My ranking of Centurion Lounges in the U.S. Upgraded to Economy, February 8, 2024August 10, 2024 I’ve visited over half of the Centurion Lounges currently operating in the United States as of early 2024. While they tend to be some of the best lounges you can find in the airport, not all Centurion Lounges are created equal. Read on to see which ones I’ve visited and how I rank them. Among the U.S. Centurion Lounges, I have visited: Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) Denver (DEN) Houston–Intercontinental (IAH) New York–JFK (JFK) New York–LaGuardia (LGA) San Francisco (SFO) Seattle (SEA) I’ll rate them based on the following factors, on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is best: Size Space availability If applicable, the wait time to get in — I put N/A if I’ve never encountered a wait, but please don’t take this to mean that the lounge never has times when people need to wait outside Access convenience (location) Food and beverage offerings Atmosphere 7. Houston–Intercontinental Size: 1 This is a small lounge with barely enough space to sit. It’s very cramped and uncomfortable. Space availability: 1 It’s so hard to find an open spot here. Get ready to sit next to strangers. Wait time: N/A Access convenience: 2 While it’s only a two-minute walk away from the Terminal D/E Skyway station, it requires going down an elevator and going through a shady bland gray hallway that seems like it should be a hallway for employees to use, not Centurion Lounge guests. Furthermore, if your flight is in Terminal A, get ready for a long train ride on the Skyway followed by another walk. However, because you never have to clear security again to get to your flight, this still earns a 2 out of 5. Food and beverage offerings: 4 Actually, the food and beverages here are pretty great, and is the one redeeming quality of the IAH Centurion Lounge. They serve southern-style fried chicken here with sauteed vegetables, thick mashed potatoes, and more. The only reason it doesn’t earn a 5 is because there’s even better lounges out there. Atmosphere: 1 Not only is there nothing special about this lounge’s atmosphere, there’s no windows to look out to anywhere, making it a very claustrophobic lounge. 6. New York–LaGuardia Size: 3 While it’s not the largest Centurion Lounge, it doesn’t feel particularly small either. Space availability: 3 It’s by no means a struggle to find a place to sit here, but you won’t always have your pick of spots. Access convenience: 5 (if you’re flying from Terminal B), 1 (if you’re flying from another terminal) I’ve always flown out of Terminal B at LGA, and I’ve found the central location of the lounge allows me to easily get to my gate, no matter where it is in Terminal B. While it’s not as convenient to get to the gate as the old LaGuardia, that’s no fault of the Centurion Lounge. Unfortunately, there is no airside connection between Terminal B and Terminal C at LGA, so those flying out of Terminal C looking to enjoy the Centurion Lounge would have to clear security twice, once at B and another time at C, and then even make the trek from Terminal B to C by a landside bus. However, anyone with a Platinum Card should be able to access the Delta Sky Club in Terminal C, negating the need to use the Centurion Lounge in Terminal B. For this reason, I pretty much consider the access convenience to be a 5, with little consideration for those in Terminal C. Food and beverage offerings: 1 Definitely the worst food I’ve had at a Centurion Lounge. It’s bland and barely meets the standard for being considered food worthy of being served at a Centurion Lounge. Atmosphere: 2 It’s cheery inside, but the windows open up to the check-in area of LaGuardia Terminal B, which is hardly awe-inspiring. 5. Dallas–Fort Worth Size: 3 The lounge is an elongated strip that is wide enough only for one main corridor to walk on. Space availability: 1 There is never anywhere to sit here. Anytime you find a seat, you’ll probably have to sit uncomfortably with other people tightly around you. Wait time: 2 Either the lounge has no wait time but is extremely crowded inside or there’s a 30 minute wait outside where they’ll text you to let you know when you can go up, after which you can enjoy trying to find a seat in the extremely crowded lounge. It’s uncomfortable, annoying, and by far the worst experience I’ve had with trying to access a Centurion Lounge. Access convenience: 5 It is right under the Terminal D southern SkyLink station. Going to Terminal A and C will require about 10 minutes to take the train, but it’s hardly inconvenient, as the walking you need to do is minimal when you factor out the SkyLink trip you need to take. Food and beverage offerings: 3 The Texan-style food is pretty good and provides an alternative to the ever-present chicken breasts served at all Centurion Lounges. That being said, it is not particularly inspiring. The dishes could be better on some days. Atmosphere: 2 There is nothing particularly special about this Centurion Lounge, but it does not have a view of any planes. All you get to see are the Qatar Airways check-in counters. How riveting! Meanwhile, the Flagship Lounge and the Capital One Lounge offer prime views of the Terminal D tarmac and the western main runways of DFW… 4. Denver Size: 4 While the lounge is large, it still feels a bit small. The space is not utilized in a very efficient way. Space availability: 3 You’d think with its large size that it’d be easy to find a spot in here. You’d be wrong! The Centurion Lounge at DIA is somehow still stripped short of