Review: Alaska Board Room Los Angeles LAX

Review: Alaska Board Room Los Angeles LAX

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Back when I lived in Seattle I would fly Alaska a ton, in particular between Seattle and Los Angeles. Alaska has four airport lounges — called Board Rooms — in Anchorage, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle. I’ve visited all four of them, though it occurred to me that I haven’t actually reviewed any of them.

So this seems as good of a time as any to do so.

Yesterday morning I was flying US Airways out of LAX Terminal 6, which is also the terminal out of which Alaska operates. US Airways doesn’t have a lounge in Terminal 6. American operates out of Terminal 4 and they have an Admirals Club, though that’s quite a hike from Terminal 6.

So instead I always use the Alaska Airlines Board Room when flying US Airways out of LAX.

The Alaska Board Room Los Angeles is a Priority Pass lounge, along with the other three locations as well.

That means the Alaska Board Room can be accessed using a Priority Pass membership through any number of credit cards with lounge access.

There are some other ways to gain access to the Board Room, other than being a Board Room member:

  • Admirals Club members get reciprocal lounge access with Alaska, so you can access the lounge if you are the primary cardmember of a Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (when departing or arriving on flights marketed and operated by American or Alaska Airlines)
  • You can buy a day pass for $60 per person
  • Paid first class passengers (those paying in cash or with miles) get access, though upgraded passengers don’t

Anyway, the Alaska Board Room LAX is located airside in Terminal 6, towards the back of the terminal. It’s open daily from 5AM until 10PM.

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Terminal 6 LAX

The elevator to the Board Room is located near gate 65, close to the set of escalators which take you to the underground tunnel.

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Terminal 6 LAX

The main level of the concourse is under construction, so is rather unsightly.

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Alaska Board Room LAX elevator

The Board Room is located one level up from the main concourse. The reception desk is there immediately as you exit the elevator, and is where the Board Room concierge checks your credentials. I entered using the Priority Pass membership I have through my Citi Prestige® Card. The card was swiped, I signed, and was promptly admitted.

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Alaska Board Room LAX reception desk

The Board Room in Los Angeles isn’t especially large or modern, though I’d say it’s comfortable. It’s usually not too crowded, and is basically one big, rectangular room with some partitions for privacy.

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Alaska Board Room LAX seating

There’s the main seating area in the center of the room.

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Alaska Board Room LAX seating

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Alaska Board Room LAX seating

Then closer to the entrance are a handful of dining tables.

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Alaska Board Room LAX seating

Next to that is the bar area, which has some countertop seating overlooking the tarmac.

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Alaska Board Room LAX bar area

Across from that are some more dining tables and the bar. House beer, wine, and liquor are free, while premium beverages and more substantial food (pizzas, salads, etc.) are available for purchase.

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Alaska Board Room LAX bar area

One of my favorite things about the lounge is the views. You look out directly over a few gates, and also have a good overview of traffic on the runway and taxiway.

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Alaska Board Room LAX view

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Alaska Board Room LAX view

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Alaska Board Room LAX view

In the back corner of the lounge is a business center. On one side you have stations with PCs, and on the other just blank workstations with outlets (where I usually hang out).

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Alaska Board Room LAX business center

Back closer to the entrance is a family room with a TV.

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Alaska Board Room Los Angeles family room

Next to that are two small rooms with doors, should you want some privacy or to make a phone call.

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Alaska Board Room Los Angeles phone rooms

The bathrooms in the lounge are simple. There are no showers or anything, but rather just a single urinal and a couple of stalls in the men’s room.

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Alaska Board Room Los Angeles bathroom

In terms of the food spread, I’d say Alaska has slightly above average catering as far as US airline lounges go.

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Alaska Board Room Los Angeles buffet

Perhaps the biggest hit in terms of their breakfast selection is the pancake machine. Who doesn’t like freshly made pancakes and a neat machine?

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Alaska Board Room Los Angeles pancake machine

Then there’s a fridge with yogurt.

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Alaska Board Room Los Angeles breakfast spread

Next to that are bagels, toast, muffins, and danishes, as well as whole fruit.

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Alaska Board Room Los Angeles breakfast spread

Alaska also has what’s possibly the best coffee machine of any lounge out there. It makes actually decent drinks, and if you’re into it, they also have several syrups to choose from.

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Alaska Board Room Los Angeles espresso machine

I appreciate that they have both a coffee machine and also Starbucks drip coffee.

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Alaska Board Room Los Angeles coffee

Then there’s a soda fountain with Coca-Cola products.

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Alaska Board Room Los Angeles soda machine

I was in the lounge around 11AM, so they were transitioning from the breakfast spread to the lunch spread.

In the afternoon there were stale-looking pretzels and cookies.

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Alaska Board Room Los Angeles lunch buffet

Then there was fresh salad and cubed cheese. The salad is a nice touch, and not something you find in many US lounges.

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Alaska Board Room Los Angeles lunch buffet

And then there was also a soup. The soup selection varies, though in this case it was a homestyle chicken & noodle soup. There were crackers and croutons available as well.

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Alaska Board Room Los Angeles lunch buffet

Alaska Board Room Los Angeles bottom line

This is far from one of the best airline lounges in the US, though I still think it’s above average. Obviously we’re talking about Alaska Airlines here, so the lounge won’t have amenities like showers, but it’s still good for what it is.

The food is a bit above average and the staff are friendly, and I also like the tarmac views.

This continues to be my preferred lounge when flying Alaska or US Airways out of Terminal 6 at LAX.

Have you been to an Alaska Board Room? How do you think they compare to the lounges offered by other US airlines?

Conversations (25)
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  1. Linda Guest

    Am I able to access this lounge with Priority Pass if I’m flying out of Terminal 5 via American Airlines? If so, how? TIA.

