The Platinum Card is about to change. Amex's new fast-format airport lounge might be a sneak preview

Fast Company

3 days ago

If you've ever sprinted through an airport only to land in a standing-room-only lounge buffet line, you know that the state of modern travel perks is competitive. As credit card companies and airlines rush to expand their lounge footprints, American Express is looking to double down on what it believes sets it apart: consistency, exclusivity, and culinary experience.
This summer, Amex is rolling out two major updates that signal how it plans to maintain its lead in the fast-growing airport lounge landscape.
The first is 'The Culinary Collective,' a chef-driven revamp of food and beverage offerings at Centurion Lounges nationwide. The second is 'Sidecar by The Centurion Lounge,' a brand-new, fast-format lounge experience that's set to launch at Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport in 2026.
Together, these updates offer a glimpse at Amex's evolving strategy: appealing to both high-end leisure travelers and time-crunched business flyers, all while keeping its signature level of luxury intact.
A new flavor of exclusivity
Rather than chasing square footage like Delta Air Lines— whose newest Sky Club in Atlanta can seat over 500 guests—Amex is banking on curated experience over capacity. That's where The Culinary Collective comes in. Featuring rotating menus from a team of James Beard Award-winning chefs, including Mashama Bailey and Kwame Onwuachi, the initiative aims to bring restaurant-level meals into the airport setting.
'You'd be lucky to get into each of their restaurants on a normal day,' Audrey Hendley, president of American Express Travel, tells Fast Company. 'Now, you can try them all in one trip.'
Through the Collective, new menu items will be available in all 15 U.S. Centurion Lounges beginning July 29, 2025.
The focus on thoughtful dining mirrors Capital One's approach, which leans into local partnerships with regional bakeries and breweries to create an experience that feels like stepping into a city's best café, not another airline lounge.
Amex, in turn, is opting for hospitality as theater: chef-driven menus, cocktails developed by Overstory's Harrison Ginsberg, and lounge layouts designed to feel more like boutique hotels than waiting rooms.
Introducing Sidecar: A lounge for the layover-challenged
But what if you only have 45 minutes until boarding?
Enter Sidecar, a new lounge format designed to give travelers a premium experience even if they're short on time. Set to launch in 2026, the space will offer table-side service, curated small plates, and a speakeasy vibe—all within close proximity to the main Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas.
Think of it as Amex's answer to the crowding crisis that's plagued lounge operators in recent years. Rather than just add square footage like Delta or increase access fees like United, Sidecar is an attempt to diversify the experience based on how travelers actually use lounges.
'We're seeing a significant segment of travelers who only spend 30 to 45 minutes in the lounge,' said Hendley. 'Sidecar is our way of honoring that time with the same level of care and service.'
That echoes Capital One's design philosophy for its growing lounge network, which includes grab-and-go options, regionally inspired food, and 'perfect' airport beers crafted in collaboration with local breweries. As Capital One's Jenn Scheurich put it: 'It doesn't really matter whether you have 15 minutes or an hour—you still want a great lounge experience.'
Travel benefits for the TikTok generation
The updates come as American Express embarks on its largest Platinum Card refresh in company history, with new perks targeting millennial and Gen Z cardholders, who now make up 35% of the company's U.S. consumer spending.
With over 1,550 lounges worldwide—including 29 Centurion Lounges and new ones coming to Salt Lake City, Newark, Tokyo, and Amsterdam—Amex already boasts the largest global lounge network of any U.S. card issuer. But in a post-pandemic travel boom where lounge access is no longer a rarity but a battleground, the pressure to keep experiences differentiated is high.
While Delta is betting big on footprint and familiarity, leaning into hometown-inspired art and hospitality in its new Atlanta Sky Club, Amex is betting that its brand of curated luxury still wins loyalty—even if that means skipping the buffet for a quick cocktail before boarding.
More than perks: a play for emotional loyalty
For American Express, lounges like the new Centurion Sidecar in Las Vegas aren't just about creature comforts—they're part of a broader strategy to build what the company sees as lasting, emotional loyalty. Yes, the lounge has yuzu cocktails and espresso crème brûlée. But it also has something harder to measure: the feeling of being taken care of when everything else about air travel is chaos.
'We're always looking for ways to better understand how customers travel and what they're looking for in the experience,' says Hendley. 'There's nothing better than settling in at a Centurion Lounge and starting your trip with a great meal and a great drink. Whether you're going on vacation or traveling for work, we want to make that moment count.'
For now, Amex is staying tight-lipped about the specifics of its Platinum Card refresh. What it has made clear is that the refresh is aimed squarely at younger travelers.
'They're not just looking for benefits—they're looking for a brand that gets them,' Hendley said. That means spaces that feel modern and intimate, perks that are easy to use, and partnerships that feel aspirational but not out of reach.
To stand apart from its rivals, American Express is banking on design, consistency, and culinary clout to keep members engaged.
And in Sidecar's case, it's also about speed. 'Many of our visitors spend less than an hour in our lounges, and we've created Sidecar specifically for them,' Hendley said. 'You still want a great lounge experience—just in a shorter window.'
Ultimately, the lounge is the hook—but the goal is bigger. Amex wants card members to feel like wherever they're going, the brand is already there, holding the door open and mixing the drink.