The Alaska Airlines Lounge at Los Angeles (LAX) is a cozy oneworld lounge with great coffee and kind staff.
Alaska Airlines Lounge Los Angeles Review (LAX)
I stopped by the Alaska lounge before my American Airlines flight from LA to Chicago.
Hours + Access + Location
The lounge is located in Terminal 6 and open daily from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm.
Access is available to:
- Members (Alaska Lounge or American Admirals Club members)
- Paid or award first or business class tickets operated by Alaska or Hawaiian Airlines that are over 2,000 miles
- upgrades are excluded
- oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members
- Alaska Airlines Emerald and Sapphires may access the Alaska Lounge when traveling on a oneworld member airline to a destination outside of the US, Canada, or Mexico.
- American Airlines Emerald and Sapphire may access the Alaska Lounge when traveling on a oneworld member airline to a destination outside of the US, Canada, Mexico (excluding Mexico City) or the Caribbean.
- All other Emerald or Sapphire oneworld members can access the lounge regardless of destination or cabin class, as long as they are departing on a oneworld flight.
- Emerald and Sapphire members may invite one guest to join them in the lounge.
I was traveling to London on American Airlines in business class, which granted me access.
Seating
Seating includes a mix of couches and tables with an excellent view of planes departing and arriving into Terminal 6 and 7.
Power ports include 120-volt outlets and USB-A ports.
Food + Drinks
The breakfast spread included the classic pancake machine, muffins, bagels, cookies, toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, egg whites, and a fruit + yogurt bar. A Coke Freestyler machine and an automatic coffee machine were also present.
There are both complimentary and paid alcohol options available. While soft drinks, coffee, tea, and water are self-serve, alcohol is only available at the bar. Heartier meals are also available for purchase at the bar.
Also in the bar area is my favorite part of the lounge (and the reason for my stop), barista-made coffee from Stumptown.
Service
I had a nice long chat with the check-in agent about traveling in business class. She was lamenting about the A380 on British Airways and I walked her through some other options.
The barista was also very kind and I noticed staff kept the lounge very clean.
Restrooms + Showers
While this lounge has no showers, the restrooms were cleaned and I appreciated the Salt & Stone soap.
CONCLUSION
All things considered, a very nice outsation lounge for Alaska Airlines. The coffee alone is worth a stop.
My prior review, from October 22, 2021, is below.
I stopped by the Alaska Airlines Lounge in Los Angeles (LAX) prior to my flight to Dallas and enjoyed lunch and coffee. It’s nice to see this lounge return to its pre-pandemic service model.
Alaska Airlines Lounge Los Angeles (LAX) Review
Access + Location + Hours
I do not have status or lounge membership with Alaska Airlines, but I was granted access to the Alaska Lounge because I was traveling on a paid first class ticket. With limited exceptions, Alaska Airlines is the only U.S. airlines that allows paid first class passengers lounge access.
This lounge is available to the following passengers:
- Alaska Airlines First Class Travelers (paid or award tickets only, not upgrades booked in “U” class)
- Emerald and Sapphire oneworld members when traveling to Mexico City, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia or Australia
The lounge is open daily from 5:00am to 9:00pm and loaded in Terminal 6, near gate 64. This used to be a Priority Pass Lounge, but is no longer part of the network, which is probably a good thing considering how crowded the lounge used to get (and the long waitlist to even get in for Priority Pass members):
Take the elevator upstairs to level 2, where you will be checked in.
Seating
The lounge is one large room with a seating area including couches and large padded chairs, long high-top tables, a dining area, and additional seating by the window.
I visited the lounge around 3:00pm, stayed for about 90 minutes, and the lounge never got crowded.
Coffee
While self-service coffee is available, my favorite feature of the lounge is the barista-made coffee at the bar. Even though its Starbucks, I enjoyed a couple strong cappuccinos with my lunch that hit the spot and are simply miles ahead of anything that comes from an automatic machine.
Food + Drink
The buffet has returned and looks like pre-pandemic times. Buffet selections included hot soup (chicken noodle), brown rice, a salad bar, and nacho bar. There was also pretzels, cookies, brownies, whole fruit, and the pancake machine was available.
I made myself a very tasty nacho plate with tortilla chips, chicken strips, black beans, corns, pico de gallo, guacamole, and cheese.
This really hit the spot!
If you’re looking for something more substantial, you can order hot dishes like chicken tenders, pizza, or a cheeseburger.
Meanwhile, at the bar beer, wine, and select spirits are free while other drinks and cocktails carry a charge (see here for a comparable menu).
A Coke Freestyle machine and coffee machine were self-serve (again, don’t forget the barista!):
No Tipping
This lounge maintains a no tipping policy, which I greatly appreciate.
