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As I first wrote about back in January, American Express is introducing another round of changes to Centurion® Lounge access as it continues to tackle overcrowding at its popular airport lounges.
Beginning today, new rules will apply to Centurion® Lounges in the United States as well as international locations like London Heathrow Airport (LHR), Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). The updated policy affects eligible cardholders, including those with The Platinum Card® from American Express, Business Platinum Card®, and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve cards.
One of the biggest changes is a new same-flight requirement for guests. Going forward, guests must be traveling on the same flight as the eligible cardmember. Even cardholders who receive complimentary guest access through spending thresholds or choose to pay for guests will no longer be able to bring in friends or family traveling on separate itineraries.
American Express is also placing a new limit on lounge access during layovers. Cardmembers will now be allowed to enter a Centurion® Lounge up to five hours before their departing connecting flight. Previously, the three-hour entry rule applied only before the first flight of the day while travelers on long connections generally faced no time restrictions.
The company says the changes are intended to improve the overall lounge experience by reducing crowding and ensuring space is available for travelers actively using the airport during their journey.
While the new same-flight guest policy may only modestly reduce congestion, the five-hour cap on connecting passengers is expected to have a greater impact at some of the busiest Centurion® Lounge locations where travelers have sometimes spent entire days waiting for flights.
Anthony’s Take: For most cardmembers, the changes are unlikely to significantly affect their travel experience. However, those who frequently meet travelers flying on separate reservations or use lounges during extended layovers will need to adjust to the new rules. Lounges are not fun when they are overcrowded to the point of not having a single seat and a picked over buffet. I like that airlines and credit card issuers are trying to find ways to make the spaces more pleasant.
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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.
1 comment
Good Reporting. Very knowledgeable.