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Priority Pass and denied entry at the Alaska Lounge b/c of space - 2018 and Earlier

Old Feb 18, 2017, 12:46 am
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Last edit by: tattikat2
Date, Location, Day of week, Time of Day and method of access for denial.

Please include if you are actually flying Alaska that day, or some other airline, so we can see if the BR is giving preference to AS flyers

3/10/17 SEA D AL 4pm Friday - sign out (was flying Alaska)
3/12/17 SEA N & A AL 6pm Sunday PP denied
2/18/17 PDX AL 6:00am Saturday (flying AS) - PP denied (sign out)
3/21/17 SEA D AL 9am Tuesday - sign out
3/21/17 SEA N AL 9:45am Tuesday - sign out
3/24/17 SEA D AL 1:15pm Friday - sign out (was flying Alaska)
3/25/17 SEA D AL 1:15pm Saturday - sign out
3/25/17 SEA D AL 9:00pm Saturday - sign out
3/26/17 PDX C AL 9:15pm Sunday - Sign out (Was flying AS)
4/2/17 SEA D AL 4:00pm Monday - sign out
4/3/17 SEA D AL 10:30a Monday - sign out - PP requested-denied - was allowed with AL lounge pass - 90% occupied
4/10/17 SEA D 6:45 AM - sign out
4/12/17 SEA D 8:20 PM - sign out
4/14/17 SEA D 10:00 AM - sign out
4/16/17 SEA N 11:00am - sign out, was even upgraded to F on AS and MVP75K, no dice. It was a busy Easter Sunday
4/17/17 PDX 5:35am - no sign, admitted with a smile
4/22/17 PDX 6:35am - no sign, admitted
4/22/17 SEA D 8:15am - no sign, went to Centurion Lounge instead
4/23/17 SEA D and N 4:30pm - sign out. N lounge half empty.
4/26/17 LAX 11:30am - no sign
4/26/17 SEA D no sign, went to The Club
4/27/17 SEA D 10:40 AM - sign out
4/27/17 SEA N 10:50 AM - sign put out just as I entered, admitted with PP as the "last one"
4/27/17 SEA N 4pm - no sign, admitted with PP and a Delta bp
4/30/17 SEA D no sign, admitted
5/1/17 PDX 6:30 am - no sign, admitted, maybe 50% full
5/8/17 SEA D 11:00 am - new sign saying no PP guests, admitted as a PP cardholder.
5/15/17 SEA D 12:30pm sign out no PP
5/18/17 SEA N 7pm Thursday - no sign, admitted (PP, flying AS)
5/18/17 ANC 11:30pm Thursday - no sign, denied, but admitted 45 minutes later (PP, flying AS)
5/19/17 ANC 3pm Friday - no sign, admitted (PP, flying AS)
5/23/17 PDX C 4pm Tue - admitted (PP, flying WN).
5/27/17 PDX 7:50am no sign
6/28/17 LAX 12:30pm/3:30pm- no sign, admitted
9/25/17 PDX 2:00 - sign out, admitted without comment (PP, flying AA)
11/8/17 SEA C 09:00 AM - admitted (PP, flying AS). Only a few seats available, but at least a few seats remained available the whole time I was there
11/16/17 LAX 09:00 AM- sign out, no PP
02/0319 LAX 5pm Sunday-sign out no PP (flying AS)
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Priority Pass and denied entry at the Alaska Lounge b/c of space - 2018 and Earlier

Old Jan 29, 2019, 3:55 pm
  #1816  
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: NYC/PHX
Programs: IATA, Sabre, AvgeekAgent
Posts: 1,958
Originally Posted by pcoll
Lounge attendants did say that PP customers are the most aggressive and rude.
Pent up frustration of constantly seeing "the sign" out front, I'm sure.
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Old Jan 29, 2019, 4:31 pm
  #1817  
Moderator: Alaska Mileage Plan
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,287
Originally Posted by pcoll
Lounge attendants did say that PP customers are the most aggressive and rude.
This also has been my anecdotal observation. Last week, I had to wait to enter the LAX Lounge while the two PPs in front of me argued for admittance, before eventually departing.

Last edited by dayone; Jan 31, 2019 at 11:33 pm Reason: Typo.
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Old Jan 29, 2019, 4:35 pm
  #1818  
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Programs: DL PM, New Sagaya
Posts: 1,278
Ive noticed the AL front desk in Portland is pretty quick to share the other great PP options nearby in PDX....
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Old Feb 1, 2019, 7:02 pm
  #1819  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVPG & BoardRoom
Posts: 289
Originally Posted by greg99
Honestly, I probably won't spend the time.

I'm a UA 1K million-miler who was looking for a potential alternative to UA, and this trip with my family was such a disaster that I'm unlikely ever to voluntarily fly AS again. It's too bad, because a lot of my domestic travel patterns line up nicely with AS out of SFO. But that's the subject of another rant.
is this called, Biting off ones nose to spite their face?