seating options. It’s almost as if there was no proper space planning of this place… (To be fair, the airport gave Amex the space and they made the most out of it. The same issue bedevils the Capital One Lounge at DIA. But compared to other Centurion Lounges, this one is not that great.) There’s also a lack of charging ports. Plus, some of the prime spots are reserved solely for Centurion Card holders. Access convenience: 3 Its location is not that great. It’s in Concourse C, the furthest of the concourses from the main terminal, so you’ll have to take the train all the way to the end. Furthermore, it’s a pretty far walk from even the train station of Concourse C. Worst of all, it’s not at all obvious where the lounge entrance is if you’re not looking carefully. Food and beverage offerings: 4 With local craft beers, unique cocktails, and a fresh pasta station, the DEN Centurion Lounge certainly has some of the best food offerings among the network. Atmosphere: 5 You can see views of the tarmac and airplanes on both ends of the lounge. The lounge has a lot of light let in from its various windows. 3. San Francisco Size: 5 The new SFO Centurion Lounge features a very large space. Space availability: 4 It’s relatively easy to find a spot here, but it’s by no means a free for all for getting whatever spot you want. Wait time: N/A Access convenience: 4 Its location is pretty central, but might pose a bit of a challenge for those who aren’t already in Terminal 3 and need to walk there. Food and beverage offerings: 3 There are two separate food serving stations, but the options are not that unique compared to some of the other Centurion Lounges in the network. Atmosphere: 4 It’s a new lounge decorated well. That being said, the views are not of airplanes or tarmacs. 2. New York–JFK Size: 5 Spanning two floors, this lounge is definitely not squeezed for space. Space availability: 5 It’s very easy to find available spots here. It’s probably the easiest Centurion Lounge for me to find a spot in. Wait time: N/A Access convenience: 5 (if you’re flying from Terminal 4), 1 (if you’re flying from any other terminal) The JFK Centurion Lounge is located right after security in Terminal 4. While it’s very easy to find, it’s only convenient for people who are actually flying out of Terminal 4. For those who are flying from any other terminal, we have to go through the extremely annoying process of going through security once to access the lounge, leave the secured zone to go to the AirTrain, and then take that to go to another terminal to clear security once again at the destination terminal. I’ll give it a 3/5 average, as it’s not as inconvenient as some of the lounges’ locations in terminals, but definitely provides the worst experience for anyone who isn’t flying out of Terminal 4. Food and beverage offerings: 4 The drink offerings at the JFK Centurion Lounge, especially in the speakeasy, make it much better than its counterpart at LGA. However, the food itself is pretty bad, basically the same mediocre food that’s served at LaGuardia. Atmosphere: 5 A two story lounge with a view of the tarmac and a hidden speakeasy nestled at the back of the first floor. It’s a beautifully decorated lounge. What more could you ask for? 1. Seattle Size: 5 The old Seattle Centurion Lounge was the smallest in the network and was always crowded. There was barely any space for anyone to sit and relax. The staff would often escort people to the one available spot. The new lounge is very large and expansive; it’s now one of the largest lounges in the Centurion Lounge network. Space availability: 4 There’s so much space, although it’s not as easy to find open seats as it is at the JFK one. Wait time: 3 Sometimes, during the middle of the day they will require people to wait to enter the lounge. The wait can be between 5 minutes and 30 minutes, and there will be a line outside for waiting. This is not frequent though, and it’s also not an issue during off-peak hours. The good news is, once you enter after waiting, it’s still relatively easy to find a spot inside. If anything, they are being a little too conservative with the number of people they let into this large lounge. Access convenience: 5 Nestled right in the Central Terminal, there is literally no better place this lounge could possibly be at. Food and beverage offerings: 5 This is the main reason why Seattle beats out JFK. Aside from the standard full-service open bar, Seattle is the first (and so far only) lounge to have its own coffee and smoothie bar, located adjacent to the regular bar. Even the regular food served here is pretty good. It’s nothing amazing, and there’s not really any regional specialties served here, but it’s pretty great compared to a lot of the other Centurion Lounges. Sometimes, they will serve freshly seared salmon or even filet mignons. This is typically served in small batches in the late afternoon, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Oh, by the way, did I mention they serve ice cream and sorbets starting at noon? Sure, there’s no pasta bar like in Denver, but clearly the coffee/smoothie bar already tops that. Atmosphere: 5 I go into more detail in my dedicated Seattle Centurion Lounge review, but you can sit in one of three “sections” of the lounge! There’s the large atrium, the dining area, and the cozy inner area. The atrium features floor to ceiling glass windows of the runway and tarmac, while the cozy inner area also has windows of the runway and tarmac, albeit the windows are smaller. 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