Plaza Premium operates a network of airport lounges. In this post I wanted to take a closer look at Plaza Premium Lounges. What makes them special, where are they located, and how do you access them?
In this post:
What are Plaza Premium Lounges?
Plaza Premium operates a network of airport lounges across the globe. For the most part Plaza Premium Lounges are independent and contract lounges, meaning that they generally don’t belong to any airline. There are ways to access Plaza Premium Lounges with Priority Pass, credit cards, and by outright purchasing lounge access.
Generally contract lounges aren’t known for necessarily being the highest quality. However, this is an area where I have to give Plaza Premium a lot of credit — the group operates some of the best contract lounges out there, in my opinion.
Let me also emphasize that the Plaza Premium concept is different than the Priority Pass concept — Plaza Premium actually operates lounges, while Priority Pass is a company that sells membership to other lounges, and essentially helps lounge operators monetize their lounges. However, Priority Pass members can access Plaza Premium Lounges.
Plaza Premium Lounge locations
Plaza Premium has over 100 airport lounges around the globe, and you can find all the locations here. While there are Plaza Premium locations in dozens of countries across six continents, you’ll find that Plaza Premium is especially strong in Asia, where you’ll find the most locations.
Most Plaza Premium Lounges have Plaza Premium in the name. However, Plaza Premium also manages some lounges with different names. Aside from Plaza Premium Lounges, the group also manages the following lounges:
- Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses outside of the UK, including in Boston (BOS), Johannesburg (JNB), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington (IAD)
- Avianca Lounges in Cali (CLO), Barranquilla (BAQ), Bogota (BOG), Bucaramanga (BGA), Cartagena (CTG), Medellín (MDE), and San Salvador (SAL)
- Air France Lounge in Montreal (YUL)
- MERA Business Lounges in Cancun (CUN)
- Library Lounge by Aerotel in Beijing (PKX) and Guangzhou (CAN)
For those in the United States, unfortunately Plaza Premium’s network is quite limited. The brand only has two of its own proprietary lounges, in Dallas (DFW) and Orlando (MCO), plus the four Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses.
Plaza Premium Lounge access rules
With the above out of the way, let’s talk about who can access Plaza Premium Lounges. There’s an exciting update as of June 2023, as Plaza Premium Lounges can now be accessed by Priority Pass members again. That’s not the only way to access Plaza Premium Lounges, though, so let’s go over the details.
Access with Priority Pass
Priority Pass members, including those who have a membership through a premium credit card, can access most Plaza Premium Lounges. Here are the terms to be aware of:
- At this link you can find the full list of Plaza Premium Lounges accessible through Priority Pass
- Your guest allowance is based on the kind of membership you have, though typically you can take two guests with you
- A same-day boarding pass is required to access Plaza Premium Lounges
- Your stay through Priority Pass is limited to two hours
Access with American Express cards
The Platinum Card® from American Express (review) and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (review) are known for their excellent lounge access perks. As part of that, those with the Amex Platinum get unlimited access to Plaza Premium Lounges:
- You can access these lounges by directly presenting your Amex Platinum Card
- Both primary cardmembers and authorized users are entitled to Plaza Premium Lounge access
- Cardmembers can bring up to one guest into Plaza Premium Lounges with them at no additional cost
- A same-day boarding pass is required to access Plaza Premium Lounges
Access with Capital One cards
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review) (Rates & Fees) also has great lounge access perks, and that includes unlimited access to Plaza Premium Lounges:
- You can access these lounges by directly presenting your Capital One Venture X Card
- Both primary cardmembers and authorized users are entitled to Plaza Premium Lounge access
- Cardmembers can bring up to two guests into Plaza Premium Lounges with them at no additional cost
- A same-day boarding pass is required to access Plaza Premium Lounges
Note that the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (review) (Rates & Fees) and Capital One Spark Miles for Business (review) (Rates & Fees) also each offer two complimentary lounge visits per calendar year. This can be used either to access Capital One Lounges, or to access Plaza Premium Lounges. Those two visits are each good for one person, so you could visit lounges twice without a guest, or once with a guest.
Purchase access to lounges
Access can also be purchased for all Plaza Premium Lounges. You can purchase access directly on Plaza Premium’s website, and pricing varies based on the exact lounge, how long you want to stay, when you want to visit, etc.
Plaza Premium also sells some bundles. For example, there’s a Plaza Premium Americas Pass, where you can purchase two lounge visits in the Americas for $80. That could potentially be worth it if you don’t otherwise have lounge access.
Access with a premium cabin airline ticket
Plaza Premium Lounges also act as contract lounges, so at many airports, airlines will invite their first and business class passengers as well as elite members to these lounges. Obviously the policies for this vary by airport, but don’t be surprised if a business class ticket gets you an invitation to a Plaza Premium Lounge.
Bottom line
Plaza Premium operates some of the highest quality contract lounges in the world, and also manages some other lounges, including most Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses.
There are several ways to access Plaza Premium Lounges, including a Priority Pass membership, a premium American Express or Capital One card, a first or business class ticket on an eligible airline, and more. Among non-airline lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges are probably my favorite lounges out there.
If you’ve visited a Plaza Premium Lounge, what was your experience like?
I did the Mera/Plaza Premium lounge at Cancun loved it.
I flew out of CUN today, and the terminal 3 Plaza Premium/MERA lounge was not accessible using Priority Pass. Only the awful lounge landside that's been part of PP for a few months now.
The pp lounge in cun is awful but you can access the Mera lounge with amex platinum or any venture card
Great. I can now leverage my priority pass membership. I am not very demanding: a coffee and fruit/biscuits/bretzels are all what I need before a flight.
I recommend the Plaza Premium Arrival longe in SYD nice individual shower suites. Bedrooms also available. Light food and beverages. Outdoor space
I showered & shaved, had coffee and pastries, then took the train to the quay
I’ll use again next month Love Sydney!
@Ben I am pretty sure Sodexo Live run the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses Worldwide now
I visited the Plaza Premium Lounge at the Vancouver airport departing Canada to the US. It was a good experience and a good variety of food and drink. It was quite busy and not much seating capacity. We were able to get entry via our Priority Pass.
I was denied entry at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Dulles with my Capital One Venture X a few weeks ago. The lady said it was only accessible in the morning. This was about 3 hours before Virgin Atlantic's departure, so she said at that point it was only open to Virgin Atlantic customers. Is that the same policy at all Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses?