Dec 1, 2017, 12:57 am
Last edit by: eponymous_coward
Present state(as of 4/30/18)
- AS/VX flights consolidated from T8/T4 to T7 in late 2017
- Terminal 7 under construction
- No TSA Precheck
- Limited restaurant choices
- Lounges:
- Purchased day pass option revoked for Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in T4
- Alaska Lounge in T7 opened on April 30 2018. Accepts Priority Pass (usual caveats apply, see Priority Pass Denied Entry thread). Will be open 5 AM-10 PM, except 5 AM-5 PM on Saturdays.
- No day pass access to BA lounge
AS (and VX) Moved to T7 at JFK; New Alaska Lounge (April, 2018)
Nov 27, 2017, 5:19 am
#121
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: NYC
Posts: 280
Each airline ‘owns’ a terminal (well, leases it), with each pretty reflective of how the airline runs its business. JetBlue’s T5 is excellent and smartly designed, AA’s T8 is acceptable but tedious and the victim of budget cuts, Delta’s T4 Is competitive but overstates how good it is. British Airways ‘owns’ T7 and its best days were 30 years ago.
I’m sure a real PreCheck line is coming once the renovations are complete, it’s just completely bonkers they are so unprepared for their own terminal move and that they’d consider any part of this mess acceptable for their customers. In the mean time I’ve moved my two flights over to JetBlue.
Nov 27, 2017, 7:16 pm
#122
Join Date: Sep 2001
Programs: Alaska Tanzanite 100K
Posts: 3,858
right, but what I mean is TSA has only 2 types of scanners for the boarding passes. (disclosure: I do airline IT for a living (along side employee travel with my company, diff subject, due to myID integrations), and the 2 companies only have 3 or 4 uploads a year of the security settings/codes for scanning. So if you approach *any* TSA scanner, anywhere, with an Alaska boarding pass, it will reflect your flight info including the proper coding for PreCheck clearance. So, you can take your boarding pass for STL-SEA and scan it in MCI, it will *error* due to the boarding city, but it will reflect all of your information. Just as you can take your Alaska boarding pass to *any* LAX checkpoint, and depending on the security protocol for the airport, you should be able to enter the sterile concourse.
So, someone is lying to you if they say you aren't PreCheck at Terminal 7. It means that Alaska hasn't paid the gatekeeper, or they don't have a true PreCheck setup, as you mentioned.
**update: I forgot that the TSA handheld scanners are also a different vendor, for 3. Those, however, get updated monthly with the new security settings. I can't and won't go into any more detail than what I've provided here as the rest is SSI and I can get in big trouble.
So, someone is lying to you if they say you aren't PreCheck at Terminal 7. It means that Alaska hasn't paid the gatekeeper, or they don't have a true PreCheck setup, as you mentioned.
**update: I forgot that the TSA handheld scanners are also a different vendor, for 3. Those, however, get updated monthly with the new security settings. I can't and won't go into any more detail than what I've provided here as the rest is SSI and I can get in big trouble.
Last edited by UAPremierExec; Nov 27, 2017 at 7:17 pm Reason: added handhelds
Nov 27, 2017, 7:23 pm
#123
Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: B6 Mosaic, Bonvoy LT Titanium (x SPG LT), IHG Spire, UA Silver
Posts: 5,848
I highly doubt it is a technology related limitation. It is far more likely that AS just thought it was not worth the extra money given how few flights they have.
Nov 27, 2017, 9:23 pm
#124
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,953
I'm tempted to fly to JFK and try to figure out what's up... if it's just someone making up policy, or if it's more involved. But this wouldn't be until mid-February.
Nov 28, 2017, 9:38 am
#126
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,633
Nov 28, 2017, 11:01 am
#127
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,391
Nov 28, 2017, 4:19 pm
#129
Join Date: Sep 2001
Programs: Alaska Tanzanite 100K
Posts: 3,858
czpdx, if they don't let you in the PreCheck/premium line, once you get up to the TSA rep, tell him/her, they may move you over. The airlines control the space in front of TSA; TSA controls the checkpoint and the place where their agents sit.
Nov 28, 2017, 7:00 pm
#130
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,953
Excellent advice. Wait for the special beep!
