During my two times to Latin America review trip, I had an extended layover at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), as I was arriving in Delta’s A350 business class, and connecting to Delta’s 737 first class. During this time, I was able to check out the Amex Centurion Lounge there, which opened in early 2024.
Continue reading: Review: Amex Centurion Lounge Atlanta Airport (ATL)
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I think Centurion lounges set the benchmark for credit card lounges and compare favorably to most Priority Pass lounges in the US.
However, Capital One and Chase Sapphire lounges seem to have taken it a step further with their offerings and seem materially better than Centurion lounges. Often the food is more elevated and/or the amenities are a step up like the DFW Capital One lounge or the BOS Sapphire lounge.
The main thing Amex has going for it is the footprint. They're often one of the only credit card lounges or only good option at many airports. With how space constrained and slow construction is at many large airports, it's not easy for the competition. But Amex will lose their edge, if Chase or Capital One manage to catch up. Too many high annual fee cards, consumers are looking to consolidate.
I’m curious what crowds are like during different times of the day - anyone visited frequently?
I have been to this lounge several times since opening, by myself and with my family. It is a spectacular lounge. This review is spot on based on my experience there. Well done. Crowding is a problem, particularly in the afternoons. I have seen a line to enter on a Saturday afternoon 75-100 people long and opted for a Delta Sky Club instead. My favorite spot is the outdoor terrace overlooking the planes.
I have been to this lounge about 5 times now since its opening and I must say that it is always a great way to start a trip. I love the outdoor lounge with views of the tramac. The food and drink options are plentiful. I love that they have many different food and snack areas. I am concerned about how much more crowded the lounge will become when DELTA starts limiting free lounge visits to credit card holders. I expect people to use this lounge even more since they will get less complimentary visits to sky lounges beginning in 2025. Especially once they run out of free sky club visits. We will see.
We were recently at CLT Centurion lounge and it was packed, I noticed A LOT of military. Being a veteran myself I was chatting with a table of active duty colonels and asked why so many active duty. AmEx gives the Platinum free to active duty, nice gesture but if it's an airport near a large base, like SeaTac, this can really lead to overcrowding. At CLT it had to be over a third that stood out as active duty but maybe that's not common. Again, love and respect our military as a veteran myself but especially near large bases...
I like this place too but bigger doesn't mean better when it comes to Centurian lounges. I would still take SEA's lounge over this. I prefer the elevated position, the runway views are a touch better, and most importantly there's a barista coffee station so there's actually choices other than mimosas and Bloody Marys and water if you swing by in the morning. Amex food is typically mediocre anyway so barista coffee goes a long way.
Not all Centurion lounges are buffet-only. I went to the one in Denver Sunday, November 17, and there was a mac-and-cheese bar where the cook made individual mac-and-cheese bowls. Perhaps they use the area as an omelet bar in the morning. Other than that, it was buffet-only. But Denver was a big improvement over the Centurion lounge at IAH, visited November 15, where the food selection was very limited with only one meat choice that I could see.
The staff and food were so much better the first month it opened....disappointing now and hard to access with the crowds.
Wow, that's actually one of the most gorgeous lounges I've seen in the world, design-wise.
Had some time to kill today and checked it out. For my personal tastes, the food was better in the Delta Sky Clubs, although the little fridge with the individual hummus and other dips was a nice upscale touch. It was decently busy and felt crowded / cluttered, and it will probably get much worse after 2/1/24.
I liked the lounge as a whole. I didn't like that when the bartender served me the drink she pointed to the tip jar. Thought that was in bad taste. As it happens I don't carry cash so it might be a good idea to have a qr code for tips.
Ben -- not sure if you covered it somewhere I missed, but earlier this month, this lounge got a 69 on its health inspection score, which is failing. Pretty disappointing, both since it's a brand new lounge and since this is my hometown airport and I want it to do well!