- Introduction: A New Era Of German Business Class
- Review: Lufthansa Lounge Detroit Airport (DTW)
- Review: Lufthansa Business Class 787 (DTW-FRA)
- Review: Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Review: Hilton Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Review: Condor Business Class A330-900neo (FRA-SEA)
- Are Condor’s “Prime” Business Class Seats Worth It?
- Review: Marriott Seattle Airport (SEA)
- Review: Alaska Lounge Seattle Airport (SEA)
- Review: Amex Centurion Lounge Seattle Airport (SEA)
- Review: Alaska Airlines 737-900ER First Class (SEA-MIA)
To kick off the final sector of my quick review trip to Germany, I visited the Alaska Lounge Seattle located in the North Satellite. This is considered by many to be Alaska’s “flagship” lounge, and it’s a lounge I’ve been wanting to visit ever since it opened in 2019.
This lounge didn’t disappoint. It’s physically a stunning lounge with incredible views, barista-made coffee, and a no tipping policy. The only area where there’s some room for improvement is with the food selection.
In this post:
Alaska Lounge Seattle location
I visited the Alaska Lounge Seattle located in the North Satellite. Specifically, the lounge is on the mezzanine level, above gates N13-18. After clearing security at the airport I turned right, following the signage toward the N & S gates.
I then went down an escalator, and took the train to the North Satellite.
Once at the North Satellite, I took the escalator to the main concourse level. First of all, I have to acknowledge how ridiculously beautiful the North Satellite is nowadays — I remember how not-great this area was back when I lived in Seattle.
From there, the Alaska Lounge was easy to find. There was an escalator leading up to the Alaska Lounge just 50 feet from where you enter the terminal.
At the top of the escalator, just turn left and then keep walking straight ahead, and you’ll see the entrance to the Alaska Lounge right there.
Alaska Lounge Seattle hours
The Alaska Lounge Seattle is open daily from 5AM until 11PM. That covers most departures, though I’d note that there was quite a queue to enter the lounge at 5AM, given the number of early morning flights that depart the airport.
Alaska Lounge Seattle entry requirements
When it comes to rules for accessing Alaska Lounges:
- Paid Alaska Airlines first class passengers on flights of 2,100+ miles get Alaska Lounge access, whether they paid with cash or miles (those who upgraded don’t qualify)
- Those with an Alaska Lounge or American Admirals Club membership get Alaska Lounge access
- In line with oneworld lounge access rules, Alaska Lounges are standard oneworld Sapphire and oneworld business class lounges
There’s a bit more nuance to lounge access policies, so see my detailed guide about Alaska Lounge access. Personally I was accessing the lounge on account of having a nonstop first class ticket to Miami on Alaska Airlines, though I also have an American Admirals Club membership through the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (review).
Alaska Lounge Seattle seating & layout
The Alaska Lounge Seattle in the North Satellite is 15,800 square feet, making it the largest Alaska Lounge in the carrier’s network (at least as of now). The first thing to note is that the lounge has really high ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling windows throughout, with amazing views. That’s a large part of what makes this place so great, especially for us avgeeks.
The Alaska Lounge is essentially broken up into three areas. When you enter the lounge and turn left, you’ll find a space that probably takes up about half the lounge, which is dedicated to relaxing and lounging around.
This area has a cozy fireplace, and lots of seating right by the windows, so that you can watch all that’s happening on the apron and runways.
There are also all kinds of other seating arrangements in this area, ranging from couches, to larger communal tables, to benches, to high-top tables. Almost all the seats in the lounge have outlets, so it’s easy to keep your electronics charged.
The other half of the lounge is designed more for those looking to eat and drink. The next room has a bunch of dining tables, communal tables, and even some booths.
Then the last part of the lounge is the bar area, which has to be one of the prettier bar setups I’ve seen at a US airline lounge membership club.
There’s not just seating at the bar, but there are also dozens of seats around it.
While I was visiting early in the morning, I imagine the views from the lounge are incredible later in the day, especially if the weather is nice.
