Old Jan 24, 2019, 7:51 am
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Last edit by: mia
Policy Changes effective March 22, 2019

NOTE: FOR PLATINUM CARD MEMBERS ONLY

The Centurion Lounge is a day of departure lounge. We will not admit arriving Platinum Card Members with boarding passes for flights that have just landed. We will admit Platinum Card Members with layovers or connecting flights who produce proof of connecting flight.

We will not admit Platinum Card Members more than 3 hours before the departure time on the Platinum Card Members same-day, confirmed boarding pass. This does not apply to Platinum Card Members with a connecting flight.

We will admit children under 2 years of age free of charge, provided an accompanying parent or guardian is able to produce a lap infant boarding pass or proof of age
Source: https://thecenturionlounge.com/info/access/
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Centurion Lounge crowding (2015-2019)

Old Mar 11, 2019, 5:46 am
  #1696  
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 6,985
Originally Posted by fliesdelta
If the lounge is so crowded that they're turning people away unless you have a flight within the next three hours, then the lounge likely won't be more pleasant than the terminal.
Completely agree with this and therein lies the problem. As I've tried to say many times in this forum, the problem we face today is that in the past, few travelers actually had access to airport lounges. There was a higher bar to entry and thus lounges were able to maintain at least some semblance of exclusivity. Today due to the stunningly low bar to entry for lounges (e.g. very low effective annual credit card fees, Priority Pass for everyone, etc.) there is no exclusivity left and thus there are lines out the door, little availability of seating, etc. So yes, as I've also said in this forum many times, if the lounge is more chaotic than the gate area, that is a problem.

Unfortunately, with the present day credit card system, we've set up a situation where everybody is "special" and thus nobody is special.

Regards
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Old Mar 11, 2019, 9:25 am
  #1697  
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 648
well i was told a while back that a change was coming that will benefit the Cents......i guess this was it?
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Old Mar 11, 2019, 9:30 am
  #1698  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Programs: HH, Asiana club, Elevated, Skymiles, Fairmont President's Club
Posts: 41
Originally Posted by joe_miami
I can see having a Plat plus one of the other two, but why would anyone have all three? And why would people drop the Plat to have the other two? I dont see Citi or Chase building airport lounges.
Citi 4th hotel night free, etc, Chase primary car rental
insurance, comprehensive travel insurance, less restrictive travel credit, etc. Just mentioning a few of the many benefits. As I said, one of the many Amex Plat benefits happen to be Centurion lounges. ymmv
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Old Mar 11, 2019, 9:43 am
  #1699  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Programs: HH, Asiana club, Elevated, Skymiles, Fairmont President's Club
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Originally Posted by gmt4
The $200 airline credit isn't hard to use unless you don't try. Same with the $100 Saks credit. Its free money. People gripe because the AMEX credit isn't a flat $XXX credit on your statement like the $300 CSR travel credit is, but it can be just as powerful if you make an effort.
would like to add that Amex didnt make changes to the airline credit, AA changed merchant coding on gift cards, therefore we are not able to use Amex travel credit on AA to purchase gift cards, still able to use it on AA seat upgrades, lounge memberships, bag fees, etc.
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Old Mar 11, 2019, 9:44 am
  #1700  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
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Posts: 41
Originally Posted by gmt4
The $200 airline credit isn't hard to use unless you don't try. Same with the $100 Saks credit. Its free money. People gripe because the AMEX credit isn't a flat $XXX credit on your statement like the $300 CSR travel credit is, but it can be just as powerful if you make an effort.
would like to add that Amex didnt make changes to the airline credit, AA changed merchant coding on gift cards, therefore we are not able to use Amex travel credit on AA to purchase gift cards, still able to use it on AA seat upgrades, lounge memberships, bag fees, etc.
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Old Mar 11, 2019, 10:54 am
  #1701  
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: LAS ORD
Programs: AA Pro (mostly B6) OZ♦ (flying BR/UA), BA Silver Hyatt LT, Wynn Black, Cosmo Plat, Mlife Noir
Posts: 5,992
re: what qualifies as " proof of connecting flight"

At SFO Centurion Lounge, I was told by the desk agent that an onward itinerary showing confirmed seat assignment will suffice. Obviously this is not an official statement of policy, but wanted to pass on what I was told.
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Old Mar 13, 2019, 5:40 pm
  #1702  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,037
Originally Posted by joe_miami


Youd actually be better off under the new rules, as the agents might consider you to be on a layover. But youre likely to see the current 3-hour sign at SFO, which doesnt take layovers into account.

