Rapid Travel Chai

Priority Pass has added New York JFK Terminal 7’s Alaska Lounge to its lounge access program.

Hours: 05:00 – 22:00 Sunday – Friday, 05:00 – 17:00 Saturday. Closed: Dec 25.

Location: airside, after security, mezzanine level.

Access terms:

Access is permitted 3 hours prior to scheduled flight departure – All Cardholders and guests are required to show a Boarding Pass with confirmed same-day travel for access to the lounge – Limited to two guests per cardholder or immediate family (spouse and children under 21 years of age) – Cardholder must be 18 years of age or older – Access may be restricted due to space constraints – Children under 2 years are admitted free – Alcoholic drinks are limited to three per adult.

High traffic Alaska Lounges routinely turn away travelers using using Priority Pass. That could become the case at this one, though no other US airlines operate out of Terminal 7 and the international carriers are a jumble: British Airways is the big one, joined by Iberia, some Qatar flights, ANA, LOT, Aerolíneas Argentinas, Eurowings, Interjet, Icelandair, and Ukraine International Airlines

Priority Pass now has the following JFK terminals:

• Terminal 1: Air France and Korean Air (my take: Air France is much better)
• Terminal 4: Wingtips (my take: much reduced from the days when it was Oasis)
• Terminal 7: Alaska Lounge
• Terminal 8: Bobby Van’s Steakhouse (my take: I tried it twice in March, you can get a great steak in an airport it turns out)

With a same-day boarding pass from any JFK terminal you should be able to go through security and access any of these lounges. None have Priority Pass requirements listing that you must be departing from that terminal. That’s not to say a lounge agent won’t make up their own rules. With the hassle of changing terminals and going through security, the only one of this lot I might be inclined to go out of my way to visit is Bobby Van’s.