Portland is losing its only Priority Pass lounge

Priority Pass, the 1,300+ strong airport lounge network accessible by a variety of different credit cards, is losing another Alaska lounge, with the lounge in Portland due to end its membership as of November 1, 2019. This is sad news for cardholders, as the program continues losing participants seemingly as speedily as it’s gaining them, with big names like the Timberline restaurant (in Denver) and P.F. Chang’s (in Los Angeles) departing the network in October.

After Portland, the only remaining Alaska lounges still participating in the Priority Pass program will be in Los Angeles, New York and Anchorage, though access has been spotty, with lounges restricting access to guests due to overcrowding.

Alaska’s newly renovated lounge at LAX is known to turn guests away. (Photo by Benji Stawski/The Points Guy)

While the Alaska lounge was the only lounge currently open to Priority Pass cardholders in Portland, members still have access to two participating restaurants, Capers Cafe Le Bar and Westward Whiskey. Each restaurant allocates $28 per guest with Priority Pass, which is fairly generous — even for an airport restaurant. Both are located in Concourse C, which is accessible to all passengers.

It’s always a shame to see a lounge leave the Priority Pass network, though it’s not surprising as Alaska’s relationship with PP has slowly been deteriorating. Fortunately for flyers, there are still opportunities to use their cards at participating restaurants — though they’ll need to make sure that their Priority Pass membership includes restaurant access.

Feature photo by Harriet Baskas for The Points Guy.