Honestly, what a lovely lounge. Natural light and views make such a difference, and on top of that the lounge has a really cozy layout.
Alaska Lounge Seattle food & drinks
What are the food and drinks like at the Alaska Lounge Seattle? I’d say the food is just “meh,” while the drinks are very good. The lounge has a buffet just near the entrance and to the right.
Self-serve breakfast options included several kinds of yogurt, fruit, granola, hardboiled eggs, cheese, salami, and oatmeal.
As we’ve come to expect from Alaska Lounge, there was also a pancake machine, which is always a fun feature. There were some pancake accompaniments (like syrup and peanut butter), as well as Biscoffs and Nature Valley granola bars.
There was also a display case with some muffins, scones, and bagels, which one of the staff members by the counter will serve to you.
That’s the extent of the food selection. I’d say the food is pretty average for a US airport lounge.
What’s much more impressive is the drink selection in Alaska Lounges. As someone who loves good coffee, I oh-so-appreciate how Alaska Lounges have proper barista-made drinks.
You can order these either in mugs or to-go cups, and with your preferred milk. I had both a cappuccino and a latte during my visit. Honestly, this is something I value more than any food selection you’ll find in a domestic membership lounge, but I know I’m in the minority there.
There was also a self-serve drink station with a Coca-Cola soda fountain, some drip Starbucks coffee, and an espresso machine. In case it’s not clear, I’d recommend not using that machine, and instead having a barista make you a drink. 😉
For those looking for alcohol, Alaska Lounges also do so much better than what you’ll find at other airlines lounges. In American Admirals Clubs you’ll just find cheap generic alcohol, with all kinds of options to buy-up to premium drinks. Meanwhile in Alaska Lounges you’ll find an excellent selection of complimentary beer, wine, and liquor, with a particular focus on local brands (though there are also some premium drinks available for purchase). It’s so nice to see an airline putting effort into its drink selection in that way.
What’s also nice is that Alaska Lounges have an explicit no tipping policy. Despite that, the staff working in Alaska Lounges are consistently the friendliest I’ve found at any US membership lounge. Huge kudos to everyone working here.
So yeah, if you ask me, Alaska Lounges have just okay food, but amazing drinks… and I’ll take that!
Alaska Lounge Seattle bathrooms
The Alaska Lounge Seattle has two separate sets of restrooms, one on each end of the lounge. Each of the men’s rooms has three sinks, two stalls, and two urinals.
The Alaska Lounge Seattle doesn’t have showers. That’s fair enough when you consider Alaska Airlines’ route network, though with the airline being in oneworld, I suppose there are probably more long haul travelers passing through this lounge.
Bottom line
I’ve seen the Alaska Lounge Seattle in the North Satellite hyped a lot, and it didn’t disappoint. The lounge is avgeek heaven, with incredible views of the airport, and lots of natural light. On top of that, the lounge has barista-made coffee, a thoughtful, locally sourced selection of alcoholic drinks, and a no tipping policy.
I’d say the only area where the lounge can improve is with the food selection. And it’s not that the selection is bad, it’s just not amazing.
Honestly, give me good coffee and airplane views, and I’m a really happy camper. This is definitely among my favorite airline lounges in the United States.
What do you make of the Alaska Lounge Seattle?
I've been following your review for quite a few years now. While I understand you prefer to review the lounges when they first open in the morning to snap pictures before guests arrive, the readers are missing out on the food that they serve other than breakfast items which is the least exciting offering. I gauge the quality of the lounge by their food and drinks and this leaves me wondering.
It was new and clean. Definitely has had its foot traffic, however the lounge looks and feels like an inner-city bus depot. Clean the place Alaska Airlines show some Seattle pride. This is not a put down of the personnel that do daily cleaning it is a reflection on maintenance and custodian dollars missing to upkeep with the travel traffic.
Definitely run down and not well maintained. Snooty check in staff. For a alleged "First Class" lounge, it should live up to the claim. Quite dirty environment. Would love to share pics.
Is there a review of the WI-FI capacities and speeds? Would love to know what that is.
