Mexico City Airport, Centurion Lounge American Express review.

We have explained in some articles what the Centurion Lounge by American Express and we have already reviewed some of them, starting with the largest in the world at the T4 of JFK in New York and the only one in Europe at the T3 London Heathrow.

In Mexico there are 5 Centurion. Today we review one of those present In Mexico City's Benito Juarez airport., which houses as many as 3. The other 2 are in the Monterrey airport.

Benito Juarez Airport is well known in Italy because of the Airport Security show. It is a real crossroads of people since it is a connection point for flying to the American continent, but also to Europe and Japan.

I passed through these parts during my miles run with Skyteam. So I had a chance to visit the main lounge. The one in terminal 2, the home of Aeromexico.

Before we begin, it is good to know that the rules in these Mexican lounges are slightly different from all others.

Rules of access

Access is free for all Centurion and Platinum card holders. "Black card" holders also enjoy a fast track to skip any queue and also have access to a dedicated part of the lounge.

Of course, the list of cards that allow access to these lounges is very long, but as far as we Italians are concerned they are reduced to the two platinum ones: personal and business. And, as we will see below, if you own both of them. I recommend that you use the personal.

At present, Italian cardholders still have the option of being able to bring a guest for free as well, which is no longer the case for cards made in the USA.

Location

The T2 lounge is located on the third floor of the terminal, above two other lounges the Aeromexico Premiere Lounge and the HSBC. In fact, access to Centurion is located between these two lounges. It is also possible to take the elevator and not go through the traditional stairs.

Important to note the times: Opens at 5 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m.. If the flight you have to take is in the late afternoon/evening, you will have to find alternative accommodation.

For example, if you have a Priority Pass card you can access the Aeromexico lounge.

Be prepared to queue. It is amazing how you can go from times where there are 50 people waiting, to times when the room is half empty.

For example, I passed by as soon as I landed from Madrid shortly after 5 o'clock and there was an endless queue, so I decided to pop into the nearby Aeromexico lounge, where there were few people waiting in line. When I went out two hours later to visit this lounge, there was no one waiting to get in. An hour later, when I came out, there were again 50 people stopped on the stairs.

The lounge

We might say appearances are deceiving, since when you enter you get the impression of a huge lounge. On the contrary, the spaces are cramped, even though the lounge is spread over two levels.

From the reception desk one is escorted to the table by the staff. For covid reasons you will not be allowed to move tables or change areas.

The second floor houses a room with different types of seating, near the bar are classic high tables.

Then there is a section with sofas and armchairs and a classic section with bar tables.

Taking a marble staircase leads to the second floor.

There are two separate rooms here, and in one there is a second bar and lots of other seating.

The style is different from recent lounges such as the one in New York and the one in London, although it is noticeable that it has been freshened up recently.

Services

The main floor houses a small children's area, but it was closed due to covid.

There is a spa on the upper floor, you can book a free 15-minute treatment or pay to have a service among those available. Besides, as mentioned, the dedicated room for Centurion holders.

If you want to embark with your shoes polished, the hall also offers polishing service, just sit in this chair and you will be served immediately.

Food & Beverage

Here comes the difference between these lounges and all others. Part of the menu is pay-as-you-go, in fact there are some free offerings for all and other special dishes for a fee. The same applies to cocktails and spirits.

I stopped by for breakfast and tried the Mexican-style scrambled eggs. As always, the cuisine in the Centurions is excellent. However, there is no buffet, either for drinking or eating. You order everything through the QR on the table to the wait staff.

And at the end you ask for the bill, like in a restaurant to pay for what you took from the extras. If, on the other hand, a corporate platinum card was used to gain access. you will pay for everything you have ordered, in which case no free dish.

In conclusion

You can see that it has recently been renovated and that there is, as always, a definite choice of cuisine, in this case dictated by Mexican chef Enrique Olvera, a sort of local Cracco. Of course, having to pay to eat in a lounge sounds strange, but the free offer is still able to satiate anyone before catching a flight, where they will probably eat again. Little pluses such as the free spa, kids' area, and super-stocked bar definitely make it a lounge to visit.

This is just one of many reviews you can read on our site, covid and restrictions permitting. Every Wednesday we publish a review of a lounge airport, while every Friday you can read the review of one of our flights or a hotel where we stayed.

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