{"version":"1.9","identifier":"639543a3-e3e6-4a6a-9e78-aaada3932456","language":"en-US","title":"Amex plans a 30,000-square-foot Newark Centurion Lounge and a second Heathrow lounge, in Terminal 5","layout":{"columns":7,"width":1024,"margin":32,"gutter":20},"componentLayouts":{"text":{"columnStart":0,"columnSpan":7,"maximumContentWidth":720,"margin":{"top":12,"bottom":12}},"photo":{"columnStart":0,"columnSpan":7,"margin":{"top":20,"bottom":20}}},"componentTextStyles":{"default":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":18,"lineHeight":29,"textColor":"#171717"},"headline":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue-Bold","fontSize":36,"lineHeight":42,"conditional":[{"conditions":{"maxViewportWidth":480},"fontSize":28,"lineHeight":34}]},"intro":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":20,"lineHeight":28,"textColor":"#555555"},"caption":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":13,"lineHeight":19,"textColor":"#666666"},"byline":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":13,"lineHeight":20,"textColor":"#666666"},"body":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":18,"lineHeight":29,"paragraphSpacingAfter":14,"linkStyle":{"textColor":"#00704a"}}},"metadata":{"canonicalURL":"https://www.loungefrog.com/news/amex-centurion-lounge-newark-heathrow-t5-philadelphia-houston-expansion","datePublished":"2026-10-08T17:15:46.539568Z","dateModified":"2026-10-14T23:43:49.351519Z","authors":["Patrick Karsh"],"excerpt":"Newark's Centurion Lounge grows to 30,000+ square feet but slips to 2027. Heathrow Terminal 5 gets one in 2028. Philadelphia closes Oct. 16 to double in size, and Houston nearly triples by 2028.","thumbnailURL":"https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/639543a3-e3e6-4a6a-9e78-aaada3932456/a82af14cf112b43e0f4753f0cdd22fa0.jpg","generatorName":"Frog News","generatorVersion":"1.0"},"components":[{"role":"title","text":"Amex plans a 30,000-square-foot Newark Centurion Lounge and a second Heathrow lounge, in Terminal 5","textStyle":"headline","layout":"text"},{"role":"intro","text":"Newark's Centurion Lounge grows to 30,000+ square feet but slips to 2027. Heathrow Terminal 5 gets one in 2028. Philadelphia closes Oct. 16 to double in size, and Houston nearly triples by 2028.","textStyle":"intro","layout":"text"},{"role":"byline","text":"By Patrick Karsh · Published October 8, 2026","textStyle":"byline","layout":"text"},{"role":"photo","URL":"https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/639543a3-e3e6-4a6a-9e78-aaada3932456/a82af14cf112b43e0f4753f0cdd22fa0.jpg","caption":"The Centurion Lounge at John F. Kennedy International. · thecenturionlounge.com","accessibilityCaption":"The Centurion Lounge at John F. Kennedy International.","layout":"photo"},{"role":"caption","text":"The Centurion Lounge at John F. Kennedy International. · thecenturionlounge.com","textStyle":"caption","layout":"text"},{"role":"body","format":"markdown","text":"American Express has a bigger plan for Newark. The [Centurion Lounge](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/ewr-american-express-centurion-lounge) it is building in Terminal A will now cover more than 30,000 square feet over two floors.\n\nThe same Oct. 8 [announcement](https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/newsroom/articles/travel-and-dining/centurion-lounge-expansion-newark-london.html) adds a second London lounge, in Heathrow Terminal 5, for 2028. It also lays out major rebuilds in Philadelphia and Houston. The Philadelphia lounge closes for work on Oct. 16, 2026.\n\nAudrey Hendley, president of American Express Travel, said Amex continues \"to find ways to meet the growing demand for our premium airport lounge experiences.\"\n\n## Newark: bigger, but later\n\nWhen Amex first showed this lounge in 2023, it was about 18,000 square feet. It already has lounges at [JFK](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/jfk-the-centurion-lounge) and [LaGuardia](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/lga-the-centurion-lounge), rated 4.7 and 4.5 on Lounge Frog.\n\nThe plan includes three bars:\n\n* **Main Bar:** craft cocktails and wine.\n* **Specialty Bar:** a \"modern spin\" on New Jersey's diner culture.\n* **Terrace Bar:** gelato, Italian pastries and Italian-inspired cocktails.\n\nThere will also be a Blue Roast coffee and wellness bar. Dishes come from Resy chefs in Amex's Culinary Collective, including Kwame Onwuachi, Mike Solomonov, Mashama Bailey and Sarah Grueneberg.\n\nSome things from the 2023 plan are missing. The release does not mention the piano lounge with live music. It also does not mention an outdoor terrace with skyline views. [View from the Wing](https://viewfromthewing.com/amex-plans-new-centurion-lounges-at-newark-and-heathrow-plus-bigger-spaces-and-better-food-for-houston-and-philly/) reads the Terrace Bar as an enclosed space, not an outdoor deck. Amex has not said either way.\n\nFrank Radics, general manager of [Newark Liberty International](https://www.loungefrog.com/airports/ewr) Airport, said the lounge \"will bring incredible amenities and services for guests.