Overcrowding in airport lounges has pushed credit card issuers to once again update their policies and enact further entry restrictions.
American Express announced on January 30 that it will introduce two access restrictions at its Centurion Lounges starting July 8, tightening rules around both guest entry and how early travelers can enter during long layovers.
The changes reflect a broader recalibration happening across the premium-lounge landscape, as credit card issuers try to balance explosive demand with finite space. Most recently, on February 1, Capital One changed its policies to no longer allow most Venture X and Venture X Business cardholders to bring guests into its airport lounges for free.
Here’s what you need to know about the Centurion Lounges’ forthcoming changes.
Guests will need to be on the same flight
The first change affects guest access. Starting July 8, any guest entering a Centurion Lounge must be traveling on the same departing flight as the eligible cardmember.
Until now, American Express has allowed guests to enter even if they were flying separately, as long as they held a same-day boarding pass. That flexibility made Centurion Lounges convenient rendezvous points for families, colleagues, or friends meeting at the airport before diverging—but it also contributed to higher foot traffic inside lounges.
Guest fees and complimentary guest policies tied to specific cards are otherwise unchanged.
Layover access will be limited to five hours
The second restriction targets long layovers, a frequent pain point for lounge operators.
Currently, Centurion Lounges allow entry up to three hours before the first flight on a traveler’s itinerary—a rule that will remain in place. However, once on a layover, cardmembers have historically been able to enter the lounge at any point, regardless of how long the connection lasts; so someone with a 10- or even 12-hour layover could theoretically spend most of that time inside the lounge.
Beginning July 8, access during a layover will be capped at five hours before departure. Travelers with longer connections will need to wait until that five-hour window to enter, rather than settling in immediately after landing.
American Express has framed the change as a way to reduce overcrowding during peak periods, particularly at major international gateways where long-haul connections are common, like Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
Why lounge access is becoming more restricted
These updates are the latest example of a broader reckoning underway across the airport-lounge ecosystem. Over the past decade—and especially since the pandemic—premium credit cardholders have become far more common, dramatically expanding the pool of travelers eligible for lounge access. It has resulted in packed lounges and often long waitlists to get in.
In response, issuers and lounge operators have leaned toward incremental restrictions, including limiting guests, imposing time windows, and tying entry more closely to flight details. American Express has adjusted guest access policies twice in recent years, first restricting how long passengers could visit the lounge before their initial flight in 2019, and then charging fees for additional guests on some cards in 2023.
The company has invested heavily in expanding and renovating its 30 Centurion Lounges worldwide, adding larger spaces, outdoor terraces, and new locations. Within the past year, the lounge network has added outposts in Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND), and it plans to open lounges at Newark and Boston in 2026 and 2027, respectively. Still, the July changes suggest that even with expansion, demand continues to outstrip supply.
