Alaska Lounge email "Survey"
#16
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Salem, OR
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold75k, WN A-List, AA, FI, DY, UA, Marriott Lifetime Silver, Hilton Diamond, Amtrak
Posts: 129
AS started this a number of months ago at the PDX lounge (I've been to an SEA lounge recently but can't remember exactly what happened there). I am sure AS is curious as to what percentage of their customers in the lounge are using their airline, where they are going, and with that, potentially consider restricting lounge space at some spaces in the future. UA started this recently. American is planning on restricting lounge members next year. So, perhaps the survey is totally benign. But given the questions, I assume that is one of the several options they are considering.
Look, I like AS employees (they are super nice), and I like the service I get at AS, and until recently before Saver was adopted, I liked the prices. But, I am afraid nothing good could come out of this survey. I chose none of the alternatives for all of the options.
#17
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: AS MVPG, 1MM
Posts: 377
I have a lounge card, and every week for about a month when I flew out of PDX, I attempted to give them my lounge card and they would say, "Sir, do you have your boarding pass, we'd really like to just scan that" and they would return my lounge card without scanning it. So now, I just hand them my AS boarding pass - because the lounge info is on your boarding pass and because I presume that they also want to know where you are flying to. When I'm on WN flying out of PDX (which is rarer), and I tell them that, then they scan my lounge card. Obviously, at an Admirals club or partner lounge, you need your lounge card as well given their contract terms with AS (unless you are visiting the SAGA lounge, in which case, you want your MVPG or MVPG 75 card).
AS started this a number of months ago at the PDX lounge (I've been to an SEA lounge recently but can't remember exactly what happened there). I am sure AS is curious as to what percentage of their customers in the lounge are using their airline, where they are going, and with that, potentially consider restricting lounge space at some spaces in the future. UA started this recently. American is planning on restricting lounge members next year. So, perhaps the survey is totally benign. But given the questions, I assume that is one of the several options they are considering.
Look, I like AS employees (they are super nice), and I like the service I get at AS, and until recently before Saver was adopted, I liked the prices. But, I am afraid nothing good could come out of this survey. I chose none of the alternatives for all of the options.
AS started this a number of months ago at the PDX lounge (I've been to an SEA lounge recently but can't remember exactly what happened there). I am sure AS is curious as to what percentage of their customers in the lounge are using their airline, where they are going, and with that, potentially consider restricting lounge space at some spaces in the future. UA started this recently. American is planning on restricting lounge members next year. So, perhaps the survey is totally benign. But given the questions, I assume that is one of the several options they are considering.
Look, I like AS employees (they are super nice), and I like the service I get at AS, and until recently before Saver was adopted, I liked the prices. But, I am afraid nothing good could come out of this survey. I chose none of the alternatives for all of the options.
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS 75k, AA Plat, Bonvoyed Gold, Honors Dia, Hyatt Explorer, IHG Plat, ...
Posts: 16,841
Presumably AS knows whether your are flying AS that day or not even if they don’t see/scan your BP. They just don’t know what’s other airline you are flying (and to where) unless they get you to show the BP.
#20
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: SEA/YVR/BLI
Programs: UA "Lifetime" Gold, AS MVPG100K, OW Emerald, HH Lifetime Diamond, IC Plat, Marriott Gold, Hertz Gold
Posts: 9,489
Between this survey (by the time I responded I got back a message saying they already enough responses), the sudden cancellation of the three-year membership, and the sudden change to transferability of lounge guest passes, it seems reasonable to infer that changes are in the works.
#22
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,450
I got this and insta-deleted. Flying ex-SFO and OAK, AS lounge membership is currently not a relevant subject for me.
#23
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: sometimes, strangely, I find myself at home
Programs: I need to do better in managing my affiliations. Oops, I overshot the runway for status next year.
Posts: 650
So many examples that Alaska is turning every dial to raise prices and cut costs on everything. The lounge business included.
Did not see the survey. Was it mainly contrived to understand customer tolerance to price increases? (The kind of survey that did NOT go out before the recent blunder of raising prices $30 on previously ~$65 one way flights)
Was any part of the survey to find out which competitor lounges are preferred and why?
Did not see the survey. Was it mainly contrived to understand customer tolerance to price increases? (The kind of survey that did NOT go out before the recent blunder of raising prices $30 on previously ~$65 one way flights)
Was any part of the survey to find out which competitor lounges are preferred and why?
