Amex Centurion Lounge LAX: Quick Review (and How to Find the Lounge!)

A recent trip gave me the opportunity to visit the new American Express Centurion Lounge at LAX.

And what a quick visit it was.

The lounge is operating on a very limited basis because of COVID-19 restrictions. But members can still get some food and a whiff of Centurion Lounge smell.

Let’s show you how to find the Centurion Lounge LAX. Then we’ll cover the food options.

How Do You Get Access to the American Express Centurion Lounge at LAX?

Four publicly available American Express cards give primary cardholders complimentary access to the Centurion Lounge:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express
  • Up to two guests may enter for free — for now.
  • Cobranded Platinum cards (i.e. Mercedes-Benz, Schwab, etc) also receive the benefit.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
  • Up to two guests may enter for free. This policy expires in February 2023.
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card 
  • Only when flying a same-day Delta Air Lines flight on a ticket purchased with an American Express card.
  • Up to two guests are permitted — at a price of $50 each.
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
  • Only when flying a same-day Delta Air Lines flight on a ticket purchased with an American Express card.
  • Up to two guests are permitted — at a price of $50 each.

And, of course, the invitation-only American Express Centurion Card.

Where is the American Express Centurion Lounge at LAX?

The lounge is located in a relatively central location: the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT).

That’s the good news, I guess.

The bad news is that the lounge is close-ish to only one domestic terminal: T4 (American Airlines).

Traveling Internationally

The Centurion Lounge is located just after TBIT security.

Take a left and you’ll see this elevator lobby:

Walk down the two or three steps and you’ll see the Centurion guard logo.

Go to the elevator and select the second floor. (Don’t worry — a placard will remind you.)

Traveling Domestically

If your flight departs from the South Complex (LAX terminals 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) and you want to visit the Centurion Lounge, use the inter-terminal tunnels to get to T4. Then use the land bridge connector to walk from T4 to TBIT. You will not need to clear security again.

When you see this sign —

— hang a right (just like this nice lady is doing).

You’ll then see the Centurion Lounge elevator lobby.

Take the elevator down the second floor.

For those of us coming from Terminal 2 (i.e. Delta passengers), the process can be a little more complicated.

The Delta terminals (2 and 3) aren’t yet connected to each other or TBIT. That should be rectified in a couple of years.

Until then, here’s the drill:

Board the inter-terminal shuttle bus at gate 21B.

The ride takes about 5-10 minutes, depending on traffic. The shuttle yields to planes pushing back for departure or arriving at a gate. The views are pretty awesome! Quick tip: you’ll want to sit on the left/driver’s side. That gives you the best, up-close views of planes!

Once you arrive at TBIT, head inside and go up this ramp to the right.

Then follow the signs that say “Airline Lounges.”

The walk itself is about eight-ish minutes. But it can easily become longer if you want to get pictures of the big planes parked outside 🙂 .

Keep going…

Kind of almost there.

You’re getting close when you reach the departure hall (you’ll notice the huge departures board pictured above).

For reference, here’s a picture of the hall from the Korean Air lounge.

Proceed toward ticketing and security. The pathway you’ll take is located right after the Hermès store.

Cross that bridge (there’ll be this digital mural on the left):

And then hang a right into the elevator area.

Reverse the process to get back to T2. (Or just walk and clear security again.)

American Express Centurion Lounge LAX Review

I hope to eventually update this post with an in-depth review of the lounge — once it’s really open. For now, the only thing you get is pre-packaged food from a menu designed by Nancy Silverton (Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza). The food is handed to you in the Centurion Lounge lobby. You can’t go inside the seating area at all. (Though I heard someone mention they used the restroom.)

A rep told me they hope to fully open the lounge sometime in the next few months.

Once you step off the elevator, you’ll see the check-in/registration desk.

The signature ivy wall is off to your left.

Here’s Chef Silverton’s menu:

I opted for the Lavash Wrap.

My food was boxed up and I was also given a cup of coffee.

I went back upstairs to the concourse and sat down in a gate area. Here’s what was inside the box:

I was excited to be offered a lavash wrap with fried chicken. How good does that sound?!

Then I opened it.

I’m a picky eater. That was a little too adventurous for this bland guy.

Final Approach

Unless I’m flying out of TBIT, T4, or maybe even T5, I don’t know how often I’ll visit the Centurion Lounge at LAX. It’s kind of a pain to get there.

Even when T2, T3, and TBIT are connected, it’ll still be a trek. (Because who knows if LAX will install moving walkways? And an airside train is sheer poppycock. LAX seems to relish staying 30 or 40 years behind most amenities and technological advances.)

But I look forward to trying the lounge when it fully opens. Perhaps that’s a good excuse for an international mileage run!

• To see rates and fees for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link. Terms apply.
• To see rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link. Terms apply.
• To see rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please visit this link. Terms apply.
• To see rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please visit this link. Terms apply.