American Express

Travel Tidbits

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Here are some of the travel tidbits we’ve gathered so far this week.

Delta extends middle seat block

Most other airlines have stopped blocking the middle seats. But Delta Air Lines says it is extending its policy of blocking middle seats on all flights through April 30, 2021. Perhaps others will do the same.

“We want our customers to have complete confidence when traveling with Delta, and they continue to tell us that more space provides more peace of mind,” said Bill Lentsch, Chief Customer Experience Officer, in a statement. He added that the airline will “continue to reassess seat blocking in relation to case transmission and vaccination rates.”

SkySquad partners with At Your Gate

As Valentine’s Day approaches, here’s a nice match-up of airport services.

SkySquad, a service that provides airport assistance services from the curbside to the plane door, and from the gate to the curb, is partnering with airport food delivery company At Your Gate.

SkySquad’s customers include families with young children, seniors,
pet owners, and anyone who needs a helping hand through the airport.

The company currently operates at Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA), Dulles International Airport (IAD), and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). The partnership with At Your Gate extends the SkySquad services to JFK, Newark, Boston, and Philadelphia airports. At those airports At Your Gate staff will step in to escort SkysSquad customers through the terminals.

Bonus United Miles for donations during Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, United Airlines, Chase and Visa are giving bonus miles for donations made to select non-profits that provide educational opportunities to Black students and which support human and civil rights policies.

Now through March 15, 2020, United Explorer and United Club cardmembers will receive five miles for every dollar up to $1,000 donated to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, The Leadership Conference Education Fund, The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and The United Negro College Fund. More details here.

New Centurion Lounge at Denver Int’l Airport

American Express has opened its 14th Centurion Lounge. This one is at Denver International Airport (DEN) on the Concourse C Mezzanine, near Gate C46.

The new lounge is 14,000-square-feet (the second-largest Centurion Lounge location to-date) and has some enticing amenities, including Italian-inspired cuisine, a live-action cooking station, a Craft Beer Bar with seasonal selections from Colorado breweries. The lounge also includes a new feature: a game room with pool and shuffleboard tables, and other activities.


New: JetBlue’s outdoor lounge at JFK T5 – with dog walk

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A good week for fans of airport lounges.

Seatac_Lounge

Courtesy American Express

On Tuesday, June 30, American Express opened The Centurion Studio at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the sixth lounge the company has opened in airports across the country. (The others are in Miami, Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York’s Laguardia and Dallas/Fort Worth International).

You must have certain credit cards to gain entry to SEA’s Centurion Studio and the other lounges in the American Express system, but all screened passengers will be welcome at the outdoor lounge JetBue is opening today up on the roof of Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Called, appropriately enough, T5 Rooftop, the space is designed by Gensler and is open to all passengers who have cleared security. Promised: views of Manhattan and the adjacent TWA Terminal – and the first airside, post-security, rooftop dog walk.

I’ll be venturing out there as soon as it opens today – but in the meantime, here are some snaps shared in advance by JetBlue.

1_JetBlue © Paul Rivera

© Paul Rivera,

3_JetBlue © Paul Rivera

© Paul Rivera

Centurion Studio lounge opens at SEA

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Photo: Harriet Baskas

Photo: Harriet Baskas

American Express opens its newest Centurion lounge today at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Seatac_Lounge

Photos courtesy American Express

Called The Centurion Studio because its smaller (“cozier” in real-estate parlance) than Centurion lounges already operating in LAS, SFO, DFW, LGA, and MIA, this lounge is on Concourse B (by Gate B3) and includes a great view of the airfield and beyond as well as comfortable seating, charging stations, free high-speed Wi-Fi, and a menu of locally-sourced food and beverage items from places such as Macrina Bakery, Theo chocolate, Jones Soda,the Georgetown Brewing Company and Caffe Vita.

centurion wall (2)

Photo: Harriet Baskas 

SEA’s Centurion Studio will be open daily from 5a.m – 10 p.m. and, because of its size, will not be accessible on a one day pass. Instead, access is complimentary and limited only to Platinum Card and Centurion Members, and their immediate family (spouse or domestic partner and children under 18 years of age) or one travel companion. (More details here.)

Photo - Harriet Baskas View out the window at the Centurion Studio

Photo – Harriet Baskas
View out the window at the Centurion Studio

 

“We are delighted to have American Express bring this new airport lounge concept to Sea-Tac”, said Mark Reis, Managing Director of Sea-Tac Airport. “With this opening, there are now seven lounges across the airport to serve and accommodate our airport’s growing passenger levels.”

Those other lounges include The Club – two all-access spaces on Concourse A and in the South Satellite – that you can get into on a day pass for $35.