Nov 30, 2017, 9:18 am
#132
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: NYC/LA
Programs: DL Plat, AA Plat Pro, Marriott Titanium, IHG Diamond Amb
Posts: 7,487
This time, I first showed my AS FC BO and my 75k status. The guy at the desk looked at my pass and said that it was a BA lounge, not Alaska. When I pointed out I was 75k, so I should get access as a valued partner.. He pulled out an orange laminated card and looked at it, before announcing that 75k only gets access to BA lounges at Heathrow and nowhere else. Then I showed my EPLT card which also shows OneWorld Emerald and he looked at it, agreed that Emeralds get access to the BA First lounge regardless of class they're flying. But after consulting with his orange laminated card again, he pronounced that I had to be on OneWorld ticket stock to be able to enter as a OneWorld Emerald. I then showed him my Admirals Club membership, which he pronounced was only valid for entry to BA lounges at airports that don't have an Admirals Club.
Nov 30, 2017, 10:55 am
#133
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: NYC
Posts: 280
I've been in the BA lounges before, I fly BA some and I'm also EPLT on AA which means that I can pick and choose the First Class lounge or the regular lounge. (Sadly, not the Concorde Room, but one of these days I'll make it in there! This time, I first showed my AS FC BO and my 75k status. The guy at the desk looked at my pass and said that it was a BA lounge, not Alaska. When I pointed out I was 75k, so I should get access as a valued partner.. He pulled out an orange laminated card and looked at it, before announcing that 75k only gets access to BA lounges at Heathrow and nowhere else. Then I showed my EPLT card which also shows OneWorld Emerald and he looked at it, agreed that Emeralds get access to the BA First lounge regardless of class they're flying. But after consulting with his orange laminated card again, he pronounced that I had to be on OneWorld ticket stock to be able to enter as a OneWorld Emerald. I then showed him my Admirals Club membership, which he pronounced was only valid for entry to BA lounges at airports that don't have an Admirals Club. He then suggested I go over to T8 where there were two admirals clubs, but that I couldn't be in the BA lounge.
Given that Alaska new they were moving for a long time... and they've been there for two months now... and their club won't open for a while, yet... you'd think they'd have negotiated entrance to the BA club with their "valued airline partner". But, I've come to the conclusion that AS simply doesnt' care about the transcon market. Otherwise, they'd try to make the experience as at least as good as Spirit's gates/check-in/security processes.
Given that Alaska new they were moving for a long time... and they've been there for two months now... and their club won't open for a while, yet... you'd think they'd have negotiated entrance to the BA club with their "valued airline partner". But, I've come to the conclusion that AS simply doesnt' care about the transcon market. Otherwise, they'd try to make the experience as at least as good as Spirit's gates/check-in/security processes.
Dec 1, 2017, 1:02 am
#134
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Programs: Alaska MVPG, SPG Gold, HHonors Gold, CX Silver, Global Entry
Posts: 225
I consolidated the latest into a wiki post, please edit for accuracy and perhaps we can track future status there as things improve.
As Erik Jacobsen said, what a hot mess this is. I'd booked a Vx flight JFK-SFO coming back from the holidays before I realized there's no lounge, no TSA Pre, and few food choices for my 6+ hour layover.
As Erik Jacobsen said, what a hot mess this is. I'd booked a Vx flight JFK-SFO coming back from the holidays before I realized there's no lounge, no TSA Pre, and few food choices for my 6+ hour layover.
Dec 4, 2017, 7:51 pm
#135
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Around
Programs: AS MVPG, SPG Gold
Posts: 43
T7 was a mess this morning.
I arrived around 5:45 with TSA Pre and MVPG on boarding pass, gatekeeper to TSA sent me to the line with everyone on the early morning London and Mexico City flights. FWIW, last time I was at JFK T7 under the same circumstances, I went into a priority line. TSA guy who checked the boarding passes + ID told me to show the x-ray and metal detector folks my boarding pass - man at the x-ray had a look and told the woman by the metal detector that I was TSA Pre. She forgot in the next 30 seconds and insisted I go through the body scanner rather than the metal detector.
I never thought I'd miss EWR terminal A, but at least TSA wait times there were (relatively) reliable... I stay in Bay Ridge when I'm in New York, so I'm equidistant from EWR and JFK - I'm either taking the Verrazano toll or Delta's going to get my money.
I arrived around 5:45 with TSA Pre and MVPG on boarding pass, gatekeeper to TSA sent me to the line with everyone on the early morning London and Mexico City flights. FWIW, last time I was at JFK T7 under the same circumstances, I went into a priority line. TSA guy who checked the boarding passes + ID told me to show the x-ray and metal detector folks my boarding pass - man at the x-ray had a look and told the woman by the metal detector that I was TSA Pre. She forgot in the next 30 seconds and insisted I go through the body scanner rather than the metal detector.
I never thought I'd miss EWR terminal A, but at least TSA wait times there were (relatively) reliable... I stay in Bay Ridge when I'm in New York, so I'm equidistant from EWR and JFK - I'm either taking the Verrazano toll or Delta's going to get my money.