The SFO Centurion is great, but I wouldnt want to hang out there for anything close to 8 hours. Definitely hop on BART.
Just wanted to provide an update. I am typing this from the lounge in Sfo. They had a sign out front stating that access was restricted to 3 hours before departure.

I arrived 4 hours early and the agent wouldn't budge, which is fine... Rules are rules. However, she asked if it was a connecting flight and I told her I had an earlier boarding pass from Vegas to SFO. She looked at it and verified and said they were treating people that were flying in and out on the same day as if they were on a layover or connecting flight.

I suppose I could have even gone to the lounge even earlier.
She did, however, mention that if I had been flying in, staying overnight, and flying out the next morning that I would not have been able to use the lounge until the next morning.
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Old Mar 18, 2019, 11:16 am
  #1703  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: PHX, SEA
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Posts: 4,417
So, this obviously doesn't apply to everyone here, but if you are also flying Delta, the Skyclub access is 'same day' so it can function as an arrivals lounge - worked for me over the weekend in Seattle.
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Old Mar 23, 2019, 4:45 am
  #1704  
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: LAS ORD
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Stopped by SFO Centurion today. New rules were in effect and heard people being denied. Problem is, there was still absolutely nowhere to sit. There was a line of people waiting on the lounge side for seats. There were even more people around the kitchen area and even against the railing wall by the bathrooms, standing up eating.

I get it's a Friday, but this is ridiculous. And if a policy is going to restrict usage during off-peak times, it needs to make a noticeable impact during peak times or it's a bad policy.
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Old Mar 23, 2019, 5:25 am
  #1705  
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Philadelphia
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Posts: 1,743
Im not surprised. The whole effort seemed a bit misdirected to me
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Old Mar 23, 2019, 7:49 am
  #1706  
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
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Posts: 6,985
Originally Posted by gengar
Stopped by SFO Centurion today. New rules were in effect and heard people being denied. Problem is, there was still absolutely nowhere to sit. There was a line of people waiting on the lounge side for seats. There were even more people around the kitchen area and even against the railing wall by the bathrooms, standing up eating.

I get it's a Friday, but this is ridiculous. And if a policy is going to restrict usage during off-peak times, it needs to make a noticeable impact during peak times or it's a bad policy.
Urrr... so the better path would be don't have a policy and then it would likely be even more crowded than what you just described?! (you said folks were being actively turned away, which means with no policy they'd be jammed in too)

Regards
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Old Mar 23, 2019, 9:08 am
  #1707  
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People have been turned away due to crowding since Day 1. Theres no magic bullet for SFO, where everyone and his third cousin has an Amex Plat.
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Old Mar 23, 2019, 10:06 am
  #1708  
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Originally Posted by gengar
I get it's a Friday, but this is ridiculous. And if a policy is going to restrict usage during off-peak times, it needs to make a noticeable impact during peak times or it's a bad policy.
I'm not sure I understand this comment. Without the restrictions, crowding would be even worse throughout the day. Now at least there's a hope you can get a seat during nonpeak hours.
Originally Posted by joe_miami
People have been turned away due to crowding since Day 1. Theres no magic bullet for SFO, where everyone and his third cousin has an Amex Plat.
Yeah, I don't see much point getting frustrated by crowding at SFO. It's the way it is and there's not much AMEX can do (except restrict guests, and while I would favor that, I can only imagine the whining that would ensue).

If visiting AMEX SFO, adjust expectations accordingly.
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Old Mar 23, 2019, 10:15 am
  #1709  
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Marin County, California
Programs: Amex Centurion
Posts: 412
Originally Posted by Kacee
there's not much AMEX can do...
IMO, The only way for AMEX to reduce crowding is to limit the number of free visits per Cardmember per year.
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Old Mar 23, 2019, 10:24 am
  #1710  
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Originally Posted by TravelStar
IMO, The only way for AMEX to reduce crowding is to limit the number of free visits per Cardmember per year.
For every Centurion except SFO and maybe MIA, this is a solution in search of a problem.
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