I had just arrived from a Honolulu to Phoenix flight on my way to Las Vegas and had a 3-hour layover so it seemed I was on my way to the American Express Centurion Lounge Phoenix.
I was thinking of visiting the Admirals Club after a great experience in Honolulu but I had heard the breakfast offering was a bit better in the Centurion Lounge.
The line was short when I arrived so it must have been a sign. I have heard horror stories of 30+ minute waits recently *gasp* which for me would be a no go. There are some changes in the wind for AMEX lounges that will hopefully impact wait time in a positive manner, we shall see.
Location
Located in terminal 2, right across from gate B22 you will see the double glass doors leading into not only the American Express Centurion lounge but also the Escape Lounge.
Both lounges are up one level so you will only see the check-in kiosk and those lined up for entry. Be sure to stand in the Centurion Lounge line and not the Escape Lounge unless you are heading there.
The staff manning the check-in area were quick, pleasant, and professional, excellent.
Hours
The Phoenix American Express Centurion Lounge is open from 5 am to 9 pm daily.
Access
You have access to this lounge with your American Express Platinum Card and same-day boarding pass (no more than 3 hours before departure).
Once you check in on the floor below you literally take 3 steps to the elevator on your left, head up one floor and there is another check-in counter.
Give them your “count” pass and in you go past the green wall.
Layout
This is one of the smaller Centurion lounges and you will notice it immediately upon entering. A hard right and the first coffee station is along the wall. You then walk through the middle of some seating and past the bar area.
Just past the bar are some 2-person tables with hard chairs, another coffee station on the right, and then the food island which always tends to be busy.
There is some additional seating past the food island and a designated work area past the wall.
I sat near the food island and felt like I was in the way of most people getting food or coffee, a great design if you are trying to get people to “move on” so find somewhere else if you want to relax a bit.
Food & Beverage
Lounge food can be hit or miss and on this visit, I think it was just fine meeting all my expectations of what a lounge should be offering.
The eggs, potatoes, and sausage were as expected and I gladly got seconds during my visit. I also grabbed some fruits from the fruit platter which were cold and fresh.
I was able to observe the staff as people came into the lounge and headed straight for the food line. They seemed to be on it for the most part with only a few delays while waiting for the eggs or potatoes to be refilled.
On this day the lounge was almost at peak capacity so short of a kitchen mishap I think they were handling things well.
I forgot to get a picture of the mini banana muffins but I want to bring them up because I thought they were quite delicious. You can skip the white powdered ones and thank me later.
Final Thoughts
I know the Centurion lounge at the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport sometimes gets a bad rap for being so small and in fact it is. However, watching this staff handle the steady flow of customers, keep up with the food, and constantly cleaning made for a nice visit.
I will gladly head back in on my next stopover in Phoenix.
