American Express Just Unveiled Plans for Its Next Centurion Lounge

The popular American Express lounge concept is heading to a major East Coast hub.

A rendering of the Newark Centurion lounge

A rendering of the Newark Centurion lounge.

Courtesy of American Express

An exciting new club is coming down the pike for Centurion Lounge fans—American Express just announced it will bring the first of its popular lounges to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

American Express currently operates 13 Centurion Lounges in the United States, two of which are in New York at LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport. Newark is the only major airport in the New York area without a Centurion Lounge.

The 17,000-square-foot lounge is slated to open in 2026 and will feature unique offerings such as an indoor terrace overlooking the airfield with the Manhattan skyline in the background, as well as a jazz bar and piano lounge.

“Jazz has played a role in New Jersey’s cultural landscape for decades, making the state a vibrant home for jazz enthusiasts past and present,” American Express said in a statement. “To celebrate that history, guests will enjoy a cocktail bar inspired by the 20th Century jazz era in New Jersey and a piano lounge featuring live music.”

The space will also include amenities that cardholders have come to expect in Centurion Lounges: locally inspired food and drink offerings, shower suites, dedicated workstations, several seating sections, high-speed Wi-Fi, and areas dedicated to families with small children.

The new lounge will open in Newark’s brand-new Terminal A, which opened in January 2023. There are currently three airline-branded lounges in Terminal A: an American Admirals Club, a Delta Sky Club, and a United Club.

While the Newark lounge is still a little ways off, Centurion will be opening an outpost at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., later this year and another lounge at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in 2024. Most recently, American Express reopened renovated lounges in Seattle in 2023 and in San Francisco in 2022.

To access this lounge once it opens, in addition to the 40-plus locations in the American Express Global Lounge Collection, you’ll need to have an Amex card with lounge access. That includes the Platinum Card from American Express, the Business Platinum Card from American Express, the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card, and the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card. Corporate Platinum Card members and Centurion members can also access the Centurion lounge network.

Bailey Berg is a freelance travel writer and editor, who covers breaking news, trends, tips, transportation, sustainability, the outdoors, and more. She was formerly the associate travel news editor at AFAR. Her work can also be found in the New York Times, the Washington Post, National Geographic, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, the Points Guy, Atlas Obscura, Vice, Thrillist, Men’s Journal, Architectural Digest, Forbes, Lonely Planet, and beyond.
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