MJMLBBtoCPH

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.

JacksonFlyer

I think the difference between my encounters at PDX (I am there two-three times a month) and yours is the biometric scan. There have been times when that device just doesn't pick up your finger print and after the third try they usually just ask for the boarding pass as it does have my lounge membership on it. However the scanner works pretty much 90% of the time for me and I have never been required to show my boarding pass at SEA, PDX or LAX. Now, years ago, they did require it but that slowly faded away. As far as the survey goes, much like everybody here, it popped up in my spam folder which meant it received a quick electronic death.

nearlysober

I've never been asked for a boarding pass at AS lounges for me or my guests - but then again I use the little fingerprint scanner machines.

notquiteaff

Fredd

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.

ASA_1

FYI, I called Alaska and they said it is an authentic email.

Kacee

I got this and insta-deleted. Flying ex-SFO and OAK, AS lounge membership is currently not a relevant subject for me.

PaperGlider

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?

finlandia

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.
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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.

BW Flyer

JacksonFlyer

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.

nearlysober

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.

PaperGlider

I already decided to go with different lounge membership(s) and it won't be Priority Pass.

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)

finlandia

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.

Idaho Territory