A massive American Express Centurion Lounge is coming to LAX

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by David Flynn | April 15, 2018

LAX is finally set to get a long-awaited American Express Centurion Lounge, and it's going to be massive – as much as 1,300m² will be leased to AMEX, although of course a slab of this will be set aside for 'back of house' operations such as the kitchen and admin offices.

The Centurion Lounge will be located at Los Angeles' Tom Bradley International Airport (TBIT), which also hosts the flagship US lounges of Oneworld (below) and Star Alliance.

This will not only see the LAX American Express Centurion Lounge open to travellers on international flights but also most domestic US flights via the TBIT Connector walkway (shown below, and already familiar to many Qantas passengers for enjoying Qantas lounge access before an American Airlines flight) and Delta Air Lines' airside shuttle bus between LAX  T2/T3 and TBIT.

The plans have been revealed in publicly-released documents from LAX operating body Los Angeles World Airport Authority, where a recent meeting signed off on a "premier passenger lounge space lease" to American Express.

That document also noted the first year's lease will be costed at a solid US$2.8 million, although this includes 'brand sponsorship' by AMEX and outdoor advertising colossus JC Decaux.

Assuming the remaining approvals are rubber-stamped, it's expected the LAX American Express Centurion Lounge will be open by late 2019.

Access to American Express Centurion Lounges requires an American Express Platinum Charge Card, Business Platinum Card, Corporate Platinum Card issued directly by AMEX in any country, including Australia, or of course the exclusive invitation-only Centurion Card or Business Centurion Card.

This does not include other Platinum-grade American Express cards such as a Qantas Ultimate AMEX, Velocity Platinum AMEX, AMEX Explorer or Platinum Edge card   Westpac Altitude Platinum or Black AMEX, for example), and there's no option to pay for admission, either.

Also read: AusBT reviews the American Express Centurion Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport