Alaska Opening A Second Board Room In Seattle (Finally!)

This has been an interesting day when it comes to Alaska Airlines Board Rooms. Earlier we learned that Alaska and Delta are cutting their ties when it comes to lounge reciprocity. This comes a couple of months after Alaska and American strengthened their lounge partnership, allowing full reciprocal access for members of both airlines.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the announcement, though, was that Alaska Board Room members now get access to United Clubs in three cities. That’s not earth-shattering, though does signify an interesting partnership, given that the two airlines have never really cooperated.

Anyway, while the lack of lounge reciprocity is bad news for Alaska flyers, there is some good news when it comes to Alaska’s lounge situation in Seattle.

If you’ve ever visited Alaska’s Board Room in Seattle, you’ll know that it’s constantly crowded. For a “flagship” lounge at the airline’s biggest hub, it’s quite disappointing, even if the employees working there are friendly and the snack selection is good.

For as long as I can remember, Alaska has been talking about opening a second Board Room at SeaTac Airport. I moved to Seattle a bit over three years ago, and at the time they made it sound as if the second Board Room would open any moment.

Via an Alaska press release, it looks like Alaska will finally be opening their second Seattle Board Room in mid-November 2015, located in the North Satellite:

Alaska Airlines Board Room members and full-fare first class fliers passing through Sea-Tac International Airport’s North Satellite terminal will have a new place to relax when Alaska’s second Seattle Board Room opens next month.

“Our members have been eagerly anticipating the addition of a North Satellite Board Room. We’re pleased to soon be able to offer our members a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the day of travel near our North Satellite gates, and expect construction to be complete in time for a mid-November opening,” said Sangita Woerner, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of marketing. “And yes, the new Board Room will feature one of our famous pancake machines.”

Here’s a video Alaska shared of the new SeaTac North Satellite Board Room:

It looks much brighter than the old Board Room, and seems to be one level below the main concourse. Most importantly, it will add much needed capacity. The Board Room in the main terminal was always crowded, though I think this should help a bit. Furthermore, American Express opened a Centurion Studio at SeaTac Airport over the summer, which hopefully is also helping to alleviate crowding in the Board Room.

AmEx Centurion Studio SeaTac Airport

As a reminder, the following people can access Alaska Board Rooms:

• Alaska Board Room members
• Day passes can be purchased for $45
• American Admirals Club members traveling on Alaska or American
• “Paid” first class passengers traveling on Alaska (meaning those who paid cash or used miles for an award ticket — basically only those who upgraded are excluded)
• Priority Pass members (you can get a membership through several cards):
  • The Citi Prestige® Card comes with a Priority Pass Select membership, and you can take two guests or immediate family members for free
  • The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express also come with a Priority Pass Select membership, though only the cardmember can access the lounge for free (Enrollment required)

Bottom line

This is fantastic news. Over the past few years Alaska has completely taken over the North Satellite, so it was a real pain for passengers connecting on flights in the North Satellite to go to the main terminal to use the Board Room. This will make lounge access in such situations much easier, and more importantly, will hopefully lead to less crowding.

Seattle fliers — are you excited about the new Board Room coming to SeaTac?

(Tip of the hat to Travel Codex)