\"\n\nUntil it opens, Terminal A has three working lounges in our listings. They are the [United Club (A)](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/ewr-united-club-a), rated 4.2, plus the [Admirals Club](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/ewr-american-airlines-admirals-club) and the [Delta Sky Club](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/ewr-delta-sky-club), both rated 3.8. None of them takes an Amex card on its own.\n\n## Heathrow: a Centurion in Terminal 5\n\nThe new London lounge will be more than 9,000 square feet. That makes it about 30% bigger than the current [Centurion Lounge in Terminal 3](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/lhr-the-centurion-lounge), [Head for Points](https://www.headforpoints.com/2026/10/08/american-express-centurion-lounge-heathrow-terminal-5/) reports. The Terminal 3 lounge stays open. It is rated 4.8 on Lounge Frog and holds about 110 people.\n\nAmex says the Terminal 5 design draws on London's cultures and history, with forms inspired by the River Thames. It plans work areas, a VIP area and its usual food and drink. Heathrow says the lounge will be [on Concourse A, near gates A1 to A7](https://x.com/HeathrowNews/status/2108215649075871982).\n\nTerminal 5 is the home of [British Airways](https://www.loungefrog.com/airlines/ba). Today their T5 options are the [Plaza Premium Lounge](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/lhr-plaza-premium-lounge-t5), rated 4.9, and the [Club Aspire Lounge](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/lhr-club-aspire-lounge-t5), rated 4.0. Both take [Priority Pass](https://www.loungefrog.com/programs/priority-pass). BA has its own T5 lounge plans, as we covered in [our story on its new C gates lounge](https://www.loungefrog.com/news/british-airways-heathrow-terminal-5-c-gates-lounge-arrivals-redesign).\n\nDaniel Edwards, Heathrow's director of airport journeys, said the airport was \"delighted that American Express has chosen to expand its presence at Heathrow with a second Centurion Lounge.\" Hannah Lewis, Amex's UK country manager, told Head for Points the Terminal 3 lounge \"has been incredibly well received since opening.\"\n\n## Philadelphia closes Oct. 16\n\nThe [Philadelphia Centurion Lounge](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/phl-the-centurion-lounge), near gate A14 in Terminal A-West, will close from Oct. 16.\n\nIt is one of the best-rated lounges at the airport, at 4.8 on Lounge Frog. View from the Wing reports the expansion takes over space British Airways is leaving.\n\nAmex has not named a substitute lounge during the closure. [Minute Suites](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/phl-minute-suites), in the A/B link, is a possible Priority Pass option for a private rest space; check your membership's current benefit before visiting.\n\nThe [Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/phl-chase-sapphire-lounge-by-the-club), on the D/E connector, is not a free fallback for an Amex-issued Priority Pass membership. The general Priority Pass and [LoungeKey](https://www.loungefrog.com/programs/loungekey) benefit ended August 15, 2026, as [Upgraded Points reported](https://upgradedpoints.com/news/chase-sapphire-lounges-leaving-priority-pass-loungekey/). Eligible Chase cardholders retain access.\n\nKate Sullivan, chief commercial officer at Philadelphia International Airport, said \"the reimagined lounge celebrates the best of Philadelphia.\" See all options on our [Philadelphia airport page](https://www.loungefrog.com/airports/phl).\n\n## Houston nearly triples\n\nThe [Houston Centurion Lounge](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/iah-the-centurion-lounge), near gate D12 in Terminal D, will grow from about 8,000 square feet to more than 23,000 by 2028.\n\nView from the Wing cites a Texas project filing that puts the cost at $35 million, with work done in July 2028. Amex has not confirmed those figures. [Business Travel News](https://www.businesstravelnews.com/Transportation/Air/Amex-to-Add-Expand-Four-Centurion-Airport-Lounges) reports that the lounge will close \"on an intermittent basis\" during the work, starting in December 2026. Houston Airports' [version of the release](https://www.fly2houston.com/airport-business/newsroom/press-releases/item/american-express-expanding-updating-centurion-lounge-at-iah/) does not mention closures.\n\nJim Szczesniak, Houston's director of aviation, called the city \"a global gateway.\"\n\n## What I'd still want confirmed\n\nAmex has not given opening months for Newark, Heathrow or Houston. It also has not said which days the Houston lounge will be closed. The news comes three weeks after Amex [opened its Amsterdam Schiphol lounge](https://www.loungefrog.com/news/amex-centurion-lounge-amsterdam-schiphol-opens), its first in continental Europe. Access rules are on our [Centurion program page](https://www.loungefrog.com/programs/centurion).","textStyle":"body","layout":"text"}]}