Quick answer: American Express announced its largest Centurion Lounge expansion, led by a 30,000+ square foot Newark lounge opening in 2027. It also adds a second Heathrow lounge and expands Houston and Philadelphia.

American Express just announced the largest Centurion Lounge expansion in its history — two brand-new lounges and major expansions at two more, including what will become the biggest Centurion Lounge on the planet. If your family flies on an Amex Platinum, this changes where you’ll be spending your layovers.

Announced October 8, 2026. Details verified October 12, 2026.

The headline: Newark gets the largest Centurion ever

Newark Liberty (EWR) is getting a 30,000+ square foot, two-story Centurion Lounge in Terminal A, opening in 2027. That’s nearly double the 18,000 square feet Amex originally planned — and it comes with a delay (it was previously slated for 2026).

When it opens, Amex becomes the first credit card issuer with proprietary lounges at all three major NYC-area airports (JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark).

The details sound genuinely over the top: three separate bars (including one riffing on New Jersey diner culture and a terrace bar with Italian cocktails and gelato), a Blue Roast coffee and wellness bar, dishes from James Beard winners Kwame Onwuachi, Mike Solomonov, Mashama Bailey, and Sarah Grueneberg, an indoor terrace overlooking the airfield with the Manhattan skyline, and a piano lounge with live jazz.

London Heathrow gets a second lounge

Amex is opening a second Centurion Lounge at Heathrow — 9,000 square feet in Terminal 5, expected in 2028. The existing Terminal 3 lounge stays open. That makes Amex the first issuer with two proprietary lounges at Heathrow — useful for families connecting through London, since you won’t have to trek between terminals for lounge access.

Houston nearly triples

The Houston (IAH) Centurion Lounge grows from about 8,000 to more than 23,000 square feet, fully updated by 2028 — making it one of the largest in the network. Anyone who’s been turned away from the current shoebox-sized Houston lounge during a busy bank of departures knows why this matters.

Philadelphia doubles — but closes first

The Philadelphia (PHL) lounge doubles from 6,000 to 12,000+ square feet across two stories, expected complete by end of 2027.

⚠️ But it temporarily closes for renovation on October 16, 2026 — four days from now — for roughly 14 months. If your family is flying through Philly anytime in the next year, plan on no Centurion Lounge.

Why this matters for families

Centurion Lounges have a well-known problem: they’re routinely overcrowded, with lines out the door during peak times. For a family of four, getting turned away (or in, but with nowhere to sit together) defeats the purpose. Bigger lounges don’t fix everything, but capacity is the actual bottleneck — and Amex is finally attacking it.

The honest math on bringing the family, though, hasn’t changed. Under the guest rules updated July 8, 2026:

• $50 per adult guest, $30 per child ages 2–17 (under 2 free)
• Guests must be on the same flight as the cardholder
• Spend $75,000/year on the Platinum and two guests come free

So a family of four (cardholder + spouse + two kids) costs $110 per visit — $50 + $30 + $30 — unless you’ve hit the $75K spend threshold. A 30,000-square-foot lounge is great; it doesn’t make the guest fees any smaller.

The bottom line

This is Amex admitting what every Platinum cardholder already knew: the lounges are too small for the number of people paying $895/year for access. Newark’s flagship, a second Heathrow, a tripled Houston, and a doubled Philly (after a 14-month closure) is a serious capacity answer. For families, the play stays the same — the lounges are worth it when the guest math works, and these expansions make “actually getting in” a lot more likely.