New Amex Centurion lounge for New York, Newark Airport
The Centurion Lounge is the signature lounge program within the American Express Global Lounge Collection. You can access the lounge with your Amex Platinum or Centurion card. Also included in the American Express Global Lounge Collection are complimentary access to Escape Lounges – The Centurion Studio Partner, Delta Sky Club® for Card Members flying on Delta, Priority Pass™ Select Lounges upon enrollment, Plaza Premium Lounges, select Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, and Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges–a total of more than 1,400 lounges across 140 countries and counting.
American Express and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey announced plans to expand the Centurion Lounge Network with its first-ever location at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). At 17,000 square feet, the new Centurion Lounge will include an indoor terrace overlooking the airfield with views of the Manhattan skyline and a cocktail bar and piano lounge celebrating New Jersey’s rich jazz history. It will also feature signature Centurion Lounge amenities, including a menu inspired by local cuisine, several seating areas, dedicated workstations, and complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi. The newly constructed lounge, located in the new Terminal A, is scheduled to open in 2026.
The new Centurion Lounge will feature:
- Terrace with City Skyline Views: A 1,400 square foot indoor terrace overlooking Newark Airport’s airfield and a view of Manhattan.
- Jazz Bar and Piano Lounge: This cocktail bar is inspired by the 20th Century jazz era in New Jersey and also features a piano lounge featuring live music.
- Archival Collection: A quiet area featuring artifacts and antiques that celebrate New Jersey’s culture and history.
There will also be a space designed for families with small children, complimentary food and beverage offerings that will feature a locally inspired menu and signature cocktails, premium restrooms and shower suites, dedicated workstations, several seating areas and access to high-speed Wi-Fi.
Amex has been rapidly expanding its Centurion lounges recently, including the recently reopened Centurion Lounges at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). American Express also announced plans to open new lounge locations at Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C. and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport (ATL).
There is also a lounge at Heathrow’s T3 which you can read about here.
New rail link for Heathrow supported by Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has given his backing to a proposed new rail link that would connect Heathrow Airport with south-west London, Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire. The link would involve the construction of up to 8 miles of new railway from the west end of the existing Terminal 5 station, linking with the existing South Western network. I have always thought it completely ridiculous that one of the world’s busiest airports is so poorly connected by rail, especially given the issues with the M25 traffic. This could be game-changing if it were handled correctly.
The line has been proposed by Heathrow Southern Railway Ltd (HSR), which has said it could open in 2027/28. HSR would open up access to and through Heathrow from the south west and south east of England by enabling trains to operate between Heathrow and Waterloo via Clapham Junction, Putney, Hounslow, Twickenham, Richmond, Staines and other intermediate stations; and between Heathrow, Woking, Guildford, Farnborough and Basingstoke. Direct trains could operate to Heathrow from as far away as the south coast. The company has said the project can be financed privately and could potentially operate at no cost to taxpayers.
I rarely agree with the London Mayor, but in this respect, I do. Mr Khan said the rail link would support a shift to sustainable travel and transform access to the airport. However, the government seem to be dragging its heels for unknown reasons despite constantly pushing their net zero agenda.
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “Any proposal would need to be developed in a way that does not require government funding and secures significant benefits.
“We continue to discuss options and engage with promoters on this process.”
9 comments
I predict wrangles from an unexpected direction. Most of the rail network is electrified with overhead cables, but south of the Thames is mostly third rail. The ORR has slapped a ban on further construction/extension of the third rail network on safety grounds. This would mean that any new line would have to use overhead electric. At the very least this would likely require a new fleet of trains, which increases the overall cost or/and limits the scope for a wider network to be served. Basically you would probably end up with a Waterloo-Heathrow shuttle via southwest London which would probably not be commercially viable given the existing links, and the massive capital investment of new track/tunnels.
First mooted at least 50 years ago as a link from Kew. Then pretty much open ground. Rejected at BR due cost.
Given the incredible value of property in the way now, I’d be surprised there’s a business case.
All Thameslink trains operate with dual power – third rail and overhead wire, so this factor is not new.
A cynical re-election ploy. It will never happen.
If it does happen it’ll be closer to 2040 than 2028!
I hope the rail link happens. I live in Hampshire, travel frequently from Heathrow, and I work for the railway and don’t drive. In other words: I NEED THIS. Where possible I tend to prefer flying into LCY on my return journey, especially if I arrive in the evening, because getting home from LHR can prove unnecessarily complicated and time consuming. When I visit my family on the Continent, LCY isn’t an option, so I usually fly home from an airport, which is 3 hours by train from my mum’s house because the only flight to LHR from the airport near her arrives so late that I can’t get home – and it’s not even that late. I would certainly welcome this rail link, but as others have pointed out, it probably will not happen for a long time, and by then I may have quit this country entirely!
I used to live in Hampshire too and the only nearby options was a coach that took 2 hours 30 (1 hour 15 minutes to drive) or getting a train most of the way then transferring to a coach where often there was a long wait. Where I live now there is a least an hourly coach but it still takes well over double the driving time. I have actually started flying into London City as it is easy to get back from by rail and takes around the same amount of time as the coach!
The options from your Hampshire days are still the options today. As a railway employee, I travel for free as far as Waterloo and get 75% discount on Heathrow Express, so that has always been the “natural way” for me to get to LHR, suffering the Underground en route with heavy bags in lifts and on escalators etc. However, strikes, delays, and various other recent issues have forced me to try the other options. Regardless of what I choose, it’s never great. The only good thing is that the RailAir bus from Woking now departs every half hour as opposed to once an hour, so that actually makes it the best option now for me coming up from South Hants.
Sadly I’m with the cynics on this issue, much though I think that this would be sensible. After all, there is passive provision at T5 for National Rail. Richard M refers to the ORR’s vehement objections to any extension of third-rail electrification, which I’ve never understood, but a number of trains currently in service can switch from third-rail to a 25Kv overhead supply. But one major problem is the sheer constipation of any railway development in England (as opposed to Scotland and Wales), together with the number of level-crossings required by previous plans. It also seems that two or three zeros need to be added to any estimate. If only….
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