DFW Centurion Lounge – Luxury Airport Respite

American Express (AMEX) runs a group of airport lounges under the banner of Centurion Lounges. These lounges are currently located in Bush International Airport in Houston (IAH), McCarran Airport in Las Vegas (LAS), Dallas/Fort Worth Airport (DFW), San Francisco International (SFO), Miami International (MIA), Seattle-Tacoma (SEA), LaGuardia in New York (LGA), and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). These airport lounges tend to be some of the better lounges that a traveler can find in the United States. Internationally, there are much nicer airport lounges available. However, for domestic US service, a full hot meal, drink service, and numerous seating options can be difficult to find. The following is a walk-through of the DFW AMEX Centurion Lounge.

Access Options

Because Centurion Lounges are run by American Express, a few credit cards offered by AMEX provide access as a perk.

The most popular option is to use the Platinum Card, Business Platinum Card, or Corporate Platinum Card. Each of these cards provides an entrance for the cardholder and up to two guests at no charge. AMEX is updating the guest policy for these cards on February 1, 2023, to only allow the cardholder entry. Additional guests are $50 USD each.

AMEX Centurion Members (an invite-only American Express membership) can also access the lounge with up to two guests or any number of the immediate family. They will still be able to enjoy this guesting policy after February 1, 2023.

The last way to get complimentary entrance to Centurion Lounges is with the Delta SkyMiles Reserve or Reserve Business Card. These cards allow entrance for the cardholder only when traveling on a same-day Delta flight.

Other important entrance rules that have been put in place to limit crowding are:

• Centurion Lounges are departure lounges only. They will not admit you upon arrival, unless you have an onward connecting flight.
• Centurion Lounges will prohibit admission greater than 3 hours prior to your departure time.

Entrance

The entrance to the American Express lounge is located in Terminal D at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport near Gate D12. The DFW airport interconnects all terminals via the Skylink Tram. If arriving by Skylink tram from another terminal, exit at the stop for gates D1 – D22. Upon exiting the Skylink, head towards gates D10/D12. Gate D10 is located immediately ahead at the base of the Skylink platform escalators. Upon turning right towards gate D12, a concourse with restaurants and shops will be located on the right. The entrance to the DFW Centurion Lounge is located on this concourse on the right-hand side as one walks away from gate D12. The entrance to the lounge is an elevator that takes visitors to the mezzanine level where the actual check-in desk is located.

Check-In

Upon exiting the elevator, the check-in desk is straight ahead. Any of the agents on duty will ask for your AMEX card, same-day boarding pass, and photo identification in order to check you in. All three of these items are required for entry. If you want to speed through check-in, have these ready before you get to the desk.

During my most recent visit to the lounge, there was a line for check-in with approximately five groups in front of me. While this was my first indication of how popular and crowded the lounge would be (more on that later), the check-in process was efficient. The front desk staff quickly moved through the line. I checked in and headed into the lounge within 3 minutes.

Facilities

Seating Areas

The DFW Centurion Lounge has a wide yet compact floorplan that spans a part of the mezzanine in Terminal D. Upon entering, a hallway past the check-in desk leads directly into the main seating areas of the lounge. Once in the seating areas, turning right will lead to some smaller private sitting areas, the spa, and the showers. The seating areas in this section are mainly one seat each with high partitions between them. These are appropriate for individuals traveling alone or those that desire some privacy while in the lounge. During my visit, these also seemed popular for those who were catching some sleep.

Going back to the entrance hallway, the majority of the lounge facilities are to the left. Traveling this direction, one will immediately pass by more open seating that is appropriate for conversation and groups. This area also has a television. Volume on the TV was low as to not be annoying to others trying to have a conversation in the area. The DFW Centurion Lounge also provides a children’s area in an enclosed room within this section of the lounge. The children’s area was appropriate for families to enjoy playtime with young children without disturbing other travelers. The children’s room provided tons of toys and had plenty of foam-matted open floor space to play. This would be a great amenity for those with antsy children who need an energy release mid-travel.

Food Service Areas

Further into the lounge was the main food service buffet and the bar. This area has several sections of the bar and high-top seating. In addition to the seating at the main bar, multiple alcoves contain bar seating overlooking the terminal. The alcove seating is perfect for individuals or small groups. Each seat provides power plugs which make the area perfect for working with a laptop. A large communal table is positioned near the bar. However, the remainder of the seating in the dining area seats two or four.

