Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links below. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
American Express is rolling out another round of access restrictions for its Centurion® Lounges. This is the latest effort to manage crowding as demand for premium airport lounges remains high. The updated rules take effect on July 8th and introduce more restrictive guest access and how early travelers can enter during long connections.
The changes will apply to Centurion® Lounges in the United States, as well as international locations like London Heathrow Airport (LHR) (review here), Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). They affect cardmembers holding premium products such as the Platinum Card® from American Express, Business Platinum Card®, and Delta SkyMiles Reserve-branded cards.
Under the new policy, guests accompanying a cardmember must be traveling on the same flight. Cardmembers will no longer be able to bring in friends or family who are flying separately on different itineraries (even if guest access is included through spending thresholds or paid entry). The intent is to limit lounge use to travelers who are genuinely part of the same journey and I am okay with this if it frees up space.
American Express is also setting a firm time window for lounge access during layovers. Cardmembers will be allowed to enter a Centurion® Lounge up to five hours before their departing flight on a connection. Previously, Amex enforced a three-hour rule only before the first flight of the day, while layovers were largely unrestricted. This new standard brings Centurion® Lounges closer in line with policies already used by other credit card lounge operators. Again, this is not upsetting. Five hours is reasonable for a connection. If a flight is delayed and you’re in the lounge already it’s not like they will kick you out.
American Express says the Centurion® Lounge remains one of its most valued cardmember benefits and that these adjustments are designed to preserve a more comfortable and consistent experience. Overcrowding has been a persistent issue across airport lounges, driven by a surge in premium card ownership, increased leisure travel, and passengers arriving earlier to navigate unpredictable airport conditions.
While the same-flight guest requirement is unlikely to dramatically reduce congestion on its own, the five-hour cap on layover access may help ease some pressure at the busiest locations (I’m looking at you, Las Vegas). For most travelers, the changes will have minimal impact, but cardmembers who routinely meet guests flying separately or spend entire days in lounges during long connections will need to adjust their habits starting next summer.
Anthony’s Take: Every little bit helps. Lounges are awful when they are overcrowded to the point of not having a single seat and a picked over buffet. Travel is not slowing down and I like that airlines and credit card issuers are trying to find ways to make the spaces more pleasant. Who wants to wait in line for most of the time they have before a flight? Let’s see what this does once implemented.
User Generated Content Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
2 comments
I agree, these changes are fair. Do you know if they delay your flight before entering the lounge and that then pushes it past the five hour mark, will they still let you in?
It has always been based on scheduled flight time. I’d expect that to remain the same.