Thanks Lucky........ Great review!
The North Lounge is the best in the Continental US hands down...... A month ago I was on a cross-country award trip to EYW with my wife via AS & AA and we visited the N Lounge and 2 AA lounges. Boy, was I shocked when comparing the two...... Food and Bar experiences at the AA lounges was embarrassing, especially the bars!! Well, the food was not that bad..... AA should...
Thanks Lucky........ Great review!
The North Lounge is the best in the Continental US hands down...... A month ago I was on a cross-country award trip to EYW with my wife via AS & AA and we visited the N Lounge and 2 AA lounges. Boy, was I shocked when comparing the two...... Food and Bar experiences at the AA lounges was embarrassing, especially the bars!! Well, the food was not that bad..... AA should take a few lessons from AS for sure.
As has also featured some hot food buffet type entrees in the past, which were very good.... They said they were experimenting, and I gave them high marks and recommended they add them to the full-time menu for lunch and dinner periods but have not seen that happen, yet.
They normally have 2-3 salad options, which are unique, not just lettuce & dressings, plus 2 soup options which have both always been very good, including a vegan chili, that I had to try since I'm not vegan..... and it was damn tasty!
The pastries and cookies are from the Alki Bakery, local of course, and are awesome, which along with whole fruit options and the regular snacks offer a wide variety at any time.
Yes, they could improve, but currently is a solid offering and I have never gone hungry during any of my visits........
The bar is awesome too, but the staff is even more AWESOME!!
I love the N lounge for the solid beer list. It's what you would find in an actual Seattle bar. Food is better than it was a couple of years ago, but it's incidental. It's the best domestic lounge I have been to.
ABSOLUTELY Thomas.............. You hit the nail on the head!!
I still always tip them just as I do our first class flight attendants when de boarding the plane.
What a great beer selection. They're not messing around though - nothing less than 5% ABV. Would be nice to have one or two mid-strength options.
You are SPOT ON Rich............... The mid-strength options are in cans!
Unfortunately Alaska does not follow Oneworld policy because they will not admit a passenger with Sapphire or Emerald status from an overseas airline, for example Finnair, when the passenger wants to credit the miles for their flight to any airline other than the one for which they have status.
There is nothing in the Oneworld rules to to this effect but Alaska insists on requiring it anyway.
I spent two early afternoon hours there on the hottest Seattle day last July. I overall loved the food, drinks, friendliness and OMG that glass front overlooking the runways. Best plane spotting ever apart from ZRH outdoors lounge.
Yes sireetee........... Nothing better than sitting along the glass, plane spotting for a couple of hours with a drink in your hand!!
I'm curious about something. In this report and in your review of the Seattle Airport Marriott you refer to "Seattle Airport". Why is that? Certainly you lived here long enough to know that's not what it's called. It's Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, or SeaTac. There is no such thing as Seattle Airport.
No showers. That's the issue with this lounge. It's the flagship oneworld carrier lounge at an airport that is trying to be an international gateway. I know AS doesn't fly international long-haul. But there's a lot of oneworld long haul out of SEA, plus a lot of AS redeyes. Lack of showers is huge shortcoming
*Breakfast Syrup, not maple syrup
From the photos it looks like the pancakes are served with Smuckers Breakfast Syrup or some sort of sugar free syrup. Neither is real maple syrup but I'd be over the moon to have real maple syrup offered to me.
The pancakes are already more sweet than normal so syrup might be too much. That said I've carried my own real maple syrup from time to time because yes it really is that much better.
Could anyone share the experience what kind of food is to be expected during the day and evening ? Based on the breakfast selection I am wondering if these are just snacks and mini sandwiches or would be something from which you could assemble a proper cooked meal combination ?
Soup (2 types) + a salad bar. That is it. Very underwhelming.
It's not the LH first lounge but the soup is pretty good. They've recently added a baked potato bar with yummy fixings (bacon, sour cream, chives, butter, etc) that is quite nice and the pancake machine now runs all hours. There's a selection of fruit, and jars of crackers, candy and other stuff that is enticing but probably best avoided unless you are young enough to afford the calories. Every month there are special mixed...