Finally, at the far end of the lounge is another seating area that is more appropriate for quiet and business use. This end of the lounge features some small conference rooms, a large public conference table, printers, and computers. There is also some individual seating with high privacy sides at this end of the lounge as in the section near the spa and showers.

Amenities and Service

Food

In addition to being a place to relax in more comfort than the airport terminals, a major reason to visit a lounge is for the food and beverage offerings. Centurion Lounges are well ahead of other domestic United States lounges in this area.

The Centurion Lounge has a buffet with a full meal available. Many lounges throughout the United States only offer snacks, small bites, and maybe soup. This is a major differentiator for Centurion Lounge access. The buffet during my visit included options such as roasted chicken, watermelon cucumber gazpacho, haricot verts, summer squash casserole, cheddar grits, roasted potatoes, salad, quinoa power bowls, and fig bread pudding. You are able to get as much or as little as you would like in any of the foods offered. In addition to the food offered at the main buffet, there were several stations throughout the lounge with some cookies, pastries, or small bites. These were conveniently located so that you didn’t have to go far or stand in the main buffet line if you wanted a quick snack.

Beverages

Centurion Lounges also features a full bar available to guests. There are a few restrictions on top-shelf liquor and champagne as these are only available to Centurion members. However, for the vast majority of drinks, you will not see any impact. The quality of the drinks is again much nicer than what you would see in most United States domestic lounges.

In addition to beer and wine, the bartenders prepare a wide variety of mixed drinks. While you may be used to getting a gin and tonic or whiskey coke at other airline lounges, don’t be afraid to ask for an Old Fashioned or any number of other specialty cocktails on their menu here. I enjoyed a great Old Fashioned during my last visit. The Centurion Lounge provides prompt service at the bar (especially given the number of people in the lounge at the time that I visited).

Spa

A unique amenity of the DFW Centurion Lounge is its in-lounge spa. Visitors schedule an appointment upon arrival for a complimentary 15-minute massage in the spa, if desired and available. While this is a great amenity, the usability isn’t as good as it would seem. Given the number of visitors to the lounge, securing an appointment can be very difficult. You likely need to be in the lounge for 2 – 3 hours if you want to secure an appointment as there is a limited number of slots available. However, if you do get lucky and secure an appointment, it’s hard to beat a free massage while you wait through your layover.

In my most recent visit to the DFW Centurion Lounge, the spa remained closed due to COVID restrictions. While I wasn’t expecting to get an appointment due to only being in the lounge for about an hour, this information may be helpful if you plan to be in the lounge while COVID concerns are still an issue.

Crowding

With all the amenities described above and its elevated quality over most other domestic lounge options, it’s no surprise that the Centurion Lounges are popular. Because of their popularity, they are often crowded which can detract from the overall lounge experience. Part of the appeal of lounges is to get away from the hustle and bustle of the airport terminals. Depending on when you are visiting the lounge, this may not be possible at the DFW lounge.

The DFW lounge, while not small, is one of the more compact footprints in the Centurion Lounge network. Many Centurion Lounges are expanding to fulfill demand and increase visitor satisfaction. Under the current guest policy, American Express permits Platinum cardholders to bring in two free guests. This entry policy will change on February 1, 2023. After that date, only the cardholder will be allowed into the lounge (no free guests). This is sure to cut down on the crowding, but that policy change is still 1.5 years off from when this is published.

Until that change goes into effect, just know that you may have to search a little for a place to sit (especially if you have a group) and that the line for some amenities (such as food and beverage) may be longer than expected. While the crowding is an overall detractor from the visit, it in no way makes the entire visit unappealing where I would pick another lounge at DFW.

Bottom Line

At the end of the day, Centurion Lounges are some of the best out there. You do have to have an American Express Platinum Card or Centurion Card for access which can be a barrier to some. These are fairly high-priced credit cards so they won’t be for everyone. I also definitely wouldn’t recommend getting a Platinum Card just for lounge access in the vast majority of cases. However, if you already have one of these cards or can utilize its other benefits, Centurion Lounge access is a nice perk.

The DFW lounge is easily accessible from all terminals via the Skylink tram and is an excellent spot to spend a layover at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport. The only negative comment to most Centurion Lounges is the crowding. American Express is taking actions to resolve this by 2023 which may be positive or negative to you depending on if you travel with guests.