In mid-2021 we learned that the Amex Centurion Lounge network would be expanding to Atlanta (ATL), and we now have some more details about what that will look like. This is in addition to a Centurion Lounge coming to Washington (DCA).
In this post:
Centurion Lounge coming to ATL
An Amex Centurion Lounge will be opening at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) in 2023, though we don’t have any details about the timeline beyond that. The lounge will be roughly 26,000 square feet, making it the largest Centurion Lounge by far. As a point of comparison, the current largest Centurion Lounge is in New York (JFK), and that lounge is around 15,000 square feet.
The Amex Centurion Lounge Atlanta will be located in Concourse E. All terminals in Atlanta are connected airside, so this lounge can be used by all passengers. The lounge is expected to feature some unique amenities, including multiple outdoor terraces (a first for a Centurion Lounge), plus a bourbon bar. We can expect to learn more about the lounge’s features closer to opening.
To open this lounge, American Express has signed a 10 year lease deal with the City of Atlanta, with the possibility of two more renewals of five years each. While other lounge operators also wanted to lease the space that American Express got, American Express was chosen “due to the premium and uniquely positioned non-commercial-venture, combined with the considerable invested commitment in HJAIA and the City.”
It’s noted that unlike other potential lounge developers, American Express has the resources to self-finance the $40 million construction project, and “provide best-in-class experience for the shared premium customers without the need for generating revenue.”
Currently Atlanta Airport has a total of a dozen lounges, including:
- Nine(!!!) Delta SkyClubs
- One American Admirals Club
- One United Club
- One “The Club”
As you can see, Delta passengers have plenty of choices, while others… don’t. So it’s an airport with a good amount of lounge capacity, but not much variety.
This lounge will be very popular
It’s a good thing that the Amex Centurion Lounge Atlanta will be the largest one to date, because I imagine this lounge will also (by far) have the most guests of any Centurion Lounge. That’s because of the close partnership between American Express and Delta, leading to lots of eligible guests:
- Amex Platinum Card members can access Amex Centurion Lounges when flying any airline, and can access Delta SkyClubs when flying Delta, so it’s a card that a lot of Delta flyers have for lounge access
- Amex Delta Reserve Card members can access Amex Centurion Lounges and Delta SkyClubs when flying Delta same day
Atlanta Airport has nine SkyClubs for a reason, and a large percentage of the people accessing those lounges will also have Centurion Lounge access.
Amex Centurion Lounges in general have crowding issues, given the huge demand for these lounges. In Atlanta I could see this playing out in one of two ways:
- Those eligible for SkyClub and Centurion Lounge access will go to the Centurion Lounge for the superior food and drinks, which will make the SkyClubs a bit less crowded
- Since just about everyone eligible for Centurion Lounge access also has SkyClub access (though guesting privileges differ for now, but that will be changing), maybe people will just go to the lounge closest to their gate, and not seek out the Centurion Lounge
Personally I think the former is a much more likely outcome than the latter, but I could be wrong.
Bottom line
A 26,000 square foot Amex Centurion Lounge will be opening at Atlanta Airport (ATL), making it the largest Centurion Lounge to date. The lounge will feature outdoor terraces and a bourbon bar.
This sounds like an awesome new lounge, and I’m happy to see how big the space will be, given the number of eligible visitors.
What do you make of Amex opening a Centurion Lounge in Atlanta?
Anybody have an update on when this may open in 2023? Or even a contact number or email to inquire? Amex knows nothing.
Do anyone know what is the exact open day for centurion lounge at Atlanta airport?
In other news, LAX Lounge is open again, 6am - 2pm for takeaway only.
For being the busiest airport in the world, I didn’t realize how bad the lounge diversity is.
Anyways, ATL is already very crowded as it is. If you’re complaining about a crowded Sky Club then your other option is a 15-20 minute line to get your Wendys Baconator.
Maybe DL should move some connections to MSP and DTW.
Sky Club is two words, not one. (actually it’s three: Delta Sky Club)
We’re slowly coming to the point where there will be more people in the lounges than will be at the gates.
The growth of non-airline operated airport lounges benefits low cost and ultra low cost carriers which do carry passengers with premium credit cards. It also helps equalize hub vs non-hub carriers since hub carriers have lounges.
The fact that Delta has as many SkyClubs in Atlanta and is still expanding them says there is alot of demand for a more premium travel experience and Delta gains an advantage from having so many lounges including...
The growth of non-airline operated airport lounges benefits low cost and ultra low cost carriers which do carry passengers with premium credit cards. It also helps equalize hub vs non-hub carriers since hub carriers have lounges.
