American Express has unveiled a fresh round of Centurion Lounge projects, and the numbers show how seriously it is taking the competition from Chase and Capital One. Four lounges are affected: two brand-new locations and two major rebuilds.

The headline project is Newark. What began in 2021 as an 18,000-square-foot lounge in Terminal A has grown into a two-floor space of more than 30,000 square feet — the largest in the Centurion network and over two-thirds bigger than first planned. It will feature a Blue Roast coffee bar (already a hit at Salt Lake City, Seattle and JFK), three bars including one inspired by New Jersey diner culture, and a Terrace Bar serving gelato, Italian pastries and cocktails. The catch: opening has slipped from 2026 to 2027.

In London, Amex has announced a second Heathrow lounge, this one in Terminal 5 with more than 9,000 square feet, due in 2028. That matters because Terminal 5 handles most British Airways flights plus Iberia, while the existing Terminal 3 lounge serves a different mix of oneworld and SkyTeam carriers. For Platinum cardholders flying economy without status or a business class ticket, it adds a genuinely useful option — though 9,000 square feet may struggle with demand.

Philadelphia travellers face the painful part of the plan. The lounge closes on October 16 and will not reopen until the end of 2027. The renovation roughly doubles its size by taking over the vacated British Airways lounge space and adds a Blue Roast coffee bar. Given crowding there, the expansion is welcome — but it will still be smaller than the 20,000-square-foot Chase Sapphire Lounge at the same airport.

Houston is getting a near-tripling of its space: about 23,000 square feet at an estimated $35 million, with completion expected July 2028. Beyond a Blue Roast bar and a second full-service bar, the lounge will add a separate dining area serving rotating plated dishes alongside the buffet — a format shift that directly answers complaints about Centurion food quality.

That is the broader story here. Centurion lounges pioneered the premium card lounge concept a decade ago, but rivals have caught up and often overtaken them on food and comfort, while Amex's own Platinum card growth has packed the existing spaces. Spas have closed, access rules tightened, and buffets have been scaled back. These four projects — more square footage, better coffee, plated dining — are Amex's clearest sign yet that it is responding.

For anyone holding a Platinum card and flying through Newark, Heathrow, Philadelphia or Houston, the next couple of years will change where (and whether) you can rest between flights. If you are connecting through Philadelphia after mid-October, plan for a lounge-free wait until 2028.