Centurion Lounge Mexico City: Terminal 1 vs Terminal 2
Christian··5 min read
In my overview of the Centurion Lounges, Mexico City has been in first place for months. This article is the reason why, with photos from both lounges: the small one in Terminal 1 (November 2024) and the large one in Terminal 2 (April 2026).
In short: the Centurion Lounges at Mexico City airport (MEX) are not better airport lounges. They are restaurants with a bar that happen to be located past security. If you only know the Centurion Lounges in the US, you have the wrong picture of what Amex means by the name.
Terminal 1: small, its own door, easy to miss
Both areas are called The Centurion Lounge, and both are open to Platinum and Centurion cardholders. The difference: Centurion cardholders have their own separate section with its own entrance. No door says so, and on my first visit it took a while before I understood that: I sat in the crowded Platinum section with its basic buffet while the Centurion area next door was almost empty.
The entrance is unobtrusive: a pale glass wall with the lettering, behind it two blue doors and a living plant wall. Once you have found it, the hardest part is done.
The lounge behind it is small: marble tables, grey armchairs, a bar. The food comes from a kitchen: mole, a board with jamón, bread and tostadas, guacamole. The margarita with a chili-salt rim is what you order in Mexico, and it was as good as in a good restaurant in the city.
Terminal 2: the two-level flagship
The Centurion Lounge in Terminal 2 is the one you know from the American reviews: two levels, a glass wine wall along the staircase, dark marble, leather chairs, several bars. It is considerably bigger than Terminal 1 and sized so that it does not tip over even at night. I was there at half past midnight before an early flight and had a window table to myself.
Two levels, a glass wine wall along the staircase, marble tables, leather chairs.
There is no buffet. There is a printed menu, a waiter, and plates that come out of a kitchen. On my table: a tuna tartare with a charred corn tostada, jamón ibérico with grated tomato and bread, a beef carpaccio under a thick layer of parmesan, and to finish a chocolate dessert with vanilla ice cream and caramel popcorn. None of it was "good for an airport". It was good.
The bar is a bar. Not a self-service counter but a bartender with a proper list, blue velvet chairs in front of it.
Platinum or Centurion: two sections, two menus
The separation goes beyond the entrance. The back of the menu in Terminal 1 states that The Centurion Lounge runs two different menus: one for Centurion cardholders and a second one for Platinum, Platinum Aeroméxico, Business Platinum and Corporate Platinum. For holders of the Platinum Card Aeroméxico, the menu states that all dishes are charged, with prices in Mexican pesos printed next to them (desserts roughly 90 to 130 pesos). Drinks are complimentary for all of the cards listed.
The note on the menu. It does not say which dishes are complimentary on the Platinum menu, so: ask before you order.
In practice: if you come with Platinum, you get the general part of the lounge and the Platinum menu. The separate section with the Centurion menu is reserved for Centurion cardholders. If you hold the Centurion Card and are sitting in the crowded part, you are in the wrong room.
Locations, hours, access
Amex Mexico lists the Centurion Lounges at Mexico City airport as follows: Terminal 2 daily 5:00 am to 11:00 pm, Terminal 1 international departures daily 5:00 am to 10:00 pm. The Terminal 1 domestic location, Sala B, is currently listed as closed. There are also two locations in Monterrey.
Access: The Centurion Card, The Platinum Card, The Platinum Card Aeroméxico, Business Platinum and Corporate Platinum. Centurion cardholders additionally get the separate section with its own entrance. You need the card, an ID and a boarding pass for a same-day departure.
Guests: Centurion cardholders bring up to two adults free of charge, spouse and minor children without limit. Platinum: up to two adults, accompanied children free. Platinum Aeroméxico: one adult. Each additional guest costs 70 US dollars per visit.
Verdict
Which terminal you get is decided by your flight, not your card. Terminal 2 is the bigger, quieter lounge with the better kitchen; Terminal 1 is the smaller one with its own door that you first have to find. Both sit far above what Amex runs under the same name in the US.
The gap between Mexico City and the Centurion Lounge at JFK is bigger than the gap between JFK and a good Priority Pass lounge. If you fly through Mexico City and have access, plan a longer stay at the airport on purpose. Two hours are enough to eat, have a cocktail and get some work done in peace.
And if you are a Centurion cardholder sitting in the general section in Terminal 1 thinking that was it: it is the wrong room. The right one is behind the blue doors.