Amex Massively Expanding Centurion Lounges In Houston, London, And Philadelphia

American Express has today announced a major expansion to its Centurion Lounge network. I’ve already covered how the Centurion Lounge planned for Newark (EWR) will be bigger than previously announced, but that’s only the beginning.

We’re also going to see a second Centurion Lounge open at an airport that already has one, plus two existing Centurion Lounges expanded. Let’s go over the details…

London Heathrow gets second Amex Centurion Lounge

American Express plans to open a second Centurion Lounge at London Heathrow Airport (LHR), in Terminal 5, complementing the existing lounge in Terminal 3. The new lounge will be roughly 9,000 square feet, and is supposed to open in 2028.

Details are limited, but the lounge is expected to feature premium food and beverage offerings, a variety of seating and dedicated work areas, a VIP area, and “design inspired by London’s cultures, histories, and the River Thames.”

Terminal 5 is of course home to British Airways, so this will be one of the only non-oneworld lounges in the terminal. At just 9,000 square feet, expect that this lounge could get quite busy.

Rendering of the new Amex Centurion Lounge planned for London Heathrow Terminal 5
New Amex Centurion Lounge London Heathrow rendering
Another rendering of the new Amex Centurion Lounge planned for London Heathrow Terminal 5
New Amex Centurion Lounge London Heathrow rendering

Philadelphia gets expanded Amex Centurion Lounge

American Express plans to expand its Centurion Lounge at Philadelphia Airport (PHL). The lounge will double in size, from its current 6,000 square feet, to two stories totaling more than 12,000 square feet. The lounge will temporarily close for renovations on October 16, 2026, and it’s expected to fully reopen by the end of 2027.

The expanded lounge is expected to feature “design inspired by Philadelphia’s history, creative energy, and craftsmanship, alongside work from local artists.” Beyond that, the lounge is expected to have a Blue Roast by American Express Coffee and Wellness Bar.

Rendering of the expanded Amex Centurion Lounge planned for Philadelphia Airport
Expanded Amex Centurion Lounge Philadelphia rendering

Houston gets expanded Amex Centurion Lounge

American Express plans to expand its Centurion Lounge at Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The lounge will nearly triple in size, from 8,000 square feet to more than 23,000 square feet, making it one of the largest Centurion Lounges in the network. The expanded lounge is expected to open in 2028 — there’s no indication of the existing lounge closing, so I’m not sure what exactly is going on there, but I’ll report back when I hear more.

New offerings will include a specialty dining experience inspired by Houston’s culinary scene, Blue Roast by American Express, a second full service bar, expanded seating, and additional restrooms and showers. As Amex describes it, “with a design influenced by the surrounding landscape and coastal influence, the reimagined space will celebrate Houston’s vibrant culture, culinary scene, and enduring connection to space exploration.”

Rendering of the expanded Amex Centurion Lounge planned for Houston Intercontinental Airport
Expanded Amex Centurion Lounge Houston rendering

Bottom line

There are huge upgrades coming to the Amex Centurion Lounge network. We’re going to see a second Centurion Lounge open at London Heathrow, as well as significantly expanded Centurion Lounges in Houston and Philadelphia. These are all awesome changes, especially when paired with the new Centurion Lounge Newark.

What do you make of these Centurion Lounge updates?

Conversations (18)
The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.
Comment as a member

Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.

Type your response here.

If you'd like to participate in the discussion, please adhere to our commenting guidelines. Anyone can comment, and your email address will not be published. Register to save your unique username and earn special OMAAT reputation perks!

  1. Loading comments…
Recent Comments
The latest from the OMAAT community.

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

michbob Member

Phl Amex lounge increasingly felt like the MCO admirals club in the last couple years. Nice to hear they are making it much bigger. Might return once it’s opened. Though wish it wasn’t so far out of the way.

0
‼ 0
nsg Member

That may finally enable me to cancel my United Club card. I kept it primarily for EWR. The current Philly Centurion lounge is pretty sad. So was the old BA lounge they are apparently taking over. The combined lounge might end up okay when it opens, but I'm not holding my breath. The PHL Chase lounge, however, is excellent.

0
‼ 0
BBT Guest

I understand creating this infrastructure is not easy or inexpensive. But the lines outside the lounges indicate they have not invested as much in the infrastructure compared to the amount of high AF cards they have issues with the promise of that lounge access. I have never been inside the LHR lounge for the only reason when I have walked by there have been soup kitchen lines. So its great Amex is starting a new lounge in T5. But i do anticipate that lounge to have very long lines from opening day. But at the very least Amex is doing something. Meanwhile Citi is hawking a high AF card with ZERO lounges of its own to boast of.

0
‼ 1
Greg Guest

It is necessary but too late to get me back as a Amex customer. I enjoyed the lounges 12 or so years ago with the family. It was a good value for gett8ng the 3 or 4 hundred dollar Platinum card. Then about 5-6 years ago they all got too crowded so I rarely used them. Finally decided with the high anual fees and the need to coupon book that the card is not worth it. Expnding a couple of lounges is not going to do it for me.

0
‼ 0
Peter_ Diamond

Good luck getting into the LHR lounge, especially once BA closes its T5A lounges for renovations (maybe in 2029 once the T5C lounge is done?). 9k sq. ft - very small.

1
‼ 0

Save posts to read later

Saving posts is a member feature. Become an OMAAT member to build a reading list you can come back to from any device.

Become a member
Meet Ben Schlappig, OMAAT Founder
5,883,136 Miles Traveled

43,914,800 Words Written

47,187 Posts Published