The Dallas (DFW) American Express Centurion Lounge: Review

The American Express Centurion Lounge at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is renowned for providing travelers with an exclusive and luxurious experience. From fine dining to complimentary spa services, the Centurion Lounge offers a variety of amenities that are sure to please even the most discerning traveler. Whether you're looking for a place to escape from a long day of layovers or a place to relax and unwind before your flight, the Centurion Lounge at DFW is sure to make your airport experience a memorable one. In this review, we explore what makes this luxurious lounge stand out from the rest.

Hours and location of the DFW Centurion Lounge

Hours: 5:30am to 10:00pm
Terminal D, across from gate D12

The entrance to the DFW Centurion Lounge is located across from gate D12, next to Pink Berry in Terminal D. You can find where the Centurion lounge DFW is located by simply opening your American Express app. The entrance is well adorned and easy to find. On both of my visits to the lounge, the check-in attendants were very kind, acknowledged how long I have been with American Express, and warmly welcomed me to the lounge.

The Centurion Lounge is very easy to find for most people. However, I made some mistakes in changing to Terminal D. When using Skylink train, the DFW inter-terminal rail system, each terminal is divided into lower numbered gates and higher numbered gates. Early in my journey, I tried to get off at the wrong series of D gates, and was able to hop right back on. The other terminals are connected so you could always walk, but it may take a while depending on where you’re located. I haven’t had the opportunity to test this theory thoroughly myself.

How did I get access to the American Express Centurion Lounge at DFW?

I have access to the lounge through my American Express Platinum card. While in the past you were allowed to bring a guest for free, new rules as of February 1, 2023 have eliminated this benefit (unless you have over $75k in eligible purchases on your card)

At the check-in desk you need your to show:

American Express Platinum card (or Centurion card)
Identification
Confirmed boarding pass for same-day, departing flight.

If it’s your first time at airport lounges, it is common curtesy to have these ready before going up to the desk. This is especially true if there happens to be line. It is both courteous and demonstrates your travel savvy to be well prepared for the lounge experience.

Service at the DFW Centurion Lounge

The staff were so friendly from front desk to in-lounge service. When I came back through DFW, there had been a serious ice storm which basically shut the city of Dallas Fort Worth down. As such, there were logistic and supply chain issues which were clearly affecting the lounges and American Airlines on that day.

Even with a large number of delayed flights, upon arrival at the lounge there wasn’t a line or a wait (this may be due to platinum members no longer allowed to bring in a free lounge guest). There was a lot of room throughout the lounge. However, there was a scaled back food service, no bar service, and limited seating. Thankfully, I had brought my own food in from Bearcat in New Orleans. As a vegan traveler, I'm used to bringing my own food anyway!

Overview of the DFW Centurion Lounge amenities

Premium Bar (bring cash and tip your bartender!!)
Buffet food of fresh seasonal fare (often southwestern cuisine)
Free wi fi (high speed wi fi)
Large flat screen TVs
Semi-private workspaces
Spa
Member services desk
Family room

Food and Drinks at the American Express Centurion Lounge DFW

Food options

Continental breakfast 5:30am - 6:00am

Hot breakfast 6:00am - 11:30am

Lunch and dinner 11:30am - 9:30pm

I arrived just before hot breakfast services ended, and they switched to the lunch setup. The hot breakfast had some good food choices for me. I enjoyed the granola with pepitas, fresh raspberries, dried blueberries, and oat milk. The free food also included a full breakfast buffet with eggs, french toast, hash browns, etc. As they switched the buffet over to lunch, the food options changed to salads, beef brisket, pasta, etc. Food options at the American Express lounges continue to impress us. As vegan travelers, often there are few vegan food options for us in many lounge locations.

American Express Centurion Lounge DFW breakfast

There was a drink station with coffee, tea, dairy milk, and oat milk available. Drinks also included juices and water. The water dispenser at the drinks station is substantial enough that you can fill your water bottle without contamination.

I skipped the relatively empty dining area, and sat at the bar. I enjoyed a mimosa (made with sparkling wine) with my granola while I caught up on work. The full bar was open at the time of my visit. Some Centurion lounges have limited bar service until 11am and only serve drinks from the drink menu. The bar has great menu with a lot of custom cocktails. The menu was put together by mixologist Jim Meehan. Jim Meehan has worked at some of the finest bars in the country before opening his own James Beard award winning location. When ordering drinks at any of the Centurion locations, I think it's a good idea to give the location's custom drink menu a once-over before ordering. They usually have some special options that are worth a try.