The fact that Delta has as many SkyClubs in Atlanta and is still expanding them says there is alot of demand for a more premium travel experience and Delta gains an advantage from having so many lounges including compared to hubs like Charlotte.
As with all things in the US, there is growing gap between the "common person" and those that have more money.
Already reading reports of overcrowding!
As someone who lives in Atlanta, I look forward to this draining the SkyClubs of some guests. In particular the SkyClub in E is nice, but consistently overcrowded.
As somebody who lives in Atlanta, this is sorely needed, even if it's going to be as crowded as any other Centurion lounge. The lounge options when not flying Delta out of ATL are a joke. Even when you are flying Delta, the SkyClubs are usually packed as well.
Good to see. However........
The Club is a joke(as others have opined). The best SkyClub is near B17. It's often jammed. The clubs in E and F are OK too. Others are meh, especially those in the D concourse.
Prediction: This new Centurion lounge will be packed despite it's size and location.
Will be a good addition, though I would have preferred it be added to the B or C Terminal (as those SkyClubs tend to be super crowded, while the E SkyClub is less crowded in my experience).
I'm a believer that all lounges will remain crowded regardless of higher fees, guest limitation, etc, because Amex at the end of the day is signing up a ton of people for Platinum and Delta Reserve cards. Centurion Lounge will help some, but will still be pretty packed.
“ because Amex at the end of the day is signing up a ton of people for Platinum and Delta Reserve cards”
Citation needed.
I don't think I know anybody who DOESN'T have an Amex Plat.
MATH 201 People I Know Statistical Sampling
...was my favorite course in college!
The US platinum is the only one without a minimum income. The Canadian amex platinum requires 100k personal income minimum. In the USA anyone with 30k income and is willing to pay the annual fee can get a platinum card leading to overcrowding.
Might not be as crowded as you think.
By early 2023, the increased Platinum annual fee, and the new Centurion lounge guest policies will have kicked in.
And given so many SkyClubs, I’d guess that the crowds would spread out somewhat if the Centurion lounge did get crowded.
Thank you sweet baby Jesus. I never understood (perhaps bc of the Delta stranglehold on ATL?) why the "busiest airport in the world" is soooo terrible when it comes to lounges. Seriously..."the club"...the 100sq ft lounge, located 10 miles away in the international terminal?? That's the best (non-skyclub lounge) you can offer? haha The airport (practically) has 2 skyclubs in every terminal. I'm so glad to hear of this reprieve. I can't wait.
Absolutely.
The Club is such a joke (100 sq ft is being generous).
Now if we could just get some more "Worldly" airlines to fly in here I might not have to spend every other trip repositioning to a real airport.
Given the close relationship between Delta and AmEx it's strange that it's taken this long for a Centurion lounge to end up at Delta's biggest hub and the busiest passenger airport in the US (the world in most non-pandemic years). I agree with some of Ben's analysis which probably contributed to why this hasn't been a huge priority given the sheer number of SkyClubs.
I'm hoping that this lounge is an expansion of the...
Given the close relationship between Delta and AmEx it's strange that it's taken this long for a Centurion lounge to end up at Delta's biggest hub and the busiest passenger airport in the US (the world in most non-pandemic years). I agree with some of Ben's analysis which probably contributed to why this hasn't been a huge priority given the sheer number of SkyClubs.
I'm hoping that this lounge is an expansion of the former Lufthansa lounge at the top of the escalators at Terminal E as this would be the most convenient for those not flying out of E (mostly Delta Caribbean, Central and northern S American routes).
The reality is that for most passengers on domestic connections at ATL they only have 1-2 hours to kill. They're more likely to go to the SkyClub nearest their departing gate rather than take the train to Terminal E and back to visit the Centurion Lounge. The SkyClub in the International Terminal is generally superior to the other SkyClubs at ATL and is open to all SkyClub members regardless of domestic/international, but rarely do pax make the trek to this lounge rather than going to a more convenient one with slightly lesser food and seating variety.
For non-Delta passengers on domestic travel this is a challenging location as it's quite a ways from most of the AA/UA/SW gates (largely located in T and C which are 5 and 2 stops on the Sky Train apart), but no further than The Club.
The biggest winners in my mind will be those travelling internationally that are NOT SkyClub members or not on a Delta or SkyTeam partner airline. I've always thought that if you're paying for a BA or Qatar Y flight The Club is a pretty lame option for a contract lounge. I wonder if AmEX would consider going "contract" for these airlines.
The biggest benefit in my mind for this lounge
Presumably your fifth paragraph explains a bit why Delta would not have pressed Amex to open a Centurion Lounge in ATL. The winners are non-DL flyers, so why would Delta want Amex to give Amex cardholders a reason to consider flying another airline?
I guess I can delete my [email protected] tweet to you about this.