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It was back in February that we found out that ‘The Club’ lounge at Phoenix Sky Harbor Terminal 4 was set to close and that it would be replaced by two new lounges – an American Express Centurion Lounge and an Escape Lounge.
Up until now we haven’t really had much idea of what to expect from the two lounges but, as of today, American Express has shared 7 images showing what is planned.
The Centurion Lounge At Phoenix
Access to the Centurion Lounges is reserved for Centurion card and Platinum Card holders together with their guests – holders of both cards are allowed 2 guests free of charge.
Platinum Card and Centurion cardholders can purchase a day-pass for any additional guests for $50 USD at the time of entry.
Platinum Card holders cannot access the Centurion lounges until they are within 3 hours of their scheduled departure time (this does not apply to Centurion card holders or Platinum card holders who are connecting at the airport where they’re accessing the Centurion Lounge).
Amex says that the Phoenix Centurion Lounge will offer a mixture of the usual amenities associated with Centurion Lounges as well as “locally-inspired offerings”. These amenities will include:
- A full premium bar with specialty cocktails developed by Centurion Lounge mixologist Jim Meehan, and wines handpicked by Centurion Lounge wine director Anthony Giglio, including seasonal wine flights
- Fresh, locally-inspired cuisine
- Semi-private and dedicated work areas
- On-site American Express Member Services Professionals to assist Card Members with Card account requests and travel-related inquiries
The Escape Lounge at Phoenix
Escape is a lounge network without many lounges (at the time of writing there are just 15 lounges across 11 airports) but they do have the advantage of being an American Express partner and part of the American Express Global Lounge Collection (like the Plaza Premium Lounge in Rio de Janeiro).
American Express Centurion and Platinum Card holders receive complimentary access to Escape lounges and allowed to bring up to two guests with them into the lounge.
To enter the Escape Lounges, an Amex Centurion/Platinum Card holder simply has to present their card, a boarding pass for same-day travel and valid government-issued I.D. to the front desk.
Escape lounges also allow access for a fee (if you don’t have a lounge membership or credit card that grants free access).
Here’s what the new Escape Lounge at Phoenix Sky Harbor T4 will offer (per Amex):
- Unique Phoenix-inspired cocktails courtesy of head mixologist Sarah McElroy
- Local chef-curated menu featuring premium food options and seasonal changes
- Local wines, beers and spirits, coffee, and espresso
- Silent digital library, with noise cancelling Bose headphones and free access to over 7,000 publications from over 120+ countries courtesy of PressReader
- Children activity packs, including Escape Lounge’s Kids Crew puzzles, coloring book and crayons
The Centurion Lounge and Escape Lounge will also both feature flight information display, high speed Wi-Fi, newspapers and magazines, showers, charging stations, television service, and business services.
Which Airlines Fly Out Of Phoenix Sky Harbor T4?
- Air Canada
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Condor Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- Volaris
- WestJet
Bottom Line
We don’t have an exact date for when these lounges are going to open but I suspect it won’t be “in the coming months” as the American Express press release suggests. “Coming months” suggests that we’ll see the lounges open to travelers by, at the latest, fall of this year but I think that’s a little optimistic.
The Club Lounge that these two lounges are replacing only closed in April and lounge projects never run to time so we’ll be lucky to see these lounges open before the snows melt in 2020.
Still, regardless of when these lounges open it’s nice to know that Platinum Card holders will soon have a couple more options on their travels. From a personal point of view it’s also nice to know that the new lounges are in the terminal occupied by the two oneworld airlines I tend to use the most – American and BA – so, with a bit of luck, I’ll get to try these lounges out soon after they open.
