One of the best perks of The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is access to Centurion Lounges. These lounges are for the most part significantly better than what’s offered by US airlines, as the lounges have complimentary cocktails, hot food, and a couple of them even have spas.
As of now Amex’s US Centurion Lounge locations include Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, New York LaGuardia, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle. American Express also intends to open Centurion Lounges in Denver, Los Angeles, and New York JFK.
We’ve known for a while that Amex is in the process of opening a new Centurion Lounge at DFW. They closed their previous Centurion Lounge on July 24, and they’re opening a new one that’s a bit larger, given that the previous lounge was constantly at capacity.
There’s some great news on that front — the new Amex Centurion Lounge DFW is now open. The new lounge is located near gate D12 (so it’s not far from the old lounge), and is 12,500 square feet, meaning it’s about 3,000 square feet larger than the previous space.
The new lounge has additional benefits like three shower suites, private telephone rooms, and a mother’s room.
That’s in addition to the following benefits, which the previous lounge already had:
- Full premium bar with specialty cocktails developed by Centurion lounge mixologist Jim Meehan, and wines handpicked by Centurion Lounge wine director Anthony Giglio, including seasonal wine flights
- Fresh, locally-inspired cuisine designed by James Beard Award-winning chef Dean Fearing
- Complimentary spa therapies from Exhale
- Semi-private, and dedicated work area with high-speed Wi-Fi
- Member services desk
- Conference space
- Family room
- Computer bar
- Large flat-screen TVs
American Express has also shared some pictures of the lounge space (so photo credit for all pictures goes to them):
The lounge space looks great, and I can’t wait to check it out myself. I’m not sure a 3,000 square foot increase will make a huge difference in terms of crowding, though it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
So, who’s going to be the first to check out the new Centurion Lounge?
I enjoyed their Centurion lounge in Houston. But their lounge in Hong Kong was a big disappointment. Tiny and limited selections of food. At least the wifi was decent speeds.
Yes, they only admit people within 3 hours of departure. I was just turned away. After a 14hrs flight from HK, this is very upsetting. At least they should allow people transferring enter the lounge without time limit.
So, I had travel plans take me through DFW today and I thought I would stop by the lounge. I am a frequently traveler through DFW and I used the old lounge quite a bit. Glad to see this new version finally open. The space is great, although I agree with an earlier poster about the "views" from the lounge. Not very exciting.
One interesting fact today, there was a limit to guests accessing the...
So, I had travel plans take me through DFW today and I thought I would stop by the lounge. I am a frequently traveler through DFW and I used the old lounge quite a bit. Glad to see this new version finally open. The space is great, although I agree with an earlier poster about the "views" from the lounge. Not very exciting.
One interesting fact today, there was a limit to guests accessing the lounge. Your flight had to be within three hours or you would not be admitted in. One of the agents here that I have gotten to know indicated that they have been cracking down on people just showing up with the maximum number of guest just for the free food and booze.
We will see how this get enforced, but I think I like it. Having frequented this lounge for years, I can't tell you how frustrating it is that there are TONS of people just munching on the free food and liquor with several guests in tow, leaving the seating areas trashed and then giving the stinky eye to staff when they get upset.
Stay tuned...
Wow, lots of whiners here. Every time I pass through DFW the Centurion Lounge is busy, but never so packed I can't find someplace to sit. The food is great, not dry or overcooked in any way. Nothing is worn of "dilapidated". It's quite clean. It's an excellent perk. I mean Amex really doesn't have to do this. People here seem to be bringing their sad mental state with them to the lounge and thus...
Wow, lots of whiners here. Every time I pass through DFW the Centurion Lounge is busy, but never so packed I can't find someplace to sit. The food is great, not dry or overcooked in any way. Nothing is worn of "dilapidated". It's quite clean. It's an excellent perk. I mean Amex really doesn't have to do this. People here seem to be bringing their sad mental state with them to the lounge and thus see everything through those lenses. Their reviews here say more about their internal state when traveling then anything. Passing through DFW in a few weeks and looking forward to seeing the new lounge! Thanks Ben.
Arrived DFW at 7pm and it was open. It was a “good” level of busy—not too empty, not too busy. The food was decent, and, as usual, the drinks were pretty solid. Definitely bigger than the old one, but not sure if it is big enough to alleviate the crowding at busy times.
FYI, as of 5pm, this is NOT open. The elevator and stairs are both blocked.
Amex should just remove all guesting privileges. Only the card holder should get access.
