American Express lounges have been adapting to the current pandemic by changing service standards and even closing for several months. As American Express Centurion lounges have slowly reopened in the United States, they are once again adjusting service offerings dependent on local regulations. I reviewed the Seattle American Express lounge after it reopened in October 2020 with Covid pre-cautions in place. Yet now, there’s more dining restrictions in Seattle, temporary prohibiting all indoor dining is prohibited. As the local regulations changed, American Express has adapted once again.
Grab & Go Only
In an effort to slow the virus, indoor dining is prohibited in Seattle through the beginning of January. Instead of closing the American Express lounge at Seatac Airport, the American Express Centurion lounge remains open as a place to rest. There is no service offered in the lounge, other than wifi. All food and drinks are to go only. Even water cannot be consumed in the lounge. The same can be said at other Grab and Go Lounges. American Express Grab and Go locations currently include Seattle, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.
Currently, the bar is closed. Sorry, no to go adult beverages. Coffee, Tea, juices, and other options are available from the lounge host when leaving.
When you are ready to leave, a lounge host will offer you a to go bag with goodies in it. There are different options during breakfast hours and lunch/dinner hours.
Breakfast
Enjoy a breakfast with several options. Choices include: greek yogurt, oatmeal, fresh fruit, a breakfast smoothy, orange juice, sweet bread, and gold fish crackers.
Lunch/Dinner
To go bags come with chips, an apple, a cookie, and dried fruit. Then you have a choice of a salad or wrap.
The salad serving sizes are pretty small, so you may want to ask for two. The food boxes appear big, but are only about 1/2 to 1/3 full.
Overall, the lounge experience is pretty bland. Do not plan to spend any actual time here. Instead swing by for a quick minute on the way to catch your plane to grab yourself something to eat on the plane or somewhere else in the airport. Unfortunately, the lounge experience is watered down. Yet I still applaud American Express for finding ways to create value for cardmembers during this difficult year.
