The American Express Centurion Lounge at Sydney Airport (SYD) – Location, Hours, Amenities, and More

Spending time in airport lounges before a flight is something I probably enjoy more than most.

Before every flight, I check the various options I might have access to at my departure airport, whether that be through a premium ticket, an airline alliance elite status, my Priority Pass, or, saving possibly the best ’til last, my U.K. version of The Platinum Card^® from American Express and the access it affords me into Centurion Lounges around the world.

Sydney and Melbourne’s domestic and international terminals are completely separate with their respective Centurion Lounges located in the international terminals.

After several domestic flights around Australia without Centurion Lounge access, I finally got to visit the Sydney location before heading to New Zealand for a long weekend.

Will it live up to my experience in previous Centurion Lounges, like one of my favorites at London Heathrow Terminal 3? Read on to find out.

What Are Centurion Lounges?

Many travelers are familiar with the American Express Centurion Lounge concept in the U.S., however, Amex also operates several international Centurion Lounges.

There are currently Centurion Lounges in Argentina, Australia (Sydney and Melbourne), Hong Kong, India, London, and Mexico. The standard offerings are fairly similar to provide a consistent experience across the board, similar to the U.S. counterparts.

Location

This lounge is located in Terminal 1 of Sydney International Airport. You’ll find it near gates 50 to 63.

It’s quite some distance from the security checkpoint and is down on the basement level near most of the terminal’s other airline and non-airline lounges.

As soon as you get to the bottom of the escalators or elevator, you’ll see the recognizable facade of the lounge at the far end of the basement area.

Remember, the lounge can be a decent walk from some of the farther gates, so you will want to remember this when you visit. If you’ve got a departure at the other end of the terminal, leave early.

Gaining Entry

You must have either The Platinum Card^® from American Express (enrollment required), The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express (enrollment required), Centurion^® Card from American Express, Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card (when you book your Delta flight with your Delta Reserve card), or Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card (when you book your Delta flight with your Delta Reserve Business card) to enter the lounge.

If you’re from Australia, you must hold one of these Australian cards to access the Centurion Lounge.

Unlike lounges in the U.S. where you can’t arrive at the lounge more than 3 hours before departure, there are no timed entry requirements in Sydney.

Likewise, you can also use the lounge upon arrival, though at Sydney Airport the lounge is located in the international terminal where this may not logistically be feasible. In addition, if you’re connecting, you’re free to use the lounge as well and you won’t have to prove a connecting itinerary like in the U.S.

Lounge Guest Policy

• Amex Platinum card and Amex Business Platinum card members may enter with up to 2 complimentary guests if they have spent $75,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year. Otherwise, a guest day pass can be purchased for $50 per adult or $30 per child between the ages of 2 and 17.
• Centurion cardmembers may enter with up to 2 guests or immediate family (spouse or domestic partner and children under 18) at no additional charge.
• Delta Reserve cardholders may bring up to 2 guests at a per-visit rate of $50 per person, per location.
• Amex Platinum card, Amex Business Platinum card, and Centurion card members may purchase a day pass for any additional guests for $50.

Hours of Operation

The lounge is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., 7 days a week. These operating hours should cover most flight departure times, save for the occasional departure past 10 p.m.

Checking In

As I entered the lounge, I was greeted with the signature American Express green wall filled with live plants. These green walls are a feature of all of American Express’ lounges worldwide, so you can easily identify them.

A member of the front desk team asked me for my boarding pass, identification, and eligible American Express card prior to entry.

Seating

There was plenty of seating inside, though no day beds or other longer-stay areas. The lounge is essentially 1 long rectangle with several seating nooks throughout. At most seats, like at these booths in the dining area, there were power outlets nearby.

As you walk farther into the lounge, you’ll find longer tables for communal eating or working, all adorned with power outlets, too. These long tables are great for groups and are positioned in front of several large television screens running American Express ads.

There were also several nooks where you could sit with colleagues and have a quiet place to talk, but these were not entirely private as they were open to the rest of the lounge.

At the far end of the lounge, you’ll find the more relaxed seating area perfect for reading a book, having a glass of wine or 2, and spotting passing aircraft out the window.

Amenities

Inside the lounge, I found several amenities:

• Shower suites featuring L’Occitane en Provence products
• Complimentary food and beverages featuring a variety of vegetarian, vegan, and wellness options, an exclusive dining area, and live cooking stations
• Full-service bar including a selection of cocktails and a wide selection of craft and international tap beers
• High-speed Wi-Fi, charging stations, and quiet resting areas
• Flight information screens, and a selection of local and international magazines and newspapers

Restrooms

To the right of the bar were the large and spacious restrooms, and 3 shower suites equipped with L’Occitane en Provence amenities.