  2. Justa Price Guest

    You must be an incredibly positive person. I try to be positive but, there is NOTHING positive about this lounge. This is by far the worse airline lounge I have ever visited. If you are staying in a cheap motel the night before your flight, get the free breakfast there and skip this lounge.

  3. Shash Guest

    Lucky, just started following your website and still learning lot here. I just moved to Seattle from NY and you mentioned that you used to live in Seattle. So here is my question for you..If you are starting as newbie from Seattle..what will be your choice of top two airlines for collecting miles and also top two credit cards which every 12th man should have :) Would love to see a detailed post also for future on this from you. Thanks.

  4. Scott New Member

    Love that AS has a sign at the bar that says no tipping, please. And I had possibly the best bloody mary ever there -- made fully from scratch, including olives and pickled green bean. If there was ever a bartender who deserved a tip, it was that guy (at the LAX Board Room). Which made it all that more special that Alaska doesn't allow tipping. Great employees and no tips, how does AS do it?

  5. john Guest

    Lucky, As a delta skyclub member, I used to use this lounge rather than the skyclub in T5 whenever feasible. With the renovations to the skyclub, which do you prefer now?

    1. lucky OMAAT

      @ john -- I'd say the SkyClub is probably a bit better nowadays, all things considered. Especially if you're actually flying Delta out of T5.

  6. Tony Guest

    @Ben If I'm taking AA metal flight out of T6, would my Emerald status (NOT AA), grant me access to the AS Boardroom?

    1. lucky OMAAT

      @ Tony -- It wouldn't, because this isn't a oneworld lounge.

  7. Chris Guest

    I believe they also have one at SFO (although it has been a while since I was in there), but probably not worth reviewing.

    1. lucky OMAAT

      @ Chris -- They recently closed the one in San Francisco recently, and instead use the Cathay Pacific lounge now:
      https://onemileatatime.com/alaska-lounge-sfo/

  8. Mike H Member

    Ben,

    I have lost track of where you have been this year and how up to date with trip reports you are.
    What's outstanding?
    How are you finding the traffic to the site? Still high?

    1. lucky OMAAT

      @ Mike H -- I have a huge trip report coming up later this week. Traffic to the site is high as ever. :)

  9. Andy Guest

    I was similarly impressed that the servers at the bar would not accept a tip.
    The mid-afternoon food offerings were pretty barren for me -- the salad did not look very appetizing, and there were no hot options (no soup for me!) unless you wanted to order an $8 pizza.
    Can't complain about it being free with Priority Pass Select, though.

  10. djibouti Guest

    Interesting--I also came through there yesterday, albeit in the late afternoon/early evening, and the soup was a minestrone and cheese tortellini. Do they change part-way through the day?

    1. lucky OMAAT

      @ djibouti -- Yep, pretty normal for them to switch up soups when they run out.

  11. Tony Guest

    I wasn't aware that the Citi Executive card got you in the AS board room. Is it just for the cardholder or +1 guest? Nice perk...

    1. lucky OMAAT

      @ Tony -- You get full guesting privileges, so can take two guests or immediate family members.

  12. Mark S. Guest

    Worth mentioning that Alaska also provides reciprocal access to Delta Sky Club members. Separately, what exactly is "stale-looking" about the pretzels and cookies? Surely the snacks turn over quickly enough to avoid spoiling.

    1. lucky OMAAT

      @ Mark S. -- The cookies just aren't freshly baked. They taste like they've been sitting in packages for a long time.

  13. Andy Guest

    There is another way to obtain access, First Class award ticket.

    1. lucky OMAAT

      @ Andy -- Great point. Updated the post to reflect that.

  14. DavidB Guest

    Used this lounge earlier this year when flying up to SEA on AS. Entry by PriorityPass (from AmexPlat). It was round noon and very crowded, though within the hour it had emptied out and was much as described above. What struck me most was after I had ordered a pint of their IPA on tap (can't recall if it was Alaskan or not), not only was there no charge for a premium beer, but the...

    Used this lounge earlier this year when flying up to SEA on AS. Entry by PriorityPass (from AmexPlat). It was round noon and very crowded, though within the hour it had emptied out and was much as described above. What struck me most was after I had ordered a pint of their IPA on tap (can't recall if it was Alaskan or not), not only was there no charge for a premium beer, but the bar tender refused to accept the usual US airline lounge tip of $1, saying "we don't do that here". A while later he came around to where I was seated to check if I wanted a refill! Not a bad spot to pass the time at LAX if you're flying from that terminal on AS, AA or US.

  15. Eric Guest

    It's always disappointing that the AS LAX BR doesn't consistently have Alaskan Amber or other Alaska beer available.

  16. Patrick Member

    I miss all your reviews, it's been too long.

    Do you have any upcoming trip reports we can expect?

    1. lucky OMAAT

      @ Patrick -- Going on an amazing trip later this week which I'll be writing a trip report about "live."

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Linda Guest

Am I able to access this lounge with Priority Pass if I’m flying out of Terminal 5 via American Airlines? If so, how? TIA.

0
Justa Price Guest

You must be an incredibly positive person. I try to be positive but, there is NOTHING positive about this lounge. This is by far the worse airline lounge I have ever visited. If you are staying in a cheap motel the night before your flight, get the free breakfast there and skip this lounge.

0
Shash Guest

Lucky, just started following your website and still learning lot here. I just moved to Seattle from NY and you mentioned that you used to live in Seattle. So here is my question for you..If you are starting as newbie from Seattle..what will be your choice of top two airlines for collecting miles and also top two credit cards which every 12th man should have :) Would love to see a detailed post also for future on this from you. Thanks.

0
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