As Covid19 moves across the United States and the world, more industries are feeling the effects of the global slowdown. Starting Saturday March 21, 2020 American Express will be shutting down American Express Centurion Lounges worldwide.
From American Express,
As the health and safety of our Card Members and colleagues is our top priority, in light of the spread of COVID-19 we are temporarily closing all The Centurion® Lounge locations, starting on Saturday, March 21, 2020. American Express will provide notice here and on the Amex Mobile App when locations reopen.
We look forward to reopening our lounges and welcoming our Card Members back as soon as we can. We appreciate your understanding during this time and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Just as yesterday, American Express had a notice on their website that their lounges would remain open. Per American Express, there are extra safety precautions in place. Centurion lounges safety measures include closing buffets and only offering takeout style food only. In addition, extra capacity restraints are in place to help social distancing within the lounges. It appears now though, that those measures alone were not enough. Closure is the only viable option.
American Express Centurion lounge closure effect all US domestic lounges, including the three new lounges that were just opened in the last month in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Charlotte. I’m losing my lounge in Seattle too. 😭In addition, all global lounges such as those in Sydney, Mexico City, Hong Kong, and Sao Paulo will close until further notice.
Closures Beyond American Express
It is not surprising to see these lounges close. United Airlines has already closed their Polaris Lounges. American Airlines has shuttered many Admiral clubs and Flagship lounges until further notice. Until the covid19 pandemic is behind us and travel is deemed safe, this is the new normal. Expect these lounges to be closed for at least the next 14-30 days. Reopening sometime in April.
I am curious with the travel downturn and reduction of use of the Platinum card benefits, if American Express will be considering refunding or reducing annual membership fees. If we cannot travel, the card perks are looking murky.
