World Traveller 73 
Review: Plaza Premium Lounge – Edmonton, Canada
The Plaza Premium Lounge network operates over sixty lounges under the Plaza Premium Name worldwide. The Plaza Premium Lounges typically offer a consistent lounge experience with a broad food presentation, even when visiting outside of regular meal hours. Today’s travel took me through the Plaza Premium Edmonton Domestic lounge on my trans continental route across Canada. How would the Plaza Premium Lounge Edmonton fare after being open for over ten years?
Review: Plaza Premium Lounge – Edmonton International Airport Domestic (Non US Departures), Canada
I found myself connecting through Edmonton International Airport on a pair of Air Canada flights between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Vancouver International Airport. I had a ninety minute connection in Edmonton International Airport. During this time, I figured I would check out the Province of Alberta’s only Plaza Premium Lounge.
Locating the Plaza Premium Lounge:
The Plaza Premium Lounge Edmonton International Airport is located within the domestic area of the gates at Edmonton International Airport. Since international flights to overseas destinations also use the domestic gates, this lounge can be accessed by those departing on International Flights.
The Edmonton International Airport offers a US Customs and Border Protection Services Pre-Clearance facility. Unfortunately, if you are departing on a US Transborder flight, you won’t have access to this lounge, unless you happen to be connecting from another Canadian flight and access this lounge from the secure side, prior to your processing by US Customs and Border Protection and your departure to the United States.
The Plaza Premium Lounge is located midway down the concourse in a central and convenient location.
Map Courtesy flyeia.com
Since I was arriving through a connecting flight, I had already cleared security and found myself on the departures concourse when I arrived into Edmonton International Airport. I arrived into the terminal through gate 54. After wandering down the concourse, I easily found the lounge. The lounge is located right across from Chili’s restaurant at Gate 50.
If you’re coming from security having departed from Edmonton as your home airport, you’ll have the opposite view. It’s only a short walk from security, and actually happens to have a convenient location that meets all travellers needs.
The lounge access from the concourse shares the access with the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Edmonton. Both lounges are accessed by taking the stairs, or the elevator, up one level to lounge reception.
After getting off the elevator, it was an easy right hand turn on the second floor. I found myself at the entrance to the lounge.
Overall, I had no problems locating the lounge. It’s location is well positioned and is easy to access from every area of the airport.
Accessing The Plaza Premium Lounge:
There are several ways to access the Plaza Premium Lounge.
The Plaza Premium Lounge accepts reservations for entry on it’s website. The reservations are split into blocks of time ranging from two, three and six hours. As of the time of writing, the prices was as follows:
- Two Hours = $46.33 USD or $61.92 CAD
- Three Hours = $56.56 USD or $75.60 CAD
- Six Hours. = $75.42 USD or $100.80 CAD
The above pricing includes applicable taxes and fees.
The Plaza Premium Lounge network also partners with several credit cards to provide access. This includes many credit cards worldwide, which include DragonPass, LoungeKey, LoungeClub, and the Club. You do not need to make an advance reservation while using these systems.
Within North America, the lounge is also part of the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which offers a suite of lounges available for access with it’s premium American Express Platinum Card and American Express Centurion Cards. Access can be granted by presenting one of these cards.
The lounge has recently rejoined Priority Pass. As a result, if you have a Priority Pass membership, you can gain access to the lounge.
The Plaza Premium Lounge also appeared to have partnered with every single non Star Alliance partner for lounge access for carriers departing from Edmonton International Airport. At the time of my visit, the lounge was offering access to the following airline partners:
- Canadian North
- Iceland Air
- KLM
- Air Transat
- Sunwing
- Westjet
I gained access to the Plaza premium Lounge as a result of my American Express Platinum Card as part of the American Express Global Lounge membership.
There was no line to gain access access today. After my digital membership card and boarding pass was validated, I was invited into the lounge.
Inside The Plaza Premium Lounge:
The new Plaza Premium Lounge Edmonton is a no frills “small format” lounge. The lounge occupies four thousand five hundred square feet and offers seating for eighty people.
Immediately upon entering into the lounge, I found myself in the primary lounge seating area. The room contained row seating for about fifty people, along with the usual Plaza Premium Lounge Chairs that are located in its lounges throughout the world.
I ended up seating myself down in the bank of chairs located against the glass of the lounge on the far left hand side. I had no challenges getting a seat.
The lounge seating area offered glass windows overlooking into the concourse.
In other strange lounge features that we don’t typically see in the lounge, the lounge had a commemorative opening plaque. The plaque identified that the lounge had been opened by the President and CEO of the Edmonton Regional Airports Authority on May 16, 2013. The lounge was still looking pretty good some ten years later.
In addition to the general lounge seating, there was additional seating located a short way away. Passing by the lounge buffet, there was an additional seating area located over top of the retail outlets on the concourse.
Immediately around the corner, there were an additional twenty seats in a mix of tables and chairs. This area offered a full glass window area on the terminal side of the lounge, which let a lot of light into this particular lounge space.
As a result of large glass windows, the space was quite bright. The space also contained the lounge’s washrooms in the back corner.
Through the large glass windows, the additional lounge seating also offered a glimpse of views over top of the Edmonton International Airport domestic concourse.
The lounge seating was more than adequate for this particular lounge, and i didn’t have any issues locating a place to sit. The lounge was about at half capacity when I visited in the mid afternoon. Most of the travellers were departing on commuter jets, and the lounge wasn’t impacted by any wide body aircraft departing around the same time.
Food and Beverage:
The Plaza Premium Lounge networks are normally pretty generous on food. On today’s visit, they had a substantial offering that is typically more than the nearby Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge between regular meal times.
At the rear of the first room, there was a small seating area next to the stand up bar. While there were no seat at the bar itself, there were a number of flat screen televisions.
The bar offered two beer taps for draft beer. Unlike many other lounges that offer complimentary beverages, the Plaza Premium Edmonton offered pay drinks. While we’ve typically seen Plaza Premium Lounges offer some house labels on a complimentary basis, I didn’t happen to notice any at this particular location.
While I didn’t indulge in any beer, wine or spirits, there was a drink fountain around. the corner near the buffet offering complimentary soft drinks. This was also joined with juice dispensers offering iced orange juice.
Getting around to the food offerings, the lounge offered a hot and cold buffet during my mid afternoon visit. The lounge offered a variety of mixed salads, steamed rice with meatballs and a warm chicken noodle soup.
There were also some baked desserts that were also offered “on request” from behind the bar’s counter.
I was able to quickly recharge on a snack consisting of some meatballs and rice prior to continuing onto my Air Canada connecting flight to Vancouver.
My Thoughts on the Plaza Premium Lounge Edmonton:
It’s a bit unusual to have a Plaza Premium Lounge up in Edmonton. It’s probably the last place that I would think of when it comes to locating a Plaza Premium Lounge.
The Plaza Premium Lounge offered a comfortable environment that was a sanctuary from the otherwise busy terminal. Thanks to a generous food offering, I was able to pick up a quick snack as I was passing through the terminal.
World Traveller 73 
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