Three September lounge openings you may have missed: Calgary, Florianópolis and Nagoya

A quiet fortnight, and three rooms that slipped past us

The last week of September and the first days of October brought no brand-new lounge openings that we could confirm. Manchester had its moment just before that: Aspire's 300-seat room by the D gates opened on September 26 and the Emirates Lounge in the Terminal 2 extension a couple of days earlier, and both are already covered in our Manchester Terminal 2 piece.

What we had missed were three mid-September openings on three continents. None of them is a flagship, but two sit in markets we watch closely, and all three are now in the directory with photos.

Calgary: the Aspire Amex Lounge moves into the old Chinook space

The Aspire Amex Lounge opened at 5am on September 16 in Calgary's Domestic Terminal, at the start of Concourse A near the A&W food court and gate A21. You check in at a desk on the concourse level and go up a floor by stairs or elevator. Regulars will recognise the room: it is the former Chinook Lounge, and the original fireplace survived the rebuild.

With 109 seats it is not large, but the food is the point. Calgary restaurant Charcut runs the kitchen, with a self-serve buffet alongside à la carte table-side ordering, and Missy's This That supplies the mocktails. The bar pours spirits as well as beer and wine, though not before 11am. Washrooms are private and stocked with Aesop, there are power towers at the seats, and the windows look over the apron.

Access follows the model set at Montréal-Trudeau in 2025, as American Express's announcement spells out: Canadian Platinum, Business Platinum, Corporate Platinum and Centurion cardmembers enter free with a spouse and two children under 21, or one companion, and jump the queue when the room is full. Entry opens three hours before departure, and it is for domestic flights only. Rewards Canada reported that Priority Pass, Mastercard Travel Pass, Visa Airport Companion and Diners Club would also be accepted; Milesopedia found the lounge was not yet listed in those apps, so ask at the desk. A transborder Aspire Amex Lounge at Montréal-Trudeau follows in early 2027.

Worth a detour? If you hold a Canadian Platinum card and are flying domestically from Concourse A, yes. The WestJet Elevation Lounge on Concourse B remains the better-known option, and this one gives Amex members somewhere less crowded with better food.

Florianópolis: AMAE's first Brazilian lounge is landside and never closes

AMAE, the operator behind a chain of lounges in Argentina, opened its Florianópolis lounge in mid-September, its first in Brazil and nineteenth in Latin America. Passageiro de Primeira has the details: it sits in the arrivals area of Terminal 1, before security, so it serves domestic and international passengers both departing and arriving, and it runs 24 hours a day.

That landside position is the catch and the appeal. You cannot use it after clearing security, but you can use it after landing, and the attached AMAE Rooms let you book a private room for three or six hours (R$220 to R$650 depending on the room). Showers cost R$50 for 30 minutes. Visa Airport Companion and DragonPass members get three hours; otherwise a day pass is R$200.

For a short domestic hop it is hard to justify over the airside lounges. For an early-morning arrival or a long wait before an evening departure, a 24-hour room with beds is a different proposition.

Nagoya: Centrair finally has a domestic lounge

Plaza Premium opened the domestic lounge at Chubu Centrair in Terminal 1 around September 10, according to Asian Aviation and Future Travel Experience. It is the airport's only lounge on the domestic side, holds up to 149 guests and opens from 6am to 9pm, or later if the last flight runs late.

Keep expectations modest. This is refreshments and a selection of alcoholic drinks with work areas and Wi-Fi, not the pricier room (from ¥5,930) Plaza Premium runs next to Gate 18 in the international wing. The price reflects that: walk-in entry is ¥1,500 before tax (¥1,200 during the opening month), and eligible ANA and JAL passengers can use it too. At that price it is a sensible place to wait for a domestic flight, and a better one than the gate.

What is next

JAL still lists the Haneda Terminal 1 North Wing lounges as reopening in October without a day-date, Singapore Airlines' new Melbourne SilverKris Lounge has not surfaced despite a September target, and Amex's Sydney and Melbourne Centurion Lounges close October 6 for about two weeks. We will pick those up as they land.