A growing trend in airport lounges is credit card branded lounges offering perks to select credit card holders. Major credit card companies such as CapitalOne, American Express (and soon Chase) have opened lounges across the United States and abroad offering stiff competition against airline and private lounge companies like Priority Pass. American Express launched the Centurion brand of lounges back in 2013 and have since expanded to over 13 lounges in the United States and 14 internationally. American Express has even opened a freestanding Centurion Lounge in Manhattan. The Centurion Lounge Philadelphia International Airport terminal A was visited in April 2023 providing a glimpse on the state of some credit card branded airport lounges.
Who Can Access The Lounge?
The Centurion Lounge is located past security in Terminal A near gate A14. The lounge is open from 5:30AM to 9:00 PM. According to American Express, the following credit card holders may access the lounge:
- Platinum Card® Members
- Business Platinum Card® Members
- Corporate Platinum Card® Members
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Card Members
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business Card Members
- Centurion® Members
More information can be found by visiting American Express.
First Impressions
After reaching the lounge sliding doors on the departures level it’s a quick elevator ride to the second level where the signature blue doors and greenery on the wall greet arriving passengers by the reception area. After a quick check in it was off to the main lounge area. A narrow corridor leads to the main lounge area with seats located on one side of the corridor. Entering the “main lounge area” is a compact space with tables and booths and a small bar and buffet. Seating options were very limited during the visit with only a few available seats remaining. Seating consisted of tables with chairs and a few booths and high-top tables.
Buffet
Buffet options consisted of Lamb, beef, asparagus and rice. Cookies and dessert cups were laid out near the food. Beverages were limited to water, iced tea, hot tea, and coffee. Other than that, the buffet area lacked any other food choices. Buffet options were limited and the dishes lacked much taste.
Final Boarding Call
The Amex Centurion Lounge at Philadelphia International Airport was a brief yet lackluster experience. The layout of the lounge felt very small and cramped for the volume of passengers inside the lounge. During this visit there were many international and domestic departures occurring very close to each other causing the lounge to become overcrowded quickly. The lack of any real amenities or comfortable seating options was a bit of a letdown. The restrooms in the lounge were in poor condition and appeared as if they were not at all cleaned today. For perspective, the public restrooms in the terminal were much cleaner. The one area where the lounge excelled however, was the lounge staff who were proactive with clearing trash off tables and acknowledging passengers entering and leaving the lounge. With AMEX branded credit cards having an annual fee of $695, the American Express Centurion Lounge in Philadelphia leaves much to be desired and positions this lounge as a poor value for the money, especially when compared to many other new airline lounges popping up at airports worldwide.