I have never understood these constant threats to never fly an airline again. Do people really follow through on such promises?
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Old Feb 1, 2019, 7:07 pm
  #1820  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVPG & BoardRoom
Posts: 289
Originally Posted by michael1023
i think i read somewhere you can buy a day pass for Alaska lounge? would they still let someone in then, with or without a sapphire card?
Day Passes are $50 (valid for 24 hours) if ticketed on AS flights and the $50 can be applied to an annual membership at a later date (save the receipt).
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Old Feb 1, 2019, 7:12 pm
  #1821  
 
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K MM, Accor Plat, Htz PC, Natl ExEm, other random status
Posts: 2,876
Originally Posted by arcticflier


is this called, “Biting off ones nose to spite their face”?

I have never understood these constant threats to never fly an airline again. Do people really follow through on such promises?

No, it's not and yes, some people do follow through. Back in the mid 90's, I threw away my TWA gold card after a horrific experience with a flight attendant on board.

You must have missed the part that I paid to fly my family cross-country on AS instead of UA so that I could evaluate them as an alternative (since I'm lifetime gold on UA). I put my money where my mouth was, but found AS deeply wanting, so I'll stick with UA and/or keep trying other airlines. There's nowhere that I travel that AS can take me but UA can't.

The only reason I made the comment about not flying AS again was because it was suggested that I forward the email from AS customer service saying that they were no longer accepting PP cards to PP. Since I am unlikely to fly AS again, based upon my experience, I wasn't going to take the time to figure out how to forward it to PP.
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Old Feb 1, 2019, 7:21 pm
  #1822  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVPG & BoardRoom
Posts: 289
Originally Posted by greg99
No, it's not and yes, some people do follow through. Back in the mid 90's, I threw away my TWA gold card after a horrific experience with a flight attendant on board.

You must have missed the part that I paid to fly my family cross-country on AS instead of UA so that I could evaluate them as an alternative (since I'm lifetime gold on UA). I put my money where my mouth was, but found AS deeply wanting, so I'll stick with UA and/or keep trying other airlines. There's nowhere that I travel that AS can take me but UA can't.

The only reason I made the comment about not flying AS again was because it was suggested that I forward the email from AS customer service saying that they were no longer accepting PP cards to PP. Since I am unlikely to fly AS again, based upon my experience, I wasn't going to take the time to figure out how to forward it to PP.
Good details.

Isnt your argument really with the Card that offered you PP with a promise it would be accepted at numerous Clubs rather than the individual airlines who refused to recognize it?

Obviously AS would welcome the loyalty of a frequent traveler like yourself. I find AS vastly superior to UA; however, I hold no privilege on UA so I dont receive special treatment as you would.
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Old Feb 1, 2019, 7:37 pm
  #1823  
 
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K MM, Accor Plat, Htz PC, Natl ExEm, other random status
Posts: 2,876
Originally Posted by arcticflier

Isnt your argument really with the Card that offered you PP with a promise it would be accepted at numerous Clubs rather than the individual airlines who refused to recognize it?

Obviously AS would welcome the loyalty of a frequent traveler like yourself. I find AS vastly superior to UA; however, I hold no privilege on UA so I dont receive special treatment as you would.
I did loop Amex into the discussion about it. They apologized and said they were going to look into it. A few days later, I got the email from AS saying no more PP admissions. It appears that last email was either premature or wrong.

If it had just been about the lounge, I probably wouldn't have written AS off.

But it was just an awful trip, from the horrible terminal setup they have at SJC, to F/A's hiding in galleys behind snapped curtains that made UA F/A's seem accessible, to not having functioning wifi from JFK to SJC b/c AS had not added that city-pair to ViaSat's "eligible for sale" list of eligible routes, to not telling passengers that they had left all the checked bags behind at JFK (due to not wanting to make a tech stop) until they had been waiting at baggage claim in SJC for a half hour, to not getting said bags for 48 hours, etc., etc.

But I'm sorry, now I'm off topic.
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Old Feb 1, 2019, 10:25 pm
  #1824  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVPG & BoardRoom
Posts: 289
Originally Posted by greg99
I did loop Amex into the discussion about it. They apologized and said they were going to look into it. A few days later, I got the email from AS saying no more PP admissions. It appears that last email was either premature or wrong.

If it had just been about the lounge, I probably wouldn't have written AS off.

But it was just an awful trip, from the horrible terminal setup they have at SJC, to F/A's hiding in galleys behind snapped curtains that made UA F/A's seem accessible, to not having functioning wifi from JFK to SJC b/c AS had not added that city-pair to ViaSat's "eligible for sale" list of eligible routes, to not telling passengers that they had left all the checked bags behind at JFK (due to not wanting to make a tech stop) until they had been waiting at baggage claim in SJC for a half hour, to not getting said bags for 48 hours, etc., etc.

But I'm sorry, now I'm off topic.
Hiding behind curtains?

Sorry but that sounds quite bazaar.

