Hello from Sicily! This past week I flew from Vancouver to Frankfurt in Lufthansa first class (flight review to follow). I flew up from Seattle to Vancouver earlier in the day on Alaska, and had a roughly four hour layover before my flight to Frankfurt.
I flew Lufthansa first class from Vancouver to Munich last year, and knew they use the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge for their first and business class passengers in Vancouver. While it’s an okay lounge, it’s hardly anything special.
So this time upon landing I decided to check out the newly renovated Plaza Premium Lounge located at Vancouver Airport. I followed signs for international connections, and after clearing immigration found myself in the international departures terminal.
The Plaza Premium Lounge is located in Pier D, and is about a five minute walk from the Lufthansa gate.
Vancouver Airport terminal
Vancouver Airport terminal
Vancouver Airport terminal
The lounge had its grand re-opening just a couple of months ago, so I was curious to check it out. The Plaza Premium Lounge is an independent lounge (the largest in all of Canada), so there are a few ways to access it:
- You can get in using a Priority Pass™ membership (which is how I got in, thanks to a credit card with lounge access)
- Several airlines use this as their contract lounge, including most of the Asian carriers flying to Vancouver
- You can purchase access to the lounge at the cost of 40CAD for two hours, 50CAD for three hours, or 70CAD for six hours
The lounge had a sleek exterior, including a quasi-outdoor “patio.”
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport exterior
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport entrance
At the reception desk my Priority Pass card was swiped, and after a quick signature I was invited in.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport entrance
So for a contract lounge this was really nice, I thought. As you’d expect for a newly re-opened lounge, the furniture was in immaculate condition, and it was actually nicely decorated. There was tons of seating, though towards the beginning of my stay in the lounge it was pretty crowded, given that several of the Asian airlines had flights leaving in the early afternoon.
There were three large general seating areas with “lounge” style seating.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport seating
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport seating
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport seating
The one on the far left of the lounge had a sign indicating it was for “Sky Priority” passengers, so I guess was reserved for passengers departing on China Southern, China Eastern, and KLM, all of which had flights around that time.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport seating
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport seating
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport seating
Then on the opposite end of the lounge were some communal tables.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport seating
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport seating
There was also a business center there, which seemed pretty basic for a new lounge, with just three PCs and no privacy.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport business center
Then at the far end of the lounge was a dining area.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport dining area
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport dining area
There was a buffet set up there with coffee and juice machines, along with snacks, including muffins, pastries, samosas, etc.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport snacks
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport snacks
There were more substantial food offerings next to it, including made to order fish ball soup and noodles.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport made to order food
Then there were a couple of types of soup, as well as a few hot and cold dishes, including salad, fruit, noodles, etc.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport buffet
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport buffet
Soft drinks were self serve.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport drinks
Back near the entrance of the lounge was some “patio” seating, which I found rather unique. It was a bit awkward because everyone walking through the terminal walked right past you, but I still liked the change of scenery. Besides, it meant I could watch every international crew that walked by to board their flights.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport exterior seating
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport exterior seating
Back near the entrance was a “cafe” area, with a similar buffet to what was found in the dining area.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport cafe
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport buffet
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport buffet
What made it rather unique was that there was a “case” with sweets, so if you wanted anything to eat they’d serve it to you. On one hand I thought that was a really nice touch, though on the other hand the snacks didn’t seem any higher quality than what you’d get in any other lounge. I appreciated the idea behind it, though.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport cafe
There was also an espresso machine, where you could order lattes, cappuccinos, etc.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport cafe
Alcoholic drinks were also available in the cafe area. The alcoholic beverage selection read as follows:
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport cafe drink menu
In terms of the views, the lounge overlooked the tarmac. Not amazing views, but not half bad views either.
Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Airport view
Bottom line
For a Plaza Premium contract lounge I thought this was especially impressive.
The lounge was nicely decorated and practical. I do wish they had more outlets around the seating, and also wish they had a real business center with cubicles, but all things considered I thought they did a great job.
While the food wasn’t gourmet, it was extensive for a contract lounge, especially since they had made to order noodles and soup, as well as a “cafe” area.
I was originally going to spend the first half of my layover at the Plaza Premium Lounge and the second half at the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, but in the end I decided just to stick around this one since the internet connection was fairly fast and seating comfortable.
Kudos to Plaza Premium for this one…
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