges in the airline’s network for that day, even when in airports servicing their shorter flights. First-class passengers who fall short of the distance requirement will be able to purchase a day pass at a discounted rate of $30 if they want access. Guests or family members are also not allowed to accompany first-class travelers unless they hold an eligible ticket of their own. Previously, all premium ticketholders who purchased their airfare with cash or rewards miles were allowed to enter the lounge on the day of their trip, regardless of the distance.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. If you’ve already purchased tickets for a trip with Alaska and are disappointed with the change, you may still be in luck. The carrier specifies that the changes only affect any reservations booked as of Nov. 18, 2022 and for travel as of Feb. 15, 2023, according to One Mile at a Time. Alaska residents who are members of the airline’s free Club 49 program will also be exempt from the policy change. The company clarified that those travelers will still be eligible for lounge access with any first-class ticket, no matter how long it is, The Points Guy reports. There are also changes coming for those who don’t purchase first-class tickets. The airline announced that it was raising the price of its annual lounge membership from $450 to $500, while Lounge+ will jump from $600 to $650, One Mile at a Time reports. The new pricing will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023. According to the carrier, it made the latest policy changes to help cut down on overcrowding at its popular pre-flight spaces. The membership price increase also comes as the airline has expanded its lounge network and upgraded its existing spaces, according to The Points Guy. “Our Lounges have become so popular during certain times of the day, we’re making adjustments to our complimentary First Class access policy to allow for a bit more elbow room,” the company said in a statement, per The Points Guy. “We know change can be difficult—but we need to adjust how we operate our Lounges to ensure our guests have the best experiences possible when they visit.” “Even with this change, our First Class access policy remains the most generous in the industry for domestic travel,” the carrier explained. “Most airlines do not allow access to lounges when traveling on a First Class domestic itinerary except for select markets.”
title: “Alaska Airlines Will No Longer Let Passengers Do This Best Life” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-25” author: “Sarah Miles”
READ THIS NEXT: American Is Cutting Flights to These 8 Major Cities, Starting Nov. 3. As air travel picks back up for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, airlines are making changes to relieve some of the burdens they now feel while still trying to win over passengers. In July, Delta announced the unveiling of a new technologically advanced pre-flight feature known as “Parallel Reality” for its passengers traveling through Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The unique experience allows travelers to opt-in to a facial recognition scan or scan their boarding pass to then display their personalized flight information on a digital board, The Washington Post reported. While the experience allows for up to 100 passengers at once, each person can only see their own itinerary—including their boarding gate and how long it will take to walk there—no matter where they are standing or move to in the room. Later that month, Southwest Airlines announced it would be eliminating expiration dates from flight credits issued by the carrier, making it the first major U.S. company to do so. The airline clarified that the change would apply to “all currently valid, existing flight credits,” as well as all future issued credits. And in August, Southwest confirmed it had “flipped the switch to turn on” its new Digital Self Service Upgraded Boarding feature, The Points Guy reported. The new service now allows customers to pay an extra fee for a spot in the carrier’s earliest A1-A15 boarding section on flights using the airline’s official app or website. Previously, passengers could only make this purchase in person at the airport. But now, another carrier has announced a change that could affect your next trip. Just like any other aspect of flying, how each airline handles your baggage differs from one carrier to the next. However, Alaska Airlines passengers who have grown accustomed to the convenience of printing their bag tags at home will soon have to say goodbye to the pre-flight perk as it phases out the function, The Points Guy reports. Previously, customers could download and print tags for any checked baggage while checking in to their flight before arriving at the airport. From there, they could bypass baggage check lines and kiosk queues to have their I.D. checked and their luggage placed on board. But after being the first major U.S. carrier to launch such a feature in 2014, the airline says it will end the service as of Sept. 12. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Even though the feature is currently available to passengers flying from 95 cities, a representative for the carrier says that it’s not as utilized as one might expect. “Usage of guests who print bag tags at home is low and oftentimes required them to still see an agent at the airport,” an Alaska Airlines spokesperson said in a statement confirming the change, per The Points Guy.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb However, even as the company sunsets the convenient feature, it’s replacing it with another. “At-home bag tag printing is being retired so that we can focus on the new Electronic Bag Tags coming later this fall as well as other enhancements to the lobby experience that will allow guests to quickly generate their bag tags,” the spokesperson said. According to a statement released by the company on July 19, Alaska Airlines is set to become the first U.S. carrier to launch a new electronic bag tag system for ticketed passengers. The new feature will allow travelers to activate the new luggage identification tags when they check in for their flight 24 hours before departure. From there, they can tap their phone onto the tags to activate its antenna and display a scannable barcode and flight information on an e-paper screen. “This technology allows our guests to tag their own bags in just seconds and makes the entire check-in process almost all off-airport,” Charu Jain, senior vice president of merchandising and innovation at Alaska Airlines, said in a press release announcing the new feature in July. “Not only will our electronic bag tags allow our guests to quickly drop off their luggage after they arrive at the airport, the devices will also give our employees the opportunity to spend more one-on-one time with guests who ask for assistance and reduce lines at our lobbies.” In its statement, the airline says it plans to first launch the new system with an initial 2,500 frequent flyers with the company later this year. The next phase will allow passengers to purchase the product for $70 apiece, The Points Guy reports.