Again, the problem is the agreement that PP members have with the card issuer. PP members have no agreement with the individual airlines. It was pretty obvious from the start that PP was going to have these very issues.
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Old Feb 1, 2019, 10:30 pm
  #1825  
 
Join Date: Sep 1999
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Posts: 2,876
Originally Posted by arcticflier

Again, the problem is the agreement that PP members have with the card issuer. PP members have no agreement with the individual airlines. It was pretty obvious from the start that PP was going to have these very issues.
Actually, I blame PP and Alaska. They're the parties that contractually agreed to give access to the lounges to PP members. It's PP's fault that they don't manage expectations better, but it's also AS's fault that they agreed to provide access but then take advantage of what is undoubtedly a provision in the agreement that allows them to exclude PP members so frequently. It makes both of them look bad to customers. Amex also is hurt by this, because I attribute zero value to the PP "benefit" when I decide whether or not to renew my card each year.
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Old Feb 2, 2019, 12:56 am
  #1826  
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
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Originally Posted by arcticflier


is this called, Biting off ones nose to spite their face?

I have never understood these constant threats to never fly an airline again. Do people really follow through on such promises?
Yep, "Never" can be a long time. So, I agree that most threats are probably not followed through forever. But some people believe their issue is reason to take a stand to extract their revenge or, more nobly,do it for others, and retain their self-respect.

Would you agree that people don't forget if they were made to feel bad. That can include being cheated, disrespected, played the fool, given food sickness etc. To make a point, have you ever been to a restaurant and decided not to go back?

Come to think of it, for over 25 years I have not flown on one major. I am long over the issue but it gave me the motivation to develop travel patterns that don't include them.
Also, for the past 6 years or so, I have been avoiding another major airline. I vote. My one vote may not make THE difference but votes do add up.

I make choices that are influenced by my experiences. The "I'll take my business elsewhere" sentiment is the way people feel when the vote in a free market with their wallets. That sentiment often is stated as "I will never..."
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Old Feb 2, 2019, 9:39 am
  #1827  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVPG & BoardRoom
Posts: 289
Originally Posted by PaperGlider
Yep, "Never" can be a long time. So, I agree that most threats are probably not followed through forever. But some people believe their issue is reason to take a stand to extract their revenge or, more nobly,do it for others, and retain their self-respect.

Would you agree that people don't forget if they were made to feel bad. That can include being cheated, disrespected, played the fool, given food sickness etc. To make a point, have you ever been to a restaurant and decided not to go back?

Come to think of it, for over 25 years I have not flown on one major. I am long over the issue but it gave me the motivation to develop travel patterns that don't include them.
Also, for the past 6 years or so, I have been avoiding another major airline. I vote. My one vote may not make THE difference but votes do add up.

I make choices that are influenced by my experiences. The "I'll take my business elsewhere" sentiment is the way people feel when the vote in a free market with their wallets. That sentiment often is stated as "I will never..."
Vote with their Wallets is exactly my point.

This threat is so over-used in the social media world today that I am surprised a CS agent would still give it any credibility.

I suspect most travelers choose the ticket on Orbitz (or similar) based on a combination of price and duration only and may boycott an airline once or twice max before their tantrum has passed.

The consumer choice most often comes down to what is best for their wallet.
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Old Feb 2, 2019, 8:29 pm
  #1828  
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Originally Posted by greg99
Amex also is hurt by this, because I attribute zero value to the PP "benefit" when I decide whether or not to renew my card each year.
As a UA 1K flyer based in the Bay Area, are you making use of the restaurant benefit in their terminal at SFO? They have both the Giants Clubhouse and Yankee Pier. I've had over $125 in meals in five visits since January, popping over from T2 when I've come down before the morning commute for an Alaska flight. Add in another $75 in meals SYD where I visited the Qantas Club before or after my meal with One World status. That doesn't include the non-Alaska lounge visits I get from PP.
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Old Feb 4, 2019, 12:02 am
  #1829  
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Originally Posted by arcticflier


is this called, Biting off ones nose to spite their face?

I have never understood these constant threats to never fly an airline again. Do people really follow through on such promises?
I've never flown Southwest since I said I wouldn't, and that was about 3 or 4 years ago.

It wasn't just 1 bad trip though... more like 20 in a row. No regrets other than the fact that it took me so long to dump them.

I've resolved never to fly Spirit. No "again" there... I refuse to fly them the first time.

I had once resolved to never fly economy again (basically after the first time I flew VX F), but when VX went away, I realized that domestic F on other airlines was not worth paying for, most of the time, so I backtracked. I've now settled on a "never fly economy if a premium experience is available" policy. It's a bit of a mouthful but I think it's doable.
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Old Feb 4, 2019, 12:18 am
  #1830  
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Originally Posted by arcticflier


Hiding behind curtains?

Sorry but that sounds quite bazaar.

Not as bizarre as fleeing to UA for the wifi. The only good thing about the UA wifi is that it works so infrequently that refund requests are just automatically approved.
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