Amex delays opening of Phoenix Centurion Lounge
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We've got bad news for flyers passing through the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. Amex's newest Centurion Lounge, which was scheduled to open there this month, won't be opening on schedule. As we originally reported back in August, the Phoenix lounge was slated to be the next Centurion Lounge to open, before the end of this month. With just four days left in November, American Express has confirmed that the lounge won't be opening on time.
Citing unforeseen construction delays, Amex won't be able to make the targeted opening date. Airport construction projects are notoriously slow, and this one is clearly no exception. However, Amex does promise that the lounge is "on track to open soon."
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The Phoenix lounge will be Amex's 10th Centurion Lounge, joining the company's existing lineup of exclusive lounges sprinkled throughout the country and world, including:
- Dallas (DFW)
- Hong Kong (HKG)
- Houston (IAH)
- Las Vegas (LAS)
- Miami (MIA)
- New York (LGA)
- Philadelphia (PHL)
- San Francisco (SFO)
- Seattle (SEA)
Amex has also announced that it'll be opening five additional new Centurion lounges in 2020. The expected opening dates for those lounges haven't changed as a result of the Phoenix delay.
- London Heathrow (LHR) - First half of 2020
- New York (JFK) - First half of 2020
- Charlotte (CLT) - 2020
- Denver (DEN) - 2020
- Los Angeles (LAX) - 2020
Amex's lounges have proved incredibly popular with cardholders, and the Phoenix lounge should be no exception. The new Centurion lounge will be located in Terminal 4. It will be sharing an entrance with a new Escape Lounge, and together the lounges will occupy a total of 9,500 square feet. Both lounges will offer a variety of food and beverage options, in addition to showers, high-speed Wi-Fi, charging stations and more.
The lounge's location in Terminal 4 will make it accessible to flyers on Air Canada, American, British Airways, Condor, Southwest, Volaris and WestJet. You'll need to pass through security separately at Terminal 4 if you’re hoping to access the lounge when flying through a different terminal.
The PHX Sky Train connects Terminal 4 with Terminal 3, and you can walk from there to Terminal 2, though there are no airside connections to Terminal 4.
Customers can access a Centurion Lounge by flashing The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express or the Centurion Card. Visitors are entitled to bring two guests (or immediate family if you carry a Centurion card), and lap infants don't count against the two-guest allotment.
Note that Platinum cardholders can only access Centurion lounges up to three hours before a departing flight. Platinum members can also access the lounges when connecting through the airport, but won't get access without an onward boarding pass.
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card cardholders will receive complimentary access to Centurion Lounges when flying Delta with a ticket purchased on the Delta Reserve card. You'll be able to bring up to two guests into the lounge for a fee of $50 each.
While the delayed opening of the Phoenix Centurion Lounge is definitely bad news for those looking for an escape from the throngs of Thanksgiving travelers, hopefully the lounge will open sooner rather than later. With six new Centurion Lounges opening before the end of 2020, Platinum and Centurion cardholders have lots to be excited about, even if one of the lounges is slightly delayed.