Seating at the American Express Centurion Lounge

There are an ample number of places to sit at the lounge. Airport lounges can often be a crowded affair, but I've found this Dallas location to be well managed since the change in lounge rules were applied. There are multiple seating areas, all of which have more than enough room for you to find a place to sit. This is especially nice when compared to other lounges (I'm looking at you SFO) in the network. We've never had a problem finding a good table, comfy chair, or bar location to sit down.

On both of my visits during this trip, I located a nice bar spot facing the window which overlooked the terminal entrance and part of security. In the terminal entrance there was a big beautiful art installation, some kind of statue make of tiny hands. It made for a very simulating but non-distracting visage.

Bathrooms at the American Express Centurion Lounge

Not too much to report about the bathrooms. Compared to other AMEX bathrooms, this location had many more stalls available. Everything was well stocked and very clean.

How was the internet at the DFW Centurion Lounge?

Nice and fast and easy to access. They’ve had the same password for roughly 10 years. Although the lounge service staff is super helpful and knowledgeable, when the lounge is busy, the best resource for information and questions including internet passwords is the front desk.

Family room at the DFW Centurion Lounge

This was the first time I did not see the family room being used. Family rooms at the lounges are a great way for families to help their little ones get all that energy out before they hop on a flight.

Spa Service at the lounge

The spa was not open on this visit due to the ice storm in the Dallas area. However, the spa (which is operated in conjunction with Exhale) can be a great place to relax in an otherwise busy international airport. The spa has a manicure station and three massage stations. The spa is open from 9:00am - 8:00pm and all 15 minute services are free to each adult guest at the lounge. I really wish more lounges had this feature!

Shower Rooms at the lounge

There are three shower rooms available for guests. These first-come, first-serve showers are a great way to be ready for your next flight. I find it relaxing to be able to freshen up before a long flight, or before I head over to the spa. I'm glad that more and more lounges are offering better showers. It really is an important part of lounge experiences for me. While other loyalty programs (i.e. Oneworld, priority pass lounges) allow us to access other options, we continue to enjoy our visits to the American Express Centurion lounges. I did not have time to use the showers on this visit. However, in the past we have found the showers to be very well stocked, and the water heats up very quickly (which is always nice).

How have the new guest rules affected the experience at the DFW Centurion Lounge?

As we have seen at other lounges, the removal of complimentary access for guests has greatly reduced the number of guests in the Centurion lounges. As very few Amex Platinum cardmembers and people pay to bring immediate family with them into the Centurion Lounges, we believe this experience will probably hold moving forward. While Centurion Card holders will continue to get complimentary access for their guest, there are not enough Centurion cardmembers to impact how the centurion lounges are. We think that further limitations in lounge access will only be a positive change for the airline industry as a whole.

Conclusion

Even in a scaled back capacity because of the ice-storm in Dallas, the Amex Centurion Lounge at is excellent. It's a great lounge with great food options. The available amenities at this particular Centurion lounge are a good reminded of how valuable the benefits can be from your Amex Platinum card. Whether you're flying Delta or flying American Airlines. the lounge is very easy to reach and enjoy.

Epilogue

With the Centurion Lounge open, despite the bad weather in Dallas, I had a great experience. I found it amazing that there were still able to provide such quality service, with so little available at the time. Did I miss having drink service? Yes. Did I miss out on some free food? Maybe. As I left the room, my gate wasn’t anywhere near where the lounge is located, so I departed only to find more flight delays. Thankfully, my flight was only delayed and not canceled outright. Trying to fly into Palm Springs after major flight cancellations plus a youth cheer competition left zero availability for rebooking.

More Information...

Is everything free in the Centurion Lounge? Do you tip at the Centurion lounge?

Cardholders with access to the lounge will have free food, beverage, and spa service while in the lounge. That being said, it is customary in the United States to tip bartenders for your drinks. Likewise, we believe it is good manners to tip for the spa services, and leave a tip for housekeeping if you use the showers.

Can I reach the lounge from any DFW terminal?

Yes, you can use the train to reach the D terminal. Using the Skylink Train at DFW airport is easy. The station is located right in front of the lounge and can be accessed from any other terminal with ease. Passengers should exit their originating terminal, then take the train down to Terminal D. From there, it's a short walk to the lounge. The entire train ride only takes about 10 minutes, and it is completely free for all passengers traveling through DFW airport. Passengers can view their flight information on the display screens in each of the cars, making it convenient to stay up to date with their flight status. For those wondering how to get from DFW to the lounge, the Skylink Train is an easy and convenient way to do so.