≡

Browsing Tag: Concierge

Taking a Look at an Airline Lounge PART 2: The Passenger Perspective at Alaska Airlines Board Room

By

The upstairs of Alaska Airlines Board Room in Seattle.

The upstairs of Alaska Airlines Board Room in Seattle.

For some, hanging out in an airline lounge is an everyday activity. For others it is a rare treat, but for most it is an unknown adventure. Honestly, I haven’t had the experience hanging out in an airline’s lounge and wondered what it would be like. Fortunately, Alaska Airlines was more than happy to let me hang out for a few hours in their Board Room at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to see what it is like to be there as a passenger.

Luckily for me, the day I visited was a bit more special than regular days.  Ponti Seafood Grill was handing out free samples and $20 gift certificates while Sleight of Hand Cellars was pouring a red and a white wine for Board Room members. Alaska has started having these special days about  once per month, when they highlight local cuisine and wines. Thank goodness I was being a passenger this day and could partake in the great food and drink.

View out one side of the Alaska Board Room. Lots of Boeing 737's waiting to leave.

View out one side of the Alaska Board Room. Lots of Boeing 737's waiting to leave.

The Alaska Airlines Board Room has a feeling of elegance, yet at the same time  is comfortable. You can enter wearing a suit, shorts or jeans and still feel at home. It seems cool enough that maybe someone like Billie Zane would hang out there (he actually was just leaving as I was showing up). From the moment you enter the large double doors, you are greeted with many smiles and there is always someone there to help you.

It really does give you the experience of flying first class. Everything is a bit fancier, you have more room and a lot of people there to help and answer any questions you might have. The Alaska Airlines Board Room in SEA is divided into two main areas. The bottom floor is more for the business traveler or people looking for a quieter area. Along the window there are plenty of work stations to plug into and get some work done using the complimentary Wi-Fi (which all of SEA has now as well).

Work stations down stairs at Alaska's Board Room

Work stations down stairs at Alaska's Board Room

The upstairs is where you will find families traveling together or folks looking for a little more entertainment. There are two large TV’s that become quite popular during sporting events. You also have some pretty awesome views of Alaska Airlines Boeing 737’s out the windows and you can see planes taking off in the distance.

The board room has a bar area where you can get adult drinks. Most are free, but if you want top shelf, it might cost you a few dollars.  There are also two self-service locations where you can get soda, coffee and snacks. Throughout the day there are different food options ranging from pastries to cheese to boiled eggs. In the morning folks can try out one of the most amazing food machines I have seen: an automatic pancake maker. All you need to do is push a button and a double stack comes on out. They say it is popular with the kids, but heck, I found it super entertaining.

A fancy Dale Chihuly installation at Alaska's Board Room.

A fancy Dale Chihuly installation at Alaska's Board Room.

After spending some time in Alaska’s Board Room, it felt…well…a little lame being in the main terminal. Not to say that SEA is a bad airport to hang out in, but once you visit an airport lounge, it is hard to go back. So how do you visit the Board Room as a passenger? Miles and money!

If you aren’t a MVP or Gold Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Member, it will cost you $450 for the year. If you are MVP, it goes down to $375 and $295 for Gold. If you want to visit only for a day (maybe your flight is delayed or you want to come for wine/food day) then it only costs $40 for a day pass. Since there are many concierges to assist you (and free alcohol), $40 would be a deal if you need to get re-booked on a flight and will be hanging out for a few hours. As a member you have access not only to Alaska’s Board Rooms, but also partner airline lounges located all around the country.

Besides all the goodies, you are going to find first class service. The people that work in the board room are well trained in many areas to make sure they can help any passenger’s request (more on their duties tomorrow).

A Day In The Life Of’¦A Board Room Concierge
PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | ALL | PHOTOS

Taking a Look at an Airline Lounge PART 1: The Background

By

Privium ClubLounge in Amsterdam

Privium ClubLounge in Amsterdam

For most people being stuck at the airport is a real drag. Even though I can easily be entertained for a few hours, if I am in one more than 4-5, I will start getting grumpy. Uncomfortable seats, expensive food and no one who seems to give a darn. Unless of course, you have access to an airline’s board room.

I have flown a lot in my life, yet I have had very little experience with airline board rooms. Either not racking up enough miles with one airline or constantly flying airlines that don’t even have a board room. I have always felt they were elite and out of reach for a middle class traveler. I wanted to check out the board room experience inside and out and luckily Alaska Airlines was more than happy to have me.

I learned that although being in the board room feels like an elite experience, you don’t need to be wealthy to experience it. I visited Alaska Airline’s Board Room at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport twice in one week: The first to see what it is like as a passenger and the second, to roll up my sleeves and go behind the scenes to see what it is like to work as a concierge.

reLAX, enjoy some snacks and the view

reLAX, enjoy some snacks and the view

This experience will be in a three part series with this first introduction looking at boardrooms in general, the second part showing what it is like as a passenger, and concluding with the experience as an employee.

Airport lounges allow passengers to have a first class experience at the airport. Most are airline-owned or shared through an alliance. Many larger and legacy airlines will have lounges all over the world, but most low cost carriers will not provide any.

For the most part the lounges provide a quieter environment for passengers to relax or work, free food and drinks and direct access to top notch customer service. Most airport lounges are restricted to people with yearly or lifetime memberships, elite frequent flyer members or those flying in first class. Some airlines will allow passengers to purchase one-day passes to enjoy all the amenities, but not with a long-term contract.

Alaska Airlines Board Room in Seattle, WA

Alaska Airlines Board Room in Seattle, WA

Now, you don’t need to go through an airline necessarily to access first-class airport service. A while back I took a look at reLAX at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which gives you board-room-like service, but it is not attached to any airline. You don’t need VIP mileage status or big bucks to be treated like a rockstar. You just need a few bucks and some extra time at LAX. I checked back in with them and things have been going well. They have seen 50,000 visitors since they opened in December 2008 and are planning to expand to other cities in the near future.

So what is it like to be a VIP and go to the exclusive airport lounge? You are going to have to wait until tomorrow to find out, when I blog about the passenger experience at Alaska Airline’s Board Room!

A Day In The Life Of’¦A Board Room Concierge
PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | ALL | PHOTOS

Images:
Privium by WytzeNL
ReLax by ReLax
Alaska by AirlineReporter.com