We recently saw American Express launch its new Sidecar by Centurion Lounge concept at Las Vegas Airport (LAS). This is a twist on the traditional Centurion Lounge experience — it’s available to passengers with flights departing within 90 minutes, and it’s a much smaller space with more of a restaurant style vibe, with food and drinks that can be ordered via QR code.
We’ve known that Amex plans to introduce the Sidecar by Centurion Lounge concept at more airports with Centurion Lounges, and we now have a sense of which airport could be next (thanks to Joe Bruno for reporting this, and Andy Higgins for flagging this).
Amex nears approval for new lounge at Charlotte Airport
It appears that a Sidecar by Centurion Lounge is planned for Charlotte Airport (CLT). Specifically, the City of Charlotte is having a City Council Business Meeting on Monday, March 9, 2026, and the agenda has been published. On the agenda is approval of a Sidecar by Centurion Lounge.
If this gets approved (and I see no reason it wouldn’t be), there will be a new 4,641 square foot Sidecar by Centurion Lounge in the airport’s Concourse A, as part of the second phase of the expansion. Amex is agreeing to a lease of five years, which can be extended by an additional five years.
Amex will pay $200 per square foot the first year, so that comes out to just under one million dollars in annual rent, with a 2.5% increase annually.
For context, Amex already has a roughly 13,000 square foot Centurion Lounge at the airport, located between Concourse D and Concourse E.
I have to say, at over 4,600 square feet, this lounge looks like it’ll be materially bigger than the Las Vegas location. While the square footage of that lounge hasn’t been published, it has the maximum capacity to accommodate 33 guests, and is tiny.
Charlotte’s lounge situation is improving very nicely
It’s really fantastic to see all the positive developments when it comes to lounges at Charlotte Airport. Historically, it has to be one of the worst major airports in the country when it comes to the quality of lounges. However, things are starting to improve nicely.
For one, we’ve recently seen American open Provisions by Admirals Club, which offers food and drinks to Admirals Club members that they can take with them. While it’s not the most glamorous lounge, it sure is practical, given the number of short connections the airline sells at the airport.
On top of that, we know that there are plans for a Capital One Lounge Charlotte, with the new 14,000 square foot space also coming to the Concourse A expansion.
On top of that, and perhaps most exciting, there are plans for an American Flagship Lounge in Charlotte, which is oh-so-overdue.
The catch is that for the lounges that aren’t yet open, there’s not even a timeline yet for this becoming a reality, so it’s anyone’s guess with what timeline we actually see these welcome their first guests.
Bottom line
American Express wants to open a Sidecar by Centurion Lounge in Concourse A in Charlotte. This is expected to be approved by community leaders on Monday, and then we’ll see when construction actually starts on the 4,600+ square foot lounge.
This is a very exciting development, especially in the context of the overall improvements in lounges at the airport.
What do you make of plans for the Sidecar by Centurion Lounge Charlotte?
