Amex’s Dallas Centurion Lounge is Next in Line for a Big Expansion

One of American Express’s most notoriously overcrowded lounges is about to get a major upgrade.

The Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) airport’s governing board on Tuesday approved a major expansion to the Dallas Centurion Lounge, adding more than 6,000 square feet – a 50%-plus increase over its current 12,000-square-foot layout. That’ll bring the lounge to more than 18,600 square feet. The board also ensured the lounge stays put in the mammoth Texas airport for more than a decade by extending its lease until 2040.

It’s unclear whether American Express simply plans to add to the existing lounge space, tack on its new quick stop “Sidecar by Centurion Lounge” concept first debuting in Las Vegas (LAS) next year, or both. A company representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Either way, it’s welcome news that’s sure to ease the lounge’s crowding problem. And it’s not the first move Amex has made to do so.

The Dallas lounge was among American Express’s first Centurion locations – and also one of the first to see a major expansion when it relocated to its current location pre-pandemic.

But even with that larger, 12,000-square-foot layout, the Dallas location has arguably been the poster child of Amex’s overcrowding problem, with long lines regularly forming down an elevator and out the door to get inside. Last year, the bank shuttered the lounge’s (admittedly small) spa area – as well as those in Miami (MIA) and Los Angeles (LAX) – to free up more space for seating. 

Even so, these moves are just bandaids that don’t address the real problem: There are far more travelers with the bank’s pricey *amex platinum* than these lounges can hold. Once widely considered the king of all domestic airport lounges, Amex Centurion Lounges have fallen off hard largely due to how crowded they’ve become.

With the Platinum card set to get a refresh – and likely a fee hike – later this fall, only time will tell if there’s a tipping point where travelers say enough is enough. Until that day comes, building bigger lounges is the only thing that will help. 

In just the last few years, American Express has expanded (or relocated) existing lounge locations in San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), Las Vegas (LAS), and New York City-LaGuardia (LGA). New locations in Atlanta (ATL), New York City (JFK), and Washington, D.C.-Reagan (DCA) are far bigger than their predecessors.

Related reading: Where to Find Amex Centurion Lounges & How to Get In

Bottom Line

American Express is expanding its notoriously overcrowded Centurion Lounge in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) by more than 50%, adding over 6,000 square feet. It’s unclear whether if the bank is simply expanding existing space, adding its new “Sidecar” speakeasy concept, or both.