You are supposed to be able to reserve a shower suite at the front desk, but the showers were closed during my February 2023 visit.

The restrooms were clean and bright.

L’Occitane hand soap was featured in the restrooms.

Wi-Fi and Entertainment

The lounge featured complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the space. There were a number of charging ports and stations scattered throughout the lounge. To log onto the Wi-Fi, you simply need the password which was displayed in various locations around the lounge.

I didn’t connect to the Wi-Fi as I was just breezing through, but as per most reports we’ve seen, the lounge Wi-Fi is super fast.

This would be ideal if you’re catching up on emails before your flight or need to download 1 more episode of your favorite TV show to watch onboard.

On the large wall to the right in the lounge, there’s a large screen TV that cycles the various news networks.

Bottom Line: The Centurion Lounge at Sydney Airport has blazing-fast Wi-Fi so you can work or play without being slowed down.

Flight Information

Inside the lounge were several flight departure boards showing the departures of all flights within the terminal. These also display the estimated walk times to gates so you can be sure to leave plenty of time before your flight to get to your gate.

If you aren’t sure about where your flight is, the staff at the front desk can point you in the right direction, though they can’t assist with rebooking or any ticketing options, as those need to be done directly with the airlines.

The View

The Centurion Lounge at Sydney Airport featured below-average views of the tarmac and runways.

There’s only 1 small row of windows at the far end of the lounge. The windows are internal and are separated from the exterior windows by a departure gate seating area, meaning views are disrupted by other passengers.

Directly in front of the windows was a very active jetbridge which provided a great view of aircraft being readied to depart.

Because of the lounge’s location and the aircraft at the gate, views over the rest of the apron and runways were pretty nonexistent.

That said, I’ll take these views over those not provided by the completely windowless Centurion Lounge at Heathrow.

Food and Beverages

I was a little underwhelmed by the options available to eat and drink.

I can only assume that the dishes by Khanh Ong (the lounge’s chef partner) that are said to be available from early 2023 hadn’t made their way into the lounge by my visit.

The lounge featured an open-air kitchen design which you’ll find on your left after entering the lounge.

The buffet line was just in front of the kitchen workstations.

Let’s review the options that were available to me during my visit in February 2023.

A salad and dessert buffet included:

• Assortment of mini cake bites
• Cheese and cold cuts
• Chickpea salad
• Mixed vegetable wraps
• Pesto pasta salad

Hot options included:

• Chili con carne
• Rice
• An Asian noodle dish
• Fried chicken
• Carbonara

Next were Asian noodles and fried chicken.

Another hot option was a very creamy-looking carbonara.

I don’t eat beef, I try to avoid fried foods, and that carbonara looked more like a vat of cream … needless to say, none of the options were particularly appetizing to me.

According to Amex, a typical breakfast menu contains:

Despite hearing of a menu being available to order from, I didn’t see this as an option during my visit.

Here are a few other food options that you might come across during your visit:

All food is complimentary, so you can help yourself to as much as you like, whenever you like. It’s all self-serve, too, so you don’t need to order from a menu and wait for your food to arrive.

This lounge can be great for those who may be short on time prior to their flight.

Bar and Barista

At the very back of the lounge, you’ll find the bar and barista service, staffed by a bartender. You can order whatever drinks you like, which are all included with your access.

The lounge featured pretty much every standard spirit and mixer, so there’s no doubt you can make the perfect drink. Various Australian and New Zealand wines were available on tap and by bottle pour. Plenty of Australian beers were on offer via tap as well.

Among the unique offerings were:

Instead of Champagne, you’ll find Australian Fleur de Lys.

All drinks in the lounge are complimentary and are included with your entry, so you don’t have to worry about paying a separate bar tab, though tips are appreciated.

Final Thoughts

The Centurion Lounge at Sydney Airport opened in October 2019 and is definitely an improvement over the older, smaller lounge.

However, even with its new-ish look and larger space, I much preferred my time in the Air New Zealand lounge that I visited after the Centurion Lounge.

Compared with other Centurion Lounges I’ve visited, Sydney’s version would be among my least favorite, I have to say.

If you are flying through Sydney Airport and you are eligible to visit, then it’s still worth popping in.

But if you’re flying in premium cabins or have an airline status, then you might be better off spending your time in the lounges of Air New Zealand, Emirates, or Singapore Airlines.