#24
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: HNL
Programs: AS MVPG
Posts: 236
There were choices with various costs, plus (in some cases) a fee for non-swill booze. I noticed that there was sometimes a choice between 2 and 0 guests included. The most expensive choice was more or less Delta's setup.
Eventually I ended up with an option at the end that tracked pretty closely to what we have now, with the exception of requiring a boarding pass on any airline. I'm one of those who has never been asked for a boarding pass.
Higher prices was a recurring theme.
No opportunity to answer why I preferred anything.
Eventually I ended up with an option at the end that tracked pretty closely to what we have now, with the exception of requiring a boarding pass on any airline. I'm one of those who has never been asked for a boarding pass.
Higher prices was a recurring theme.
No opportunity to answer why I preferred anything.
Last edited by finlandia; Dec 13, 2018 at 12:31 am Reason: More info
#25
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: AS G100K, DL PM, IHG Gold, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 843
I just completed the survey, and I see bad news coming. If AS raised prices big time and cut off complimentary family members/guests like what Sky Club is doing, then I am done with my board room membership.
#26
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: AS MVPG, 1MM
Posts: 377
Again, I look at this as the eye of the beholder. I enjoy being able to bring in guests who are traveling with me, but to be honest, the Lounge in some locations do not seem "special." I know many people here would disagree with me, but I for one would like to see it less crowded particularly in PDX (though the D lounge in SEA is sometimes the same). If AS raised prices or restricted the number of guests/families and this resulted in less people in the lounge for the reason you mentioned....I am OK with that. However, I am not sure if the business model would support that, unless the prices went quite a bit up. Again, my opinion.
#27
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: Alaska Airlines
Posts: 659
Bringing in 2 guests is a big part of why I buy a lounge membership. 90% of my travel is for pleasure and most of the time I'm traveling with 1-2 friends... so it's nice to be able to go in the lounge and have a few drinks.
If they dropped that feature, I'd cancel for sure. If they went to 1 guest... I'd have to debate. I travel with 1 guest frequently and with 2 guests if I made them split the cost of a day-pass, they might be able to drink that value depending on the nature of the trip and the time
With lounge access, I leave work a couple hours early, leisurely arrive at the airport and have some drinks & snacks, it's better than being at the office! But if they eliminated guests I'd probably just go back to cutting it as close as possible on every flight and try to time it so I get to the gate right when boarding starts
Edit to add: To be honest, if they want to make the lounge more exclusive, or expensive or whatever... they should first take a hard look at their offering & the lounge product. I think the lounges are "fine" but they're hardly world-class exclusive... so they shouldn't try to price them like they are.
If they dropped that feature, I'd cancel for sure. If they went to 1 guest... I'd have to debate. I travel with 1 guest frequently and with 2 guests if I made them split the cost of a day-pass, they might be able to drink that value depending on the nature of the trip and the time
With lounge access, I leave work a couple hours early, leisurely arrive at the airport and have some drinks & snacks, it's better than being at the office! But if they eliminated guests I'd probably just go back to cutting it as close as possible on every flight and try to time it so I get to the gate right when boarding starts
Edit to add: To be honest, if they want to make the lounge more exclusive, or expensive or whatever... they should first take a hard look at their offering & the lounge product. I think the lounges are "fine" but they're hardly world-class exclusive... so they shouldn't try to price them like they are.
Last edited by nearlysober; Dec 13, 2018 at 1:00 pm
#28
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: sometimes, strangely, I find myself at home
Programs: I need to do better in managing my affiliations. Oops, I overshot the runway for status next year.
Posts: 650
After the huge price increase for being able to use elite status benefits, I wouldn't put it past Alaska Airlines to first sell memberships and later change reduce the terms of membership by reducing benefits. Where did these decision makers come from, ComCast?
And I wouldn't be surprised that some customers would still say reduced benefits is OK because a) get used to it, reduced benefits happen all the time and b) it is actually buried somewhere in the terms and conditions and c) it's been talked about (implying the falsehood that you should then accept it)
#29
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: HNL
Programs: AS MVPG
Posts: 236
If they start charging Delta prices, then I expect that SEA Sky Club to become the baseline for AS lounges going forward. And not just in one location. I'm not paying that much for minor improvements across the board.
I did learn that I value free (well, prepaid, anyway), quality local beer more highly than I realized.
I did learn that I value free (well, prepaid, anyway), quality local beer more highly than I realized.