Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is located 3 miles east of downtown Phoenix in Maricopa County, Arizona. While there are currently no Priority Pass lounges here, if you have a Platinum or the Business Platinum Card® from American Express you can access the Centurion Lounge and the Escape Lounge free of charge with up to two guests.
Once you arrive at Phoenix, we have reviewed the best hotel executive club lounges in Phoenix.
Free Airport Lounge Access
If you have not paid for Business Class or First Class, you can still access lounges at this airport for a fee or for free if you have a Priority Pass. Get an unlimited Priority Pass with the Amex Platinum card, or you can also access most Priority Pass lounges for free using the free American Express Gold with its two free Lounge Club passes. To get extra referral points and advice on these free-lounge-access cards and more, have a read of our best credit cards for luxury travel.
Of course, there is currently no benefit from holding a Priority Pass if you need lounge access at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, so we have instead reviewed the two lounges that you get access to if you have a Platinum or the Business Platinum Card® from American Express, even if you’re flying in coach.
1. The Centurion® Lounge, Terminal 4
The Centurion Lounge and Escape Lounge are both accessible to Amex premium cardmembers. Both are great airport lounges. Both are also located next door to each other and even share the same entrance across from Gate B22 on the upper level. Bear in mind that there are no airside connections between the terminals at Phoenix airport, so you will probably only want to use these lounges if you are flying from Terminal 4.
You can access this Centurion Lounge for free if you have premium American Express cards, such as The Platinum or the Business Platinum Card® from American Express. Holders of these cards can access Centurion Lounges free of charge with up to two guests.
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card cardholders also get free access to the Centurion Lounge when flying Delta on a ticket purchased on any American Express card issued in the U.S. You can also bring in up to two guests for a fee of $50 USD each (Ouch!). Obviously, Delta flies from Terminal 3, so it would seem quite mad to travel to a different terminal to use this lounge when there’s a new, excellent, and so much more convenient Sky Club at PHX in Terminal 3.
At the entrance of this lounge is a plant-covered wall that you get at the entrance to many other Amex Centurion lounges. The look is greys and blues with a glass wall with a view to one end. There are lots of interesting light installations and ceiling paraphernalia which makes this lounge feel very classy. There are sofas, high stools, cafe-style seating, and more, and there’s a stylish bar at one end.
This lounge shares one shower suite with the Escape Lounge, which is nice, but there can be a wait to use it as there is only one.
The food is almost identical to the Escape Lounge next door and reviewed below, but the bar drinks are slightly different, with different cocktails served up by the bartender.
Breakfast includes a wide range of items, including oatmeal with cinnamon, reasons, brown sugar. Eggs & chorizo. Buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup. Papas del dia. muesli, assorted dry cereal, pastries, Greek yogurt & granola.
After breakfast, a buffet is served with hot and cold items including cheese and meat charcuterie, bread, tortilla soup, paella rice, mixed grains, cortada salad, roasted cauliflower, el chino, sauteed brocollini, bistec al carbon (flat iron steak), roasted spaghetti and pollo asada.
There are also cookies, cake, and brownies. All the food is beautifully presented and a step above airline food in most airline lounges around the world. This food is chef-prepared, and it shows.
This is a great lounge that gets loads of sunshine and has great views. It is definitely one of the best airport lounges at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
2. Escape Lounge Also The British Airways Lounge, Terminal 4
The Centurion Lounge and Escape Lounge are both accessible to Amex premium cardmembers. Both are great airport lounges. Both are located next door to each other and even share the same entrance across from Gate B22 on the upper level. Bear in mind that there are no airside connections between the terminals at Phoenix airport, so you will probably only want to use these lounges if you are flying from Terminal 4.
Escape Lounges in the U.S. are part of the American Express Global Lounge Collection, so if you have premium American Express cards, such as The Platinum or the Business Platinum Card® from American Express, you can access Escape Lounges free of charge with up to two guests.
This Escape lounge also accepts British Airways premium passengers flying, but it is not a Priority Pass lounge. It is a small lounge but is perfectly formed and offers great food.
The look of this lounge is youthful and funky with brightly colored screens, shelves, seating and lights, and a slightly Ikea feel, but in a good way. The combination of reds and yellows, and oranges may sound lurid, but these colors are framed by more demure colors, and the overall feel is classy and uplifting.
The Escape Lounge is smaller than the Centurion Lounge next door and is designed with a living room feel, although there’s also a bar and a cafeteria area too. This lounge shares a shower suite with the Centurion, which is nice, but there can be a wait to use it as there is only one.
This lounge shares a kitchen with the Centurion, so the food is similarly good, with identical offerings at breakfast and immediately after.
There are also cookies, cake, and brownies. All the food is beautifully presented and a step above airline food in most airline lounges. This food is chef-prepared, and it shows.
The spirit selection is chosen by Sarah McElroy, head mixologist of the Escape Lounge network, and there are 5 different cocktails on offer. Best of all, to one side, there are big windows letting in loads of natural light and wonderful views as the sun goes down.
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