Opened in June 2023 after an extensive renovation, the Alaska Lounge at Concourse D is the airline’s latest offering at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. After checking out the Alaska Lounge in the North Satellite, I decided to head to this lounge, which is closer to the gate for my American Eagle flight. Although the lounge is spread over two floors, the mezzanine floor was closed off for some reason during my visit.

Lounge Access Rules

Despite being a oneworld lounge, there are many exceptions to the access policy at the Alaska Airlines Lounge. But first, oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members belonging to programmes outside of Alaska Mileage Plan and AAdvantage are eligible for entry on any oneworld-operated itinerary. Elite members with Alaska Mileage Plan and AAdvantage are only eligible on flights destined outside North America.

Additionally, First Class passengers on Alaska Airlines on routes over 2,100 miles can access the lounge. This similarly extends to First and Business Class passengers on an international oneworld flight blocked for over 5 hours. Of course, Alaska Lounge members and by extension, Admiral Club members, are eligible for entry. For more access guidelines, consult the Alaska Airlines lounge access page here.

Location

The Alaska Lounge is located in Concourse D of the main terminal at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (D Gates). The lounge is located just past Security Checkpoint 4, just before Gate D1 and across Hudson News. There, you’ll immediately find a prominent sign for the Alaska Lounge at the entrance.

Alaska Airlines Lounge

Although I was flying domestically on American Eagle, I was able to access the lounge by way of my oneworld Emerald status with Cathay Pacific. Since my membership number had been embedded to my boarding pass, I was promptly admitted by the friendly lounge agents, who also informed me that the mezzanine floor is closed.

Barista Station

Immediately across the reception is the barista station, which is perhaps the Alaska Lounge’s single most valuable amenity. This barista station is complemented by a few bar seats as well as a couple tables next to it.

Although I don’t often drink coffee, I appreciate the provision of quality, barista-brewed coffee, especially before an early morning flight. In addition to brewed hot drinks, complimentary sodas, juices, beer, and wine are also available on request at the barista station.

Curiously, there is also a small beverage station with a self-service coffee machine and Umbria-branded coffee dispensers across from the barista station. I reckon people would only use this if the barista station is swarmed with patrons. Nicely enough, however, the beverage station also features a drinking water dispensing station, which is well appreciated.

Lounge Area

Past the barista station is a narrow corridor that leads to the lounge’s small seating area. Although there weren’t actually a lot of people in the lounge, the small size and low ceiling height of the space made it feel very packed and crowded. This left it feeling less comfortable compared to the airline’s flagship North Satellite lounge.

The majority of the seats here consist of sofa chairs and armchairs, in addition to a row of bar seats along the window. In particular, there are a bunch of leather sofa chairs arranged around the fireplace in the centre of the room. While these seats are undoubtedly cosy, they did seem arranged too closely to each other, leaving it potentially a bit awkward. Additionally, I found it frustrating that only seats next to a console table have access to a power outlet.

In addition to the sofa chairs, there are also a bunch of high-top bar seats by the window and communal bar seats on both ends of the space. Again, only some of these seats have access to power outlets, which you’ll find under the table.

My favourite, however, were the high-walled chairs you’ll find at both ends of the lounge. Totalling eight seats, each of these cubicle-like chairs feature an embedded power outlet underneath the seat, as well as a movable cocktail table in front. I’ll note that these seats reminded me a lot of the Ilse Crawford-designed Solo seats you’ll find in many Cathay Pacific Lounges.

Dining

The dining spread is located on a corridor between the lounge area and the barista station. As my visit coincided between breakfast and lunch, I managed to see the selection for both meals. I’ll note that the selection was quite similar to the one available at the North Satellite Alaska Lounge, with a few minor differences. Despite that, I found the food quality and taste to be similarly mediocre, at best.

Breakfast

For breakfast, there was a selection of baked goods and cold breakfast choices in the ‘salad bar’, in addition to a limited choice of hot steel oats, egg patties, and sausages. Alaska Airlines’ signature Pancake Printer is likewise available here. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Lunch

For lunch, a choice of trail mixes makes an appearance next to the baked goods. Other than that, the cold breakfast dishes are replaced with a proper salad bar. Furthermore, a bain-marie of ‘White Macaroni and Cheese’ replaces the egg patties and turkey sausages to become the sole hot dish.

Drinks

In addition to the drinks available at the barista station, the dining spread also features a Coca-Cola-branded automatic soft drinks dispenser, in addition to jugs of orange juice, cranberry juice, and water. Sadly, however, the drinks dispenser was out of order during my visit.

Mezzanine Floor

As I mentioned throughout this review, the Alaska Lounge in Concourse D actually has a mezzanine floor with an expanded seating area. According to the airline’s press release, the space should include many of the same seating options you’d find in the North Satellite Alaska Lounge. Sadly, however, I was unable to check out the space due to it being closed.

Toilets

On the first floor, there are gender-segregated toilets located behind the dining spread, next to the lounge’s kitchen. Unlike the ones at the North Satellite Alaska Lounge, this toilet is comparatively smaller and a bit stuffy. In the men’s toilet, there are just two cubicles and a single urinal, which were neither clean nor dirty.

Overall

Mimicking my experience at the North Satellite Alaska Lounge, this lounge was quite crowded and featured mediocre food at best. Although I liked the barista station and the comfortable seating, the small space and the number of patrons made the space a lot less inviting. As such I probably wouldn’t arrive early to visit this lounge before a flight departing Seattle. Despite that, I’ll note that this verdict would probably be very different had the second floor been open, given the much-needed extra space it provides.

Read more from this trip here!