While I consider the American Express Centurion Lounges to have some of the best lounges in the country, there is a disturbing report out of Atlanta that the lounge at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) has failed its health inspection.
While it is shocking enough that the lounge has failed its health inspection, according to WSB-TV in Atlanta, this isn’t the first time the lounge has had issues. Its most recent inspection occured on December 10th when it recorded a score of 69/100. Violations uncovered during the inspection included uncovered food, build-up in the ice machine, and flies near the bar.
In two prior inspections, the lounge scored a 71/100 on both occasions, meaning it is trending in the wrong direction. While I’ve visited some bad lounges over the years, I am absolutely stunned to see these scores from the Centurion Lounge in Atlanta.
American Express and Delta have had a productive, long-standing partnership and Atlanta is the carriers largest hub, and busiest airport in the world. The Centurion Lounge opened earlier this year to great fanfare
After the results of the three previous health inspections, the health department is demanding a meeting with those responsible for running the lounge though it is remaining open for the time being.
UPDATE (12/18/2024): A representative from American Express reached out with the following statement regarding the Atlanta Centurion Lounge:
Delivering a great experience in the Centurion Lounge is our top priority. We take these inspections seriously and have taken immediate steps to address the report. The Centurion Lounge was reinspected on December 18 and has now passed the health inspection.
I have always been a big fan of Centurion Lounges even though we have seen major crowding in recent years. I hope that the lounge management and staff can get this resolved quickly but, for now, I’d be hesitant to visit and would opt for one of the many Delta Sky Clubs at the airport instead.
Summary
The American Express Centurion Lounge at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport failed its health inspection on December 10th. This came on the heels of two near-failures at the lounge in recent months. I’d be steering clear of the lounge until the operator is able to get these issues resolved.
Good friend of mine used to be an auditor for Delta… SkyClubs (in ATL especially) failed their internal surprise audits consistently. Not only on the food stuff but OSHA practices (shouldn’t daisy chain the oatmeal vat with an extension cord to a surge protector plugged into another extension cord).
Sounds like they had the oatmeal vat set up like my Christmas lights.
Worst Centurion Lounge in their network. The Delta Skyclubs offer better food(esp in the E concourse where the CL is located) and space.
That’s disappointing to hear but based on the failed inspection I’m not surprised. I was looking forward to visiting but not so much anymore.