Restrooms
Restrooms are located on the east side of the lounge and were clean. No showers are available.
CONCLUSION
I found this to be a great lounge to wait for my Alaska Airlines flight. Not only did I enjoy a tasty lunch and coffee, but the lounge provided a quiet and comfortable place to work. Lounge access is definitely a selling point in buying a first class ticket on Alaska Airlines.
It’s nice to see that their offerings are back to normal.
Thanks! Fixed error.
New furniture! Same lounge, but decent refresh.
You couldn’t pay me to go to the lax AS Lounge again. It’s always packed. Nice people working there but it’s LOUD and impossible to find seats that are socially distanced. Yeah yeah pancake machine blah blah free drinks. No, thank you. (Did you take those photos or were they provided to you?). Clean bathrooms and phone booths for privacy are nice.
Its way less packed now that they stopped accepting Priority Pass
Wasn’t packed at all during my visit.
Was there a few weeks ago. Nowhere to sit. Packed to the gills. You lucked out.
I’m in this lounge weekly – I haven’t seen it packed in a long time. It ebbs and flows, but the lack of PP visitors has helped a LOT.
I assume the Alaska lounge is still open with new surge? Also, does the lounge have a printer or capability to print? Need to print out 24-hour COVID results for international flight. Thank you for any input you can give.
You can email documents to agent at the front desk and they will print them.
Alaska abides by oneworld entry criteria. As such, if you are BA, CX, ect elite you should have access on domestic flights.
In theory, yes, but not according to Alaska’s website.
Hello. The lounge is open to Non-Ameriacn/Alaska Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire for domestic flights. If you scroll down a little at the bottom at the FAQ, it states:
“I am a oneworld Emerald or Sapphire via a oneworld member airline other than American or Alaska, do I need to be on an international itinerary to enter the lounge?
If you are a oneworld Emerald or Sapphire member that has been earned through an airline other than American or Alaska, you are not required to have an international itinerary. For valid entry, the qualifying frequent flier number must be in your reservation.”
I recommend you should update your post.
Thank you
The lounge is also open to all Alaska and American Airlines lounge paid membership holders.
And Citi AA Executive cardholders (primary only), I accessed the SFO AS lounge a few weeks ago using the card.
Revisit later in the day, when the food and beverages have not been refreshed and the lounge overall is much less tidy.
Then it is easily near the bottom of the AS Boardroom experiences.
And the signature drink for Atmos Summit holders?; “We aren’t set up for that yet.”
Stumptown is a massive upgrade! Enjoying some this morning (Ethiopia for me today). But just looking at a pancake machine gives me Holiday Inn Express vibes, and not in a good way – just gross and incongruous with any kind of premium image.
Agreed – but many passengers enjoy crap, inclding my kids…
I’m thankful there are oher options!
Welcoming and restful lounge to have while waiting for your flight… Simple but fresh & delicious food options.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
I recently traveled with my husband and toddler on Alaska Airlines on December 7th, flying first class from Las Vegas to Liberia, Costa Rica, with a several-hour layover at LAX. During that time, I chose to use the Alaska Airlines lounge due to its proximity to our gate. I am a physician and had operated the entire day prior, followed by a 4 a.m. wake-up to make our flight. By the time we reached the lounge, I was understandably exhausted.
I have traveled extensively and have used many airport lounges worldwide, including the American Express Centurion Lounge, the British Airways First Class Lounge at Heathrow, and the Turkish Airlines Lounge. In all my years of travel, I have never encountered an issue with briefly resting or reclining, and many lounges even have designated quiet or rest areas. Upon entering the Alaska Airlines lounge, I noted there were no designated rest sofas or loungers, but there were also no signs indicating that resting or laying down was prohibited.
After we ate, my family moved to a quieter section where there was a couch. I laid down for a moment while my husband and son were nearby and our bags were right next to us. Within seconds, I was abruptly awakened by an employee named Frances, who tapped me forcefully on the shoulder several times and spoke to me in an unnecessarily harsh and embarrassing manner, saying, “You can’t sleep here. Get up, get up. You’re taking up too much space.” This occurred in front of other guests, several of whom looked visibly uncomfortable with her behavior.
My husband and I were stunned. One of the guests seated nearby even commented to us afterward that the employee’s conduct was inappropriate.
Although I remained calm for the sake of my child, I felt deeply disrespected and shamed by how the situation was handled. The manner in which I was touched and spoken to was unacceptable and far from the standard of professionalism and hospitality expected in any airline lounge.
That’s horrible. I hope you will let Alaska know – It sounds like Frances should not be addressing lounge guests…