Quick Thoughts About the Centurion Lounge in Atlanta

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Before we start, a quick note on what this post is (and isn’t).

This isn’t a full review of the Centurion Lounge in Atlanta. I’m not doing a room-by-room walkthrough, ranking every dish on the buffet, or attempting to cover every amenity. Plenty of sites have already done that (and done it well).

Instead, this is about how the lounge felt during our visit—how crowded it was, how easy it was to settle in, and whether it was a worthwhile place to spend time before a flight at one of the busiest airports in the country.

Why we were there so early

We were flying home from Atlanta and got dropped off at the airport several hours before our flight. In fact, we were so early that we couldn’t even check in for our Southwest flight (Southwest allows check-in up to four hours before departure).

After getting through security, we were approaching the three-hour mark, which is when you’re allowed to enter the Centurion Lounge.

Where it is (and how much time you really have)

The Centurion Lounge at ATL is in Concourse E, but it’s accessible from all terminals via the airport’s Plane Train. So even if you’re departing from another concourse, getting there (and back) isn’t difficult—it just takes time.

That time matters because Amex typically only lets you enter within three hours of your departing flight. And at ATL, you’ll want to budget extra time to get back to your gate, especially if you’re departing from a different concourse. Between the walk, the train ride, and the usual pre-boarding buffer, it’s easy to burn 30+ minutes just getting where you need to be.

Even though we arrived at the earliest possible time, we still wound up spending less than two hours in the lounge once you factor in the trek back across the airport.

Of course, the math changes if your flight is delayed—but for an on-time departure, the “three-hour rule” can feel a lot tighter than it sounds.

Getting there (and the waitlist)

I used the Amex app to join the waiting list, and by the time we rode/walked all the way across the airport, we’d cleared the list before we even reached the lounge in Concourse E.

Crowds and finding a table

This was the second time we’ve been to this lounge, but this time it felt a little less crowded. Don’t get me wrong—it was still quite busy, and it took us a bit to find an open table. But compared to our last visit, it felt more manageable.

One thing that helps is that the lounge is absolutely massive. It’s spread out across multiple rooms, and there are a lot of different seating zones depending on what you’re looking for. There’s even an outdoor atrium area, which makes the space feel more like a destination than just another airport waiting room.

We eventually found a spot near a window with a decent view, which made it a nicer place to hang out while we waited.

The space

Because the lounge is so large (and has so many different rooms), you can easily find full walkthroughs online if you want a detailed tour. For us, it was more about finding a comfortable spot to settle in—and once we did, it was easy to see why people go out of their way to come here.

Food & drinks

We were there during lunch, and there was a nice spread of hot and cold dishes. It was definitely better than what you’ll find in most other lounges, and it made the lounge feel like more than just a place to grab a snack.

That said, the competition has gotten tougher. Capital One and Chase lounges may be creeping ahead of Amex when it comes to food—not enough to make the Centurion Lounge a bad option, but enough that Amex no longer feels like it’s in a category by itself.

We also stopped by the bar, and I was glad to see that this Centurion Lounge offers a selection of alcohol-free cocktails and beer. It’s a small thing, but it’s genuinely nice to have something that feels like a “real” drink without starting the afternoon with alcohol.

Why it mattered (especially flying Southwest)

Since we were flying Southwest, we didn’t have any other great lounge options at ATL. So even with the crowds, the Centurion Lounge was still the best place to spend some time before our flight.

And yes, the big indoor tree is still doing its thing—it’s one of those features that makes this lounge feel more like a space you’re meant to spend time in, not just pass through.

Final thoughts

Atlanta can be a lot, and this lounge is popular for a reason. Even when it’s busy, it’s still a comfortable place to post up, grab something better than terminal food, and wait out the time until boarding.

Just keep the timing in mind. Between the three-hour entry rule and the reality of getting back across ATL, you might have less lounge time than you think—unless your flight is delayed, in which case you may be very happy to have a place like this to land.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary