As seen in the uproar over the last few months, Delta Air lines’ (DAL) -) decision to make stricter rules for accessing its lounges has ricocheted all throughout the travel world.
Many passengers expressed a sense of betrayal while some airlines saw opportunity to win them over by matching their frequent flyer status and making jabs about how they were “making it easier” to earn points while others are “making it harder.”
Related: It happened: Delta just cracked down on who can enter lounges
While Delta’s CEO later admitted the airline “probably went too far” in pushing forth the changes and raised the number of times one can access its SkyClub lounges, the airline is staying firm in its decision to introduce caps on visits in the first place. The reasons ultimately come down to many SkyClub lounges growing crowded as more travelers found ways to gain access and the airline not having the resources to maintain the “luxury” experience it wants associated with its lounges. In the summer of 2022, photos of crowded airport lounges started circulating on social media.
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Here is who will be able to enter Alaska Airlines lounges in 2024
But as the scandal around Delta started to die down, another airline quietly made big changes to its lounge and loyalty policy. As broken by Travel + Leisure, Alaska Airlines (ALK) -) is raising the price of its “Alaska Lounge” program from $400 to $500 for elite members and from $500 to $600 for non-elite ones. Elite status starts after earning 20,000 miles flying with the airline.
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The airline is also restricting those who can access nine of its lounges at airports across the country to those with a same-day ticket with Alaska or a partner airline. Previously, members with a same-day ticket with any airline could access the lounge.
The price of Alaska Lounge+ tier, which gives members access both to the nine Alaska lounges and 90 partner lounges across the country, is being raised from $550 to $650 a year for elite members and $650 to $750 for non-elite ones. The changes will come into effect in February 2024.
Alaska Airlines wants to ‘allow for a bit more elbow room’ (here’s what it means for you)
Alaska had already trimmed down its loyalty membership at the start of 2023 by limiting lounge access to those whose flight distance was more than 2,100 miles and launching a discounted $30 day pass rate for those with shorter flights. At the time, it also raised the prices of the different loyalty programs by $50 each.
Similarly to Delta, Alaska had described the changes as necessary to give travelers “a bit more elbow room.” It has, however, largely managed to escape the outcry that befell on Delta.
“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 airline said in a statement in November 2022. “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.
