American Express Announces Centurion Lounge Reopenings Starting in Seattle and Philadelphia

by Giovanni

American Express has announced plans to begin a phased reopening of its Centurion Lounge collection starting October 5th and expand lounges in key airports. The 12 Centurion Lounges have been closed since American Express joined other lounge operators in closing lounges early in the Coronavirus pandemic in March 21.

Since then, other lounges (including American Airlines Admiral’s Club, United Clubs, and Delta Sky Clubs) have started reopening in key hubs. Until today, American Express had been silent on its plans.

Centurion Lounges in Seattle and Philadelphia to Reopen October 5th

American Express has slated lounges at the following airports to open first.

  • Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
  • Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

American Express says it is evaluating when to reopen its Centurion Lounge locations based on several factors, including local COVID-19 case prevalence, and will be taking a phased approach, location by location. Meaning, we should see announcements for the reopening of other lounges soon.

Amex Centurion Lounge Philadelphia Bar & Dining

The Centurion Lounge in Philadelphia (PHL) will be reopening with a limited selection of drinks at the bar and the full wine list. Photo courtesy of American Express.

Centurion Lounge Expansion in Las Vegas and La Guardia

American Express also announced that Centurion Lounges at New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Las Vegas Airport (LGA) will be completed in 2021. The expanded lounges will feature additional amenities for Card Members:

  • At La Guardia, the lounge will double in size and move post-security to a new location within the renovated Terminal B. It will feature a family room, additional workspaces, private telephone rooms, and views of the NYC skyline.
  • In Las Vegas, the original Centurion Lounge (opened in 2013) will grow from nearly 9,000 square feet to over 13,400 square feet. The newly designed lounge will feature additional multi-purpose areas, private telephone rooms and a renovated reception and workspace areas and more.
Rendering of new Amex Centurion Lounge LGA check-in

Rendering of new Amex Centurion Lounge LGA check-in (photo courtesy of American Express)

New Lounges in New York JFK, London Heathrow, and Denver

American Express confirmed in the release that they are continuing to work to open new lounges New York John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK), London Heathrow Airport (LHR), and Denver International Airport (DEN). The new lounges are expected to open later this year.

Centurion Lounges Are A Key Amex Benefit

Centurion Lounge access is a key benefit for American Express Platinum and Centurion cardholders. The lounges offer warm food, cocktails, and some offer spa treatments. With the comfortable spaces, they’re significantly better than most American airline lounges.

With travel slowly returning, many cardholders had been clamoring to find out when they would once again be able to access the lounges. In a recent message to Loyalty Lobby, one Vegas-based cardholder who commutes weekly wrote:

This whole Centurion Lounge situation has become a nuisance to me since the clubs continue to be closed [here in Vegas they are doing construction]… I feel like Amex isn’t providing any return of what they’re promising their card members.

The Centurion Lounge Commitment

To instill confidence, American Express has created The Centurion Lounge Commitment to support the health and safety of Card Members when the lounges reopen. This includes contactless check-in and limited capacity and pre-portioned cuisine curated by their Executive Chefs.

Bar service and the full wine list will be available. A shorter cocktail menu featuring each location’s most popular drinks will be available to reduce wait times and allow social distancing. Spa services will be available in some lounges. American Express notes that offerings will be limited to non-practitioner treatments, including Theragun massages and digital meditations. Equipment and treatment areas will be sanitized between appointments.

Showers are closed until further notice.

a poster with icons and symbols

How to Access Centurion Lounges

The Centurion Lounges are some of the best lounges in the United States with full bars and delicious buffet foods. Access is limited to American Express cardholders with specific cards:

Centurion Lounge access is limited to three hours before departure. The exception is with connections, in which case you can access the lounge earlier (even if your connection is more than three hours).

Of course, if you have the Amex Centurion Card, you can access Centurion Lounges on departure or arrival, with no time limit.

American Express Platinum Card

The Upshot

It’s good to hear that Amex is reopening its lounges, even in a phased way. We’ll keep a close eye on this and update you as the first two lounges reopen and planned opening dates for additional lounges.

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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