Review: Alaska Airlines Lounge New York (JFK) – Live and Let’s Fly

Ahead of a recent United Airlines flight, I had a chance to check out the recently re-opened Alaska Airlines lounge in Terminal 7 of New York JFK. While my stay started poorly, it ended up being positive overall.

Alaska Airlines Lounge New York (JFK) Review

Access + Location + Hours

This lounge is available to the following passengers:

• Alaska Airlines First Class Travelers (paid or award tickets only, not upgrades booked in “U” class)
• United Airlines business class passengers traveling from JFK-LAX/SFO
• Priority Pass members
• Emerald and Sapphire oneworld members when traveling to Mexico City, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia or Australia

If traveling on United, you simply scan your boarding pass and a lounge attendant will then input your flight info into the system.

This lounges closes in the middle of the day; its hours are from 5:00AM – 9:00AM then from 2:30PM – 9:00PM.

Once you clear security in Terminal 7, head up the escalator, turn left, and you’ll find another escalator next to the duty free shop that will take you up to the Alaska Lounge. The British Airways lounge is right next door.

Seating

With so many ways to gain access, I suppose it is not surprising how crowded the lounge was. When I arrived around 3:45pm, the lounge was packed.

After walking down a long hallway from the entrance to the lounge itself, I could not initially find a spot. Within a few minutes, though, a nice table opened and I parked myself there.

The lounge includes large semi-enclosed chairs, tables, couches, and long counters that can double as desks. The furniture is quite modern and currently in style, though I’m not sure how well it will age. There’s even a cool fireplace.

20 minutes later, however, the lounge has largely emptied out. A United flight had departed for San Francisco and a pair of Alaska flights to the West Coast, freeing up a lot of space and allowing for better pictures:

Coffee

My favorite part of the Alaska Airlines lounge experience is the barista-made coffee. I was ready for coffee when I arrived, but when I approached a lounge staff member to ask about getting a coffee, the exchange went like this:

ME: Would it be possible to order to a cappuccino?

AGENT: You can make one yourself right over there (pointing to the automatic machine)

ME: I prefer the other machine.

AGENT: We aint got enough people here.

ME: Ok then, thank you.

AGENT: It’s the same coffee.

ME: It may be the same beans, but the machine matters.

AGENT: That’s what people say.

ME: (nodding)

However, about 15 minutes later a barista appeared…and a line quickly formed before I could even get up from my seat.

I waited my turn, though, and it was worthwhile. Even though I’m not a fan of Starbucks coffee generally, the latte (with an extra shot of espresso) turned out very nicely.

In fact, it was so tasty I went back and ordered an espresso macchiato, which was also great.

The ability to enjoy a nice coffee is a big deal to me and would play into my decision to fly Alaska more.

Food + Drink

In addition to coffee, there was a well-stocked buffet with soup, salad, bruschetta, cheese, and cookies.

There was also a beverage station with self-serve soft drinks and a fully-stocked bar with limited free items as well as liquor and cocktails avialble for purchase.

Furthermore, Alaska Airlines lounges offer food available for purchase, like pizza and chicken tenders.

Restrooms

Gender neutral private bathroom suites are available, featuring Antica Farmacista soap and lotion.

No Tipping

Finally, I must applaud this lounge (and all Alaska Airlines lounges) for having a no tipping policy. Bravo!

CONCLUSION

When I walked into the crowded lounge and was denied coffee, I was ready to just turn around and walk out. I’m thankful I stayed a bit longer to see it empty out and enjoy some decent coffee. This is a respectable lounge with nice snack items and comfortable seating. I look forward to returning.