Washington’s National Airport is finally about to get an American Express Centurion lounge, based on photos showing construction largely complete and furnishing laid out in the space.
There are reports of an “early August” opening, but specific dates can always slip, though “there’s even art up on the walls” and someone was spotted “walking around inside taking a video…”
The Centurion lounge has been over 3 years in coming and was supposed to open at the end of 2022, however last fall we learned it was finally making progress and expected to open ‘early’ 2024. The lounge will be 11,500 square feet, offering American Express standard food, beverages, and shower suites and feature floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking airport operations.
Showers in the the Centurion lounge surprised me. Because of legal restrictions, there are very few flights over 1,250 miles to and from the airport. And because the airport has no customs facility, it can only support international routes with airports that offer U.S. immigration preclearance (such as several Canadian cities and Nassau, Bahamas).
National Airport is about to become one of the best in the country for lounges. Currently there are:
- Three American Airlines Admirals Clubs, including the beautiful lounge on the E concourse with its unique VIP space.
- Delta Sky Club
- United Club, the old Continental Presidents Club which originally opened in 1941 as the airport’s formal dining room.
- Plus a Priority Pass restaurant (American Tap Room) and a USO Lounge.
American Airlines Admirals Club, E Concourse
National airport will still lag Denver from a lounge perspective, perhaps, and LAX. But it’s going to be one of the best.
In addition to the American Express Centurion lounge, there’s a Capital One option in the pipeline, and that should be nearly ready as well. Both the Amex and Capital One lounges were being talked about by the airport authority as coming in the second quarter, which has just finished.
In fall 2022, Capital One announced a new dining-focused lounge concept that would be coming to Washington’s National airport (DCA) and to New York LaGuardia (LGA) in conjunction with Jose Andres Group.
The DC airport location would take over an old restaurant space and be 5,483 square feet, located immediately post-security at the entrance to Concourse D. All of terminal 2’s concourses are now connected post-security (only the old ‘banjo’ terminal, which itself used to feature a pre-security Northwest World Club, is not).
Virginia passed emergency legislation last year to allow financial institutions, “their subsidiaries or contractors” to obtain mixed-beverage carrier licenses in order to accommodate this Centurion lounge and the Capital One Landing.
Gary, you know that lounge is going to be packed. It might not be worth it if I have to wait one hour to get in.
Hopefully, the Amex Centurion lounge at DCA will not have the 30-60 minute waiting list for Platinum card members to enter like they frequently encounter at DFW.
Two weeks ago, they were advertising for a Customer Experience Concierge on LinkedIn.
My prediction is September to get staffed up, get employees badged, and trained.
Hopefully this new building for the airport will become a major success whenever it gets fully built and opened up to frequent fliers
Ha! I believe it when I see it – either AEX on Cap1. Leaving on current RTW trip last Tuesday I was joking with the northern information guy about the delays
Love the AA E concourse club and United Club. Wish it could live up to it’s original name as the Terrace by opening the Terrace.
Capital One has been pretty quite about the opening timeline of this lounge, now that Q2 is over. It would be great if you as a media outlet could ask them for an update.
Will be overrun with vetbros with free Platinum cards and as a result impossible to get into.
Saying that DCA will become one of the best airports in the country for lounges is an exaggeration. They’ll even still lag their 28-mile away sister IAD, which I’d even put above DEN and LAX as you also mention. IAD has Cap One, Chase Sapphire, five Priority Pass lounges (Turkish, Etihad, Air France, Lufthansa, and Virgin, one Priority Pass restaurant (Chef Geoff), four United Clubs, a Polaris lounge, a BA lounge (which is no longer Priority Pass), and a USO lounge.
The only lounges DCA has that IAD doesn’t is this Centurion Lounge and – if you’re an AA flier- AA’s lounges (two of three of which at DCA are pretty substandard anyway). And based on Amex’s history with crowd control, when people are fully aware of this new DCA Amex lounge, I’d prefer IAD’s Cap One, Sapphire, Turkish, Virgin, and Polaris lounges to anything at DCA.
I considered obtaining a card with lounge privileges, but after reading articles saying you can’t even get in because so many people have lounge privileges with their cards, I decided against it. It’s like cuing up for the bathroom. Who wants to pay a fortune to stand in line for 2 hours and then it’s time to get on your flight and leave. Sounds like a lot of hoopla about nothing. Trying to gin up excitement about something that will be another source of frustration and exasperation.
Please can we get something… anything… in Terminal 1?
Didn’t the TWA Ambassadors lounge also occupy the bango?
What Freddy said… or at least let Terminal 1 (I hear banjos!) passengers hop into a Terminal 2 lounge.
The food options in Terminal 1 are abysmal, and there’s plenty of room for a pre-security lounge there.
The lounge opened this morning at 5am!