American Express Centurion members have a few more options than most travelers, including the ability to access members-only airport lounges, restaurants and dedicated spaces at events like the U.S. Open. Centurion Lounges have gotten fine reviews for their food and the aesthetics of the space.
If you’ve ever tried to reserve access to a Centurion space, you may have encountered some difficulties in the past — or faced the prospect of waiting on a longer line than you’d like. Based on recent developments, it sounds like American Express has responded to this criticism with some changes to its booking system.
According to View From the Wing’s Gary Leff, American Express has added digital waiting lists to a number of Centurion Lounges. For Leff, this measure addresses some of the issues he’s experienced with overcrowding in Centurion Lounges in recent years. “The whole point of an airport lounge is not to wait in the terminal,” he (accurately) observed in an article on the subject.
Leff cited reports on the r/AmexPlatinum subreddit that described these changes — including one from user Gusontherun, who reported that the Dallas-Fort Worth Centurion Lounge was now using this system. Several other users noted that they, too, were seeing this feature when they checked the AmEx app.
JetBlue Is Getting Into the Airport Lounge Business
They’re coming to New York and BostonUnfortunately for some travelers, this doesn’t mean that Centurion Lounge access has suddenly become far more user-friendly all over the aviation landscape.
In a report on the booking system upgrade at The Points Guy, Matt Moffitt noted that one of the site’s editors found that at least one lounge did not “have separate lines for those who have and don’t have a QR code for entry.” Given that the QR codes are only valid for 10 minutes, it’s not hard to see how this could be an issue as the system rolls out nationwide — and frequent travelers get more used to making reservations online.
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