The end of 2022 saw a flurry of airport lounge activity—from the debut of United’s new grab-and-go lounge concept, to the unveiling of American Airlines and British Airways’ trio of premium lounges at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, and everything in between.
But as busy as last year may have been, there’s much, much more in store. With credit card issuers racing to add new perks for members and airlines scrambling to improve the airport experience for their top fliers, 2023 might just be the year of the airport lounge. Here’s a closer look at some of this year’s most-anticipated openings, and why they’re worth getting to the airport early.
American Express
With its Centurion Lounges, American Express was the first credit-card issuer to boast its own lounge network—and the only one, until recently. But while the competition may be heating up, AmEx isn’t planning on ceding any ground to its rivals. After launching new Centurion Studio locations in Fort Lauderdale and Columbus and wrapping up expansions in San Francisco to close out 2022, AmEx plans to open two new Centurion locations in 2023.
Ronald Reagan National Airport
Fliers in Washington, D.C., will soon have access to a 11,500-square-foot Centurion Lounge located airside near Reagan’s Terminal B. In addition to the signature Centurion amenities, including a custom gourmet menu and shower suites, it will feature floor-to-ceiling windows with airfield views.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
At 26,000 square feet, Atlanta’s forthcoming Centurion Lounge is set to become American Express’ biggest ever when it debuts this year on Concourse E. And just what will AmEx do with all that space? The lounge will include multiple outdoor terraces and a bourbon bar, to name a couple features.
Capital One
Capital One has set out to take on AmEx with its own lounge network, and while there’s currently only one lounge in the portfolio—a Dallas outpost that opened in late 2021—more are on the way. In addition to two lounges originally scheduled for 2022 that will now open in 2023, the card issuer recently announced plans for a new lounge concept. It will team up with the award-winning José Andrés Group of restaurants to bring food-focused Capital One Landings to Reagan and New York’s LaGuardia Airport in “the not-so-distant future.”
Washington Dulles International Airport
D.C.-area fliers will get yet another treat when Capital One finally opens its Dulles lounge, which was initially slated for 2022. It will be located in the airport’s main terminal, right after TSA PreCheck.
Denver International Airport
Rounding out Capital One’s first three lounges will be an oasis in Denver, whose opening was also pushed back from 2022. Travelers can find it on the Mezzanine Level of Concourse A.
Chase
Not to be left out, Chase is also working on lounges of its own to compete with AmEx and Capital One. In late October, it opened its first—the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club at Hong Kong International Airport, a 11,948-square-foot space complete with tech-enabled food and drink ordering. While only San Diego’s lounge has a publicly known target opening date for 2023, lounges at LaGuardia and Boston Logan International Airport could also open soon, and Chase has additional plans for Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dulles, Philadelphia, and one undisclosed location.
LaGuardia Airport
Details on this forthcoming Chase lounge are still scarce, but it will be located in the airport’s Terminal B—the same terminal that houses AmEx’s Centurion Lounge.
Boston Logan International Airport
This 12,000-square-foot lounge will include a wellness area, business lounge, family room, and shower suites, and it will live between Terminals B and C.
San Diego International Airport
Chase is targeting an opening date in November for its San Diego lounge, an 11,000-square-foot project that will call Terminal 2 West home and feature locally inspired dining options.
Delta
It’s not just credit-card issuers that are upping their lounge game for 2023—Delta’s getting in on it, too. After opening four new Sky Clubs in 2022, in late November, the carrier unveiled more big plans for its network, including expansions to lounges in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Atlanta as well as a whopping five new openings.
Kansas City International Airport
Delta will open its first-ever location in Kansas City in February as part of the airport’s $1.5 billion makeover. One standout feature of the 11,000-square-foot space? Two all-weather Sky Decks.
Minneapolis−St. Paul International Airport
At 21,000 square feet, the new Concourse G lounge planned for Minneapolis-St. Paul will measure nearly twice the size of Delta’s current offering. Set to open in April, the club will include seating for 450 guests, an indoor-outdoor bar that extends to a year-round Sky Deck, and stellar runway views from the main lounge area.
John F. Kennedy International Airport
Delta is celebrating its move from JFK’s Terminal 2 to Terminal 4 with a 14,000-square-foot opening in its new home, with planned seating for more than 200 travelers. It’s not set to receive guests until June, but in the meantime, Delta will operate a Sky Club Express location in Terminal 4 from January.
Boston Logan International Airport
A new Sky Club is coming to Logan’s E Concourse, with 21,000 square feet of space ready to accommodate more than 400 guests. For now, travelers can use a temporary Delta Sky Club Express, but that will be replaced when the new lounge is ready in late summer.
Newark Liberty International Airport
Delta relocating from Newark’s Terminal B to Terminal A, and it’s taking the Terminal B Sky Club with it. The club will move to Terminal A in fall/winter 2023.
American
After debuting a first-of-its-kind Admirals Club at D.C.'s Reagan in October, American is preparing to usher in new lounges at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Denver International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport. While the timeline for those openings is unclear, what is clear is that they’ll feature the same standout design elements that the Reagan club does, including “references from local landscapes and landmarks that tell the story of each city and create a sense of place.”