One thing I loved about the old DFW Centurion lounge was the massive windows and natural light. Unfortunately this new one looks to be at ground level and loses those aspects. One positive aspect I'm hoping for is that the food quality will go back up. In my opinion, it seemed that the food started great and then slipped into dry, unhealthy, overcooked crap.
As for the crowding issues - I agree that it is...
One thing I loved about the old DFW Centurion lounge was the massive windows and natural light. Unfortunately this new one looks to be at ground level and loses those aspects. One positive aspect I'm hoping for is that the food quality will go back up. In my opinion, it seemed that the food started great and then slipped into dry, unhealthy, overcooked crap.
As for the crowding issues - I agree that it is hit or miss, but I would wager that most of the people visiting these lounges are business travelers and thus not really capable of getting an odd flight time when there is less crowding. My personal opinion is that during peak operations (to be defined by AMEX) admittance should be limited to +1 guest. It's frustrating to get on the elevator to the MIA Centurion lounge behind 6 other people and see that they're all guests of 2 different parties being admitted into an already very crowded lounge.
Something I just thought of - possibly a reservation system for the lounge? Log onto the AMEX app day of flight (or week of flight?) and reserve a spot to control capacity? No admittance allowed without a reservation, and reservations will be limited after a certain capacity is hit.
@BobNL Hard to say since lounge quality will vary from location to location, even if it's from the same airline/alliance/etc. In terms of lounges at DFW, I'd say this has to be one of the best ones
It's about time, DFW's lounge has been dilapidated and in a sad state for the past couple of years.
Sometimes Centurions are busy, but most of that depends on your travel time. Hit it in the domestic morning rush or the most common international departure time and yes, it will be busy. To Jyoti's point, if you hit Miami on a Sunday night when a bunch of people are flying out to Europe, it's likely to be busy. So are the premium international lounges at that time - it's MIA airport rush hour.
I've...
Sometimes Centurions are busy, but most of that depends on your travel time. Hit it in the domestic morning rush or the most common international departure time and yes, it will be busy. To Jyoti's point, if you hit Miami on a Sunday night when a bunch of people are flying out to Europe, it's likely to be busy. So are the premium international lounges at that time - it's MIA airport rush hour.
I've also sat at the MIA and DFW Centurion lounges and been one of 10-15 people for for multiple hours. It really depends when you fly.
I still think they're by far the best domestic lounge and a perk I really enjoy.
I almost mistook it for the lounge in PHL...talk about consistency! :)
I have to agree with Mike. In theory, the lounges are a cool and glamorous perk, but in theory, the lounges are so over crowded, it actually makes the AMEX brand look bad. I was in the MIA lounge on Sunday night and it was SO packed I couldn't even get a drink at the bar! I barely found a seat. The spa did look cool but I didn't have time to check it out....
I have to agree with Mike. In theory, the lounges are a cool and glamorous perk, but in theory, the lounges are so over crowded, it actually makes the AMEX brand look bad. I was in the MIA lounge on Sunday night and it was SO packed I couldn't even get a drink at the bar! I barely found a seat. The spa did look cool but I didn't have time to check it out. I hope AMEX finds a way to fix this problem, it's very unfortunate. I don't think the way to fix it is to decrease the number of guests card holders can bring in (annoying if you are paying so much and can't even bring your travel companions/family in) - maybe the answer is to open more lounges but we all know airport space is a premium so that probably isn't realistic. I hope they are hiring expensive consultants to help them figure out solution to this problem :-P
Just my humble opinion, but I don't see how you can say that the Centurion Lounge is one of the best perks AMEX provides. These lounges are packed, regardless of the locations and to date AMEX has failed to figure out how to control it. I have walked out of several due to no seats, ravenous occupants who act like they have not eaten in a week and standing with a plate seems a bit...
Just my humble opinion, but I don't see how you can say that the Centurion Lounge is one of the best perks AMEX provides. These lounges are packed, regardless of the locations and to date AMEX has failed to figure out how to control it. I have walked out of several due to no seats, ravenous occupants who act like they have not eaten in a week and standing with a plate seems a bit much. Like you I have found quiet spaces in the terminal a much better option.
They are indeed beautiful, but your pics show them empty which is never close to the case. I don't have an answer to the crowding and have empathy for AMEX trying to figure it out. They are faced with a number of options, none of them particularly good and all will upset card holders.
I'll be landing in DFW this afternoon! So excited!
How would you frequent flyers compare oneworld lounges compared to Centurion and Star Alliance Lounges in terms of overall quality/experience?
I'm flying to DFW tonight! They opened just in time :)