Amex Centurion Lounges Now Serving Fresh Kosher Meals at JFK and LaGuardia
Big news for kosher travelers: American Express has quietly launched a pilot program offering fresh kosher meals at two of its flagship Centurion Lounges: JFK and LaGuardia. If you hold an Amex Platinum card and you’ve been resigned to stuffing your carry-on with granola bars before flights, your airport experience just got a meaningful upgrade.
How This Happened
Dan from DansDeals made the case to American Express leadership that fresh kosher food was the single biggest pain point for observant Jewish travelers. At an Amex Platinum card refresh event last September in New York City, Dan and his co-host brother JJ met with Amy Bernard, VP and General Manager for Global Lounge Experiences at American Express, and pressed the issue directly. Bernard acknowledged that the topic had been on Amex’s radar but had been “backburnered,” and recently it became a reality.
Dan also played a hands-on role in making the pilot operational: he personally connected the Amex team with Fresko, the premier fresh kosher meal provider already serving several airline and airport lounge programs across the United States. That introduction proved decisive. According to Bernard, Fresko has been a pleasure to work with, and the program is now live.
What’s on the Menu
As per Dan, the kosher offerings span multiple meal periods. For breakfast, guests can expect egg bites and French toast. For lunch and dinner, the menu includes baby chicken shawarma, grilled salmon, and baked ziti. Dessert options include lemon meringue, apple tart, and chocolate lava cake. Specific items will vary by lounge and availability, and there is no additional charge as kosher meals are included as part of the standard Centurion Lounge experience for eligible cardholders.
This is a notable step up from the pre-packaged or shelf-stable options that have historically been the ceiling for kosher travelers in airport lounges when anything was available at all.
Which Lounges and Which Cards
The pilot is currently active at:
- Centurion Lounge – JFK (John F. Kennedy International Airport)
- Centurion Lounge – LaGuardia (LGA)
Both New York-area locations serve a high volume of domestic and international travelers, making them a logical starting point for testing demand and kitchen logistics.
Centurion Lounge access is available to holders of The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. Additional Platinum cardholders who carry an annual fee can also access lounges at no extra charge. Guests are permitted at $50 per adult and $30 per child (ages 2–17). Cardholders who spend $75,000 or more on their Platinum card in a calendar year can bring two guests per visit free of charge through January 31 of the third calendar year following that spending year. For a full breakdown of whether the card’s annual fee makes sense for you, see our comprehensive Amex Platinum guide.
How This Stacks Up Against Chase Sapphire
This isn’t the first time Fresko has entered the airport lounge world and DansDeals’ advocacy fingerprints are on that story too. After Dan interviewed Sam Palmer, the General Manager of Chase Sapphire, last September, Chase subsequently added Fresko meals to its Boston, LaGuardia, and Philadelphia Sapphire Lounges. That was a landmark moment for kosher lounge access and now Amex has followed suit.
Interestingly, the Chase Sapphire Lounge at JFK does not currently serve kosher meals, while the new Amex Centurion Lounge pilot at JFK does. That makes the Centurion Lounge the clear winner at JFK for kosher travelers, at least for now. At LaGuardia, the two lounges are adjacent, and both now offer Fresko, a competitive dynamic that’s genuinely good for the kosher traveler.
A Long Time Coming
It’s worth noting that Amex has dabbled in kosher lounge offerings before. The very first Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas offered hot kosher options when it launched, though those were removed when access was expanded from Centurion card members to the broader Platinum cardholder base. This new pilot represents a more deliberate and sustainable approach, built on a partnership with a dedicated kosher catering operation rather than an ad hoc arrangement.
For observant travelers, particularly those flying frequently through New York, the airport experience has traditionally involved one of two options: either overpaying for a mediocre packaged meal airside, or showing up to the gate already full from home. Premium lounge culture, which has been transformative for general travelers over the past decade and is increasingly popular and competitive with offerings such as those from Capital One, has largely passed kosher travelers by. The Chase Sapphire and Amex Centurion programs are beginning to change that calculus.
What You Should Do
If you find yourself in either the JFK or LaGuardia Centurion Lounge, ask for the kosher meal options and, equally important, stressed by Dan, leave feedback with lounge management. The pilot’s success and potential for remaining, let alone expansion to additional Centurion locations (including the forthcoming lounges in Newark), will depend in part on demonstrated demand. The more cardholders who request kosher meals and provide positive feedback, the stronger the case for continuation and further rollout.
The Bigger Picture for Kosher Travelers
For those who are maximizing travel on points and miles, the Amex Platinum ecosystem remains one of the most valuable tools in the toolkit and the addition of kosher meals at the Centurion Lounge makes it even more compelling. We’ve written extensively about how to get the most out of Amex Membership Rewards for kosher travel, including the best ways to use points and miles to get to Israel, as well as the best credit cards for kosher travelers overall. And if you missed it, the recent Amex Platinum revamp brought some significant changes worth reviewing before your next application or renewal decision, including the impressive Resy credits that can be used at many kosher restaurants.
The direction of travel (pun intended) is encouraging. American Express and Chase are both competing for kosher cardholders in a way that’s producing real, tangible benefits at the lounge level. That’s a win worth celebrating!
Have you tried the kosher meals at the JFK or LaGuardia Centurion Lounge? Let us know here.