It's not the LH first lounge but the soup is pretty good. They've recently added a baked potato bar with yummy fixings (bacon, sour cream, chives, butter, etc) that is quite nice and the pancake machine now runs all hours. There's a selection of fruit, and jars of crackers, candy and other stuff that is enticing but probably best avoided unless you are young enough to afford the calories. Every month there are special mixed drinks, the baristas are skilled and friendly. There are additional food items for purchase.
They also featured some hot food buffet type entrees in the past, which were very good.... They said they were experimenting, and I gave them high marks and recommended add them to the full-time menu for lunch and dinner periods but have not seen that happen.
They normally have 2-3 salad options, which are unique, not just lettuce & dressings, plus 2 soup options which have both always been very good, including a vegan...
They also featured some hot food buffet type entrees in the past, which were very good.... They said they were experimenting, and I gave them high marks and recommended add them to the full-time menu for lunch and dinner periods but have not seen that happen.
They normally have 2-3 salad options, which are unique, not just lettuce & dressings, plus 2 soup options which have both always been very good, including a vegan chili, that I had to try since I'm not vegan..... and it was damn tasty!
The pastries and cookies are from the Alki Bakery, local of course, and are awesome, which along with whole fruit options and the regular snacks offer a wide variety at any time.
Yes, they could improve, but it is a solid offering and I have never gone hungry during any of my visits........
The bar is awesome too, but the staff is even more AWESOME!!
I have never seen the lounge that empty!
Me neither..... But then again, Ben was there at 4:59am with his nose up against the grill hoping to be the first one in to take his photos!! I've never been there even close to that early!
Thanks, Lucky for a great review!
I was in that lounge twice, unfortunately I could not connect to their wifi with my laptop. Front line personnel could not help. This did not happen in other Seattle Alaska lounges.
Best part of the lounge by far is the no tipping sign. A lesson we should teach the rest of the United States. Just pay the people a fair wage and end this tipping charade
You do have to pay for the better alcohol. Cheaper stuff is complimentary same as American air lounge
It depends on what you are looking for. Yes higher end liquor is an upcharge but unlike American, Alaska has really good quality craft beers on tap and free of charge whereas American only gives garbage like Coors or Bud for free.
@ zagman1112, you are so damn correct............... AA offerings are house/off-brand liquor and US bulk beer, not worthy of a true First-Class Lounge experience!
You probably came too early for the good food. Eggs, sausage, etc. are definitely available for breakfast, but maybe not right at opening.
I have seen scrambled and hard boiled eggs. Have never seen any breakfast meat.
Looks like you missed out on the hot food that is sometimes served for breakfast - they have sausage and scrambled eggs in warmers often, but not always. At lunch time they can have mexican rice bowls, mac and cheese, and cold cut wraps, to name a few I've seen in recent months. The food is definitely improved in the last year from the lows of the COVID era, but the new Centurion Lounge still has the best food at SEA.
Breakfast is their weak meal especially if you aren't a fan of hot plate scrambled eggs. Their strong points are the soups. Salad is uninspired but perfectly serviceable and I've never seen it other than fresh looking. The dressings are reasonable and kept nicely refrigerated.
The best thing in my opinion are the people. They keep the place looking nice, seem to genuinely enjoy their jobs, are accessible and ready to help when you need them.
Lounge is nice to look at but like the Centurion, it's extremely crowded for most of the day and not a premium experience. You obviously got lucky with the time of day you were there. Three stars at best.
Crowded, no showers and poor food selection. I chose not to renew my Alaska Lounge membership this year and have not regretted one bit.
Wah, wah, wah......... It's never been so crowded, that I couldn't find a seat, get some food and drink and do some plane watching, and I visited it over 20 times in 2022.......
Someone get the Wahambulance for both Jay and Regls!!
Just love the sign clearly indicating "Please no tipping" - this should be at every lounge so that the experience will always be great without the need to tip. Big thumbs up to Alaska for this!