New York's John F. Kennedy Airport Terminal 4
Visited: January 15th, 2023
(Pricing, availability, and amenities subject to change. The author did not receive compensation for this review.)
On a recent trip through New York's JFK International Airport, I took the chance to check out American Express' Centurion Lounge in Terminal 4. While on par with other lounges, from other reviews that I have read I expected to be wowed more than I was. It was much smaller then expected, with small bathrooms and the standard offerings of food and beverages that you see in most lounges.
The Centurion lounges are American Express' exclusive lounges located in select airports and some select cities. A full list of locations can be found here:
Access is restricted to the following card holders:
Platinum Card
Business Platinum Card
Corporate Platinum Card
Delta SkyMiles Reserve*
Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business*
Centurion Members
*Per the AMEX website Delta members must be flying on a same day Delta marketed ticket or Delta operated flight.
Guest Policy
When I visited, two guests were permitted at no extra cost for Platinum card holders, while Delta card holders are charged $50 per guest. Policies can vary by location for international locations.
As of February 1st 2023, the guest policy will change to including the $50 per guest charge ($30 for children aged 2-17) for Platinum card holders as well. Complimentary guest access will be available for each calendar year once, the used spends $75,000 in eligible purchases on their card.
Location
The lounge is located in Terminal 4 past security on the upper level. (technically level 4 per the airport map) Once you exit security turn right through the shopping area until you reach the first elevator that you see on your left. Take the elevator or stairs up one level and the lounge will be to your right as you exit the elevator. Less then a 5 minute walk.
Seating
The lounge looks a lot bigger from the outside than it really is. Spread out on two levels, there is a ample table and couch style seating. However on this visit, the lower level was closed for "cleaning" for the entire visit (2+ hours). I suspect this was due to it being Sunday morning and also a possible staffing issue. Due to this, it was crowded as most seats were taken and a few folks even found themselves standing/roaming until a seat opened up.
Seats themselves were comfortable, however it did seem like the staff had a tough time keeping up with the empty dishes and cups as they were piling up. Again, maybe just a sign of being short staffed on the weekend.
Bathrooms & Showers
Bathrooms on the upper level were surprisingly small. (lower level was closed, not sure if they are the same) Both the men's and woman's bathroom contained three single use closet style individual bathrooms and a three person communal sink. Overall, they remained clean throughout the visit, but due to their size there almost always was some sort of wait. Shower rooms are also available.
Food & Beverages
The food and beverage options were on par with other higher end lounges. A full bar is available. Since this visit was during their breakfast hours, a hot breakfast along with your standard continental breakfast offerings were available buffet style. Everything we tasted was great and the staff kept it well stocked throughout the visit. Along with the bar, a complimentary coffee, tea and water station is set up just past the buffet with two automated espresso machines for guest use.
The Equinox Body Lab
The lounge contains an Equinox Body Lab just past the main entrance. The lab offers a small fitness area and massage chair for guest use.
The View
For the Avgeeks in the group, the view is ok. You will definitely see a nice array of international liveries from this lounge, (COPA, EL AL and Air India were all parked at gates during our visit) however the lines of the windows doesn't make it easy for any great pictures. The lounge still makes for a great spot to just sit and watch the activity with a nice cappuccino.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I thought the lounge was fine. Had I been able to explore the lower level, with it's speakeasy style bar, food and beverage area and more seating I believe I would have enjoyed it even more. Having said that, if you can access the Centurion lounge at JFK it will definitely provide you with another lounge option that should not be ignored.
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