Amex closes its Sydney and Melbourne Centurion Lounges for two weeks from October 6

News and analysis · Sources checked October 5, 2026.

American Express is closing both of its Australian Centurion Lounges at the same time, starting tomorrow. The Sydney lounge in the international terminal closes on Tuesday, October 6 and reopens on October 20. Melbourne's closes the same day and reopens a day later, on October 21. Executive Traveller · Flight Hacks

Amex calls it a refurbishment. It is the first time either lounge has closed since they were rebranded as Centurion Lounges in 2022, according to Flight Hacks. Executive Traveller notes the two lounges have been open for seven to eight years, since 2018 and 2019.

Who gets what during the closure

The alternatives depend on which card you hold, and the gap between cards is wide.

• Platinum and Platinum Business: access to the Plaza Premium Lounge at both airports. These cards also include Priority Pass, which opens other lounges. Flight Hacks
• Qantas American Express Ultimate: no direct replacement. Amex points these cardholders to their two annual complimentary Qantas lounge invitations, which only work on eligible Qantas flights. Executive Traveller Flight Hacks also reports that this card's Centurion access is due to be removed on February 15, 2027.
• Amex Explorer: Flight Hacks says there is no lounge alternative at all during the works.

An Amex spokesperson told Executive Traveller the company "appreciates our Card Members' patience while these enhancements are completed".

What to do instead

In Sydney (T1 international): Platinum holders should head to the Plaza Premium Lounge in international departures. If it is full, The House is also a Priority Pass lounge in T1, which our guide places near gate 50. Check it before you go: our listing shows The House closing at 22:00, which rules it out for many late-night departures.

In Melbourne (T2 international): the Plaza Premium Lounge is the designated alternative. The Marhaba Lounge, between gates 9 and 11, is another Priority Pass option in the international terminal.

Expect queues. Two of Australia's busiest card-access lounges are closing at once and sending most of their eligible guests to one lounge in each city. Executive Traveller links recent demand at the Amex lounges partly to Qantas's tighter limits on how often its lounge passes can be used. Plaza Premium will absorb that overflow on top of its own Priority Pass and paying guests, so arrive with time to spare, especially in the evening long-haul bank.

Qantas and Explorer cardholders: if you are flying Qantas, check whether you have an unused Qantas Club invitation. Otherwise, the realistic fallback is a paid lounge entry or a meal landside.

Our take

A two-week shutdown is short. Flight Hacks reads the quick turnaround as a hint that the changes may be modest, and that seems a fair guess until Amex shows what it has done. Amex has published no renderings or details of the work.

The bigger issue is the uneven treatment. Platinum holders keep a solid lounge, but Explorer cardholders get nothing for two weeks, and Qantas Ultimate holders get a benefit they already had. Closing both lounges at once instead of one after the other also concentrates the pain. For most travellers, though, the disruption ends by October 21. We will update both lounge guides once they reopen.

Related lounge guides

American Express Centurion Lounge (SYD) · American Express Centurion Lounge (MEL) · Plaza Premium Lounge (SYD) · Plaza Premium Lounge (MEL) · The House (SYD) · Marhaba Lounge (MEL)