Background:
Before a late-night flight on JetBlue, I was able to visit the AMEX Centurion Lounge New York LaGuardia. I was excited to visit this lounge as it is quite new having only opened in June of 2021. The new version of the Centurion Lounge is 10,000 square feet, nearly double the size of the lounge it replaced.
The lounge is located in Terminal B, which is home to airlines including Air Canada, American, JetBlue, Southwest, and United. Unfortunately, LaGuardia’s terminals are not connected airside, so if you are departing from a different terminal you will need to re-clear security several times if you want to access this lounge. The airport does have a free shuttle you can use to transfer from one terminal to the next (before security).
Access:
Complimentary access is available for
- Platinum Card, Business Platinum Card and Corporate Platinum Card® Members
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve and Reserve Business Card Members
- Centurion® Members
As of February 2023, U.S. Platinum Card and U.S. Business Platinum Card Members will be charged a $50 fee for each guest (or $30 for children 2-17). Or, if you spend $75,000 in a calendar year on the cards, you’ll get 2 guests for free. You can see the full rules on access here if you’re interested.
After you clear security at Terminal B, head upstairs to the concourse and follow the signs for gates 40-59. The Centurion lounge’s entrance is right before the Eastern Concourse pedestrian bridge. Currently, the hours of operation are Sunday to Friday from 5am to 10pm and Saturday from 5am to 9pm.
My Arrival at the AMEX Centurion Lounge New York LaGuardia:
I checked in on the app when I arrived at the airport, and it was saying the lounge was almost full. When we arrived at the lounge, we had a short queue of about three people to check in at the front desk, and then we entered the lounge.
The lounge was crowded, but still had various seat options available. At first, my friend and I settled on a table with two chairs all the way in the back corner of the lounge. But my friend saw a seat pop up in the buffet area, so we ended up settling there.
As you enter the lounge, you will see a painting with AMEX’s original logo of a watchdog dating back to 1890.
Entrance
AMEX Watchdog
To the right, is a seating area.
First Seating Area
If you proceed straight, you’ll find more seating, then you’ll enter the main food and drink areas.
Center Seating Area
Food:
The center of the lounge features a buffet with dining tables, and then a bar next door. Seats along the edge of the lounge offer views of the check in areas from above. Unfortunately, the lounge does not offer any runway or airplane views.
Buffet Area
Connecting the Buffet and Bar Areas
Bar Area
The LaGuardia Centurion Lounge has partnered up with a renowned local chef to design the menu. For this location, it’s Cédric Vongerichten, who is the executive chef and co-owner of Wayan in New York City.
For cooked items during my evening visit, they included garlic rice, lemon chicken, sweet potatoes, and orecchiette pasta.
Cooked Items
On top of the cooked items, there was also a small salad bar.
There were also cookies offered for dessert. We both wished there were more dessert options. Fresh whole fruit (apples, oranges, bananas) was available as well.
Across the buffet, is a drinks station that has a coffee machine, iced teas, and flavored water. They had a Blood Orange Agua Fresca, which I enjoyed very much.
More Seating and Other Areas:
Past the food areas, is a closed-off Multi-Purpose Room that has some children’s toys.
Multipurpose Room
And then there’s the Business Lounge part of the lounge. Here, there are more private “pod” seat types along the wall, and seats with higher backs as well.
Business Lounge
In this area, there is also a printer. My friend printed our cruise ship bag tags as our cruise was the next day.
There is also another coffee + drinks station in this area as well.
Coffee + Drinks
Restrooms + Showers:
The restrooms were clean and had L’Occitane hand wash. The lounge also offers one shower room available, but I didn’t utilize it on my visit. Most LaGuardia flights are quite short, so showers won’t necessarily be needed.
The Verdict:
Overall, the AMEX Centurion Lounge New York LaGuardia offers a solid place to grab a bite, drink or relax if you’re able to find a seat during busy times. The food selection during my dinner visit was pretty good, and oddly I found the most memorable part of my visit was trying out the Blood Orange Agua Fresca that was offered.
Have you been to the AMEX Centurion Lounge New York LaGuardia Airport before? How was your visit? Comment below!
Cheers,
Ty
Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!
