Over the last few months, I’ve been fortunate to transit through airports with an AMEX Centurion Lounge. Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina, happened to be another one of those airports. Centurion Lounge access is complimentary for those holding an American Express Platinum card during our visit. At the time of our visit, cardholders were also allowed to bring in one guest (and children under 16), so my wife was able to benefit. As of 2023, AMEX Platinum cardholders must spend $75k annually on the card for complimentary guest access.
This lounge is in Terminal C, past immigration/customs and security. Take the elevator or stairs to the second floor right past gate 15, and you will find the lounge entrance.
Upon entering the lounge, the front desk staff will ask for your AMEX Platinum card and boarding pass. Once they have scanned both, you’re good to go.
The food options were sweet croissants, wheat and white bread, cheese, pastrami sandwiches, and banana nut muffins with powdered sugar. It was not quite the selection I’ve seen at other Centurion Lounges, but certainly better than many non-Centurion Lounges I’ve visited. Fresh orange juice and apple juice were also available.
The beverage cooler was fully stocked with soft drinks and adult beverages.
Common area
This lounge had plenty of seating and did not suffer from being overcrowded when I was there. Perhaps traveling on a Sunday, which also happened to be New Year’s Eve, had a lot to do with that.
The dining area of the lounge
One thing I noticed and appreciated about this lounge was the attentiveness of the staff. They would check on tables every 2-3 minutes to make sure any dishes, soda bottles, and cans were removed.
Plenty of empty seats in the common area. Big time plus
The lounge was equipped with Apple iMacs. It might be the first lounge I’ve seen featuring Apple, and as a long-time Apple guy, I appreciated this.
They also had a room for the kids. Centurion Lounge is doing a great job making its lounges kid-friendly. I didn’t want to take pics while the kids were there (that would be creepy), so I waited until it emptied out. During my two hours there, it was undoubtedly being utilized for most of that time.
Great job by AMEX for remembering the population that may become future AMEX Platinum cardholders.
Wi-Fi connectivity could have been better.
Overall, I’d give this lounge a 4.5/5. It could use a slightly enhanced food selection and faster connectivity, but it scored well on everything else: Plenty of seats, spacious Apple iMacs, and a playroom for children. The staff was very friendly and worked hard to keep the lounge clutter-free. If you’re an AMEX Platinum card holder flying out of Buenos Aires (EZE), visit this lounge.
While I was checking in for a recent flight from Lisbon to NYC via Amsterdam, KLM offered me a very good offer to upgrade to business class during the Lisbon to Amsterdam leg of the trip: 99 euros per person on the four-hour flight with business class lounge privileges in both Lisbon and Amsterdam. I jumped on this offer since this meant several hours of comfort in the air and on the ground. The KLM business class experience during our four-hour flight was fantastic, and I’ll share that in a separate post. We had access to KLM’s Crown Lounge, its flagship lounge, when we landed in Amsterdam. KLM has two of these lounges, and the one we visited is called Lounge 52, near the F gates and after passport control. If you just follow the sign for Airline Lounge 52, it will lead you there.
Just follow this sign, leading you to the KLM Crown Lounge.
If you have a flight to the U.S. or Canada, this is the one you want to go to, as you won’t have to worry about dealing with long lines to get through passport control. Even though my wife and I only had a business class ticket for the first leg of my flight and I was going to fly economy on the Amsterdam to NYC, it was sufficient to get into the lounge as KLM only requires one of the legs in business class to grant access. This lounge is not a Priority Pass lounge. It’s open to all passengers flying business class on KLM, its SkyTeam partners, or anyone flying KLM or its SkyTeam partners with status (FlyingBlue Platinum or Gold, Delta elites, etc). Once we entered, the receptionist at the desk scanned our boarding passes, and we were ready to go.
Entrance
This lounge was the largest airport lounge I had ever visited in Europe. It was easily 3-4 times larger than some of the larger ones I had been to in the U.S. Despite its size, this lounge was probably at 85% capacity when we entered. It’s a split-level lounge with a ramp to the second level.
Seating Areas
This lounge had something for everyone in terms of seating. They had areas with a variety of different lighting and seating configurations.
I was a big fan of these red lounge chairs. Nice touch by KLM
The seating area above near the windows was undergoing renovation but this area felt more like a cafe area with a ton of natural light.
If you want to get a plate full of food and don’t want to traverse through the crowd, this is the best option for seating. It’s right near the buffet.
If you have work to get done and need to spread out, they have a perfect area for that as well.
Breakfast
Since we got to the lounge toward the latter half of breakfast and into lunch, we got to see a wide variety of items they had at the buffet.
There was a variety of breads, rolls, muffins, and pastries. I had the croissant and the raisin bread, and both were excellent. The pancakes were good, and the eggs were okay. Overall, the breakfast was very good, and they did a great job replenishing items that were running low.
Lunch
Their lunch buffet had a wide variety of options and something for everyone.
Pasta with tomato cream sauceAged cheese sandwichesVeggies with feta and hummusCole slaw with baked potatoes. Pardon the terrible picture quality for this one. Had to rush it because of the growing line behind me.
The lunch was excellent, and since we got to it while it was hot and fresh, I’m sure that made a big difference. The pasta with the tomato cream sauce was delicious. The hummus was top-notch, and even their aged cheese sandwich, as simple as it may sound, was very good. There were many other options, but these are the items I was able to get to discretely without embarrassing myself (lol). KLM Crown Lounge did a great job with its food offerings.
This is one of the two self-serve bar areas in the lounge
The bar area was expansive, and they had fountain drinks available in addition to adult beverages. They also had an espresso machine with plenty of options to suit your taste. I had the cappuccino twice.
Other Amenities
This lounge is equipped with showers, but you have to go to the help desk and reserve a shower room in advance. This lounge also has a designated smoking room and was definitely the quietest room in the lounge. There were plenty of European plug outlets but no USB ports, so be sure to have an adapter if you’re traveling from the U.S. or Canada. Unlike the two premium lounges I visited, this one did not have private bedrooms. If you need to sleep, you can lie on the cushioned booth-style seating near the bar. I’m not sure if it’s frowned upon, but I did see several travelers catching a snooze this way.
KLM help desk
I tested the Wi-Fi speed at this lounge, and it was far better than I expected. This is great for business travelers and anyone who wants to stream video.
Overall, this was a fantastic lounge with a lot of square footage and plenty of options for food. It can get crowded during the morning hours between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m., but due to its enormous size, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a seat. If you’re traveling through Amsterdam on a business class ticket or have access via elite status and have some time to spare, check out the KLM Crown Lounge.
Miles for places 