World Traveller 73 
Review: Plaza Premium Lounge – Toronto Domestic Departures Terminal One, Canada
The Plaza Premium Lounge network operates over sixty lounges under the Plaza Premium Name worldwide. As one of Canada’s busiest airports, the Toronto Pearson International Airport recently renovated it’s Plaza Premium Toronto Terminal One Domestic Departures lounge. The Plaza Premium Lounges typically offer a consistent lounge experience with substantial food and beverage being offered. How would today’s new lounge concept fare on my recent trans continental domestic flight ?
Review: Plaza Premium Lounge – Toronto Pearson International Airport Domestic Departures Terminal One Ontario, Canada
This review is of the Plaza Premium Toronto Domestic Terminal One Lounge. For another lounge at Toronto Pearson Terminal One that you might have access to, please visit our review of the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Toronto Domestic. If. you are connecting to an international flight, you may also have possibly have access to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Toronto International.
I found myself departing from Toronto Pearson International Airport on an Air Canada flight. Air Canada recently took steps to limit access for it’s lower tier Air Canada Aeroplan Elites from the Maple Leaf Lounge network, which meant that I had to use an alternative solution if I was interested in getting any lounge access before my Air Canada flight. This meant visiting the Plaza Premium Lounge at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
The Plaza Premium Lounge Toronto recently underwent a massive refurbishment. While the refurbishment was ongoing, Plaza Premium had set up a temporary lounge outside of security. Please read our review of the Plaza Premium Concept Lounge Toronto for that experience.The refurbishment was delayed several times as a result of construction issues as a result of the pandemic.
Locating the Plaza Premium Lounge:
The Plaza Premium Lounge Toronto Pearson International Airport is located within the domestic area of the gates at Terminal One of the Toronto Airport. It’s worth nothing that there is also a Plaza Premium Domestic Lounge at Toronto Airport Terminal 3 that serves Westjet and almost every other non Star Alliance carrier at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Since international flights to overseas destinations also use the domestic gates, this lounge can be accessed by those departing on International Flights.
Map Courtesy of torontopearson.com
Since I was departing Toronto International Airport, I passed through security screening. Despite having a reputation for long security lines, I used Nexus, which was faster than the priority lines offered by American Express Platinum Card and was able to get through security really quickly.
The Plaza Premium Lounge is located immediately after security screening on the right hand side of the floor. If you are passing through the Nexus lane, you’ll find yourself right at the Plaza Premium entrance right after you complete your screening.
If you are connecting through Toronto Pearson Terminal One, you’ll have to take the elevators up one level from the departure concourse. The elevators will drop you off on the security screening level. You’ll have this view as you cross five lanes of security screening mayhem, before you get to the lounge reception.
The lounge is relatively easy to locate assuming you know where it is. Though it is not sign posted very well, I’ve had no difficulties locating it during my travels through Toronto Pearson Terminal One.
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 = $50.18 USD or $66.98 CAD
- Three Hours = $60.95 USD or $81.36 CAD
- Six Hours. = $81.27 USD or $108.48 CAD
- Shower (add on)= $18.48 USD or $24.68 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.
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.
Like most Plaza Premium Lounges at their major airports, there was a short wait in order to get membership admittance processed. 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 Toronto is a small lounge. The Plaza Premium Toronto Lounge encompasses four thousand nine hundred square feet and can seat one hundred and ten people.
It is probably 25% of the space afforded to Air Canada Maple Leaf Toronto Domestic travellers upstairs. Despite this, Plaza Premium Lounge Toronto has done the best of what they can, given the limited space available to them.
As a result, the lounge has always been almost fully at capacity every time that I’ve visited. The lounge has been so busy, I actually have split the photographs of my review over two separate visits.
The first thing that you see upon entering the lounge is the half oval shaped Plaza Premium Lounge Bar. The bar occupies a centre focal point of the lounge, and is positioned near the lounge windows.
Immediately adjacent to the bar is a separate VIP Area. The VIP area is available for upgrade. Despite the close proximity, you’re likely to get a slightly more private area to sit in. Having said this, it’s not exactly a private distinct area. If there is noise occurring in the regular lounge in the form of shrieking children, you’re certainly going to hear it in the VIP Area.
After passing by the bar, you’ll find yourself in the main dining area to the lounge. Plaza Premium has renovated an otherwise dark and closed space into a bright seating area that is slightly higher density in terms of seating.
The space is accented by some televisions that were showing news and sports during my visit.
From the reverse angle, the dining space ended up being a gathering spot. Since there were not many areas where families or groups could sit together, most of them grouped around the chairs and tables.
Passing through the dining area, the windows and the back of the lounge offered the limited lounge seating available. The window seating area contained a few brown high back lounge chairs. On every visit, these have always been fully occupied.
Instead, I’ve always taken a seat on the shorter white lounge chairs. The strategy has always been to wait for a brown highback leather chair to open up, then leap frog your way up to a better lounge chair. Having said that, I’ve never actually stayed here long enough for that to happen.
While the apron views are not that inspiring with a large lounge chair in your line of sight, it’s always nice to have some daylight windows in the lounge.
Moving towards the back of the lounge, there is a triangle shaped area that offers a combination of more table and chairs, along with office loungers. Given that the lounge is not too large, you’ll come to the end of the lounge space pretty quickly.
The space integrates with the rest of the lounge quite nicely, even if it is an angular sort of look. The space is a lot brighter after the renovation, and Plaza Premium Toronto has done a really nice job with making the space more approachable and pleasant to be in.
The rear of the lounge offers a very small washroom suitable for two people, and the lounge shower. Every time I have been through there, the washrooms have had signs of intense usage. As mentioned earlier, the lounge shower is accessible for an additional charge.
The lounge seating was pretty compact for this particular lounge. Given that Plaza Premium Toronto is working with less than a quarter of the space the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Toronto is operating with upstairs, I would expect this to be a busy experience when you pass through here, from a seating context.
Food and Beverage:
The Plaza Premium Lounge networks are normally pretty generous on food. As with my other Plaza Premium experiences, they had a substantial offering that is typically more than the nearby Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge between regular meal times. I will say that Plaza Premium tends to go for quantity over quality, and the food, while fresh, can be a little bland at times.
During breakfast hours, there are the usual scrambled eggs and link sausages that were put out. There were accompanied by croissants and other baked goods such. as marble rye bread and multi grain bread.
At other times of the day, there is a more substantial hot offering. This usually consists of rice, pasta and a protein. This is always served buffet style, and isn’t always the easiest to eat without cutlery.
In addition to the hot service, there are usually salads available in the nearby cooler.
The lounge also offers nacho chips and salsa, along with pretzels that seem to be out at all times; regardless of when you visit.
Moving to the bar service, the lounge offers both a complimentary bar and spirit service, along with several pay options. There are reports of travellers being limited to four drinks when visiting the lounge. Unlike airline alliance lounges, Plaza Premium is one. of the few lounges that actually publicly announces a set alcohol cut off policy.
The lounge offers a number of “house pours” that are available on a complimentary basis. These include a white and red wine, several beers, and several basic spirits such as Smirnoff Vodka, Tanqueray Gin, Canadian club and J & B Blended Scotch Whisky.
Additional beverages are available to order on an a – la – carte basis. This model is fairly typical throughout Plaza Premium Lounges, although I’ve never actually seen anytone paying for a drink whenever I’ve visited a Plaza Premium Lounge.
I didn’t stick around too long. Instead of enjoying the lounge’s food and beverage facilities, I ended up using the space to work and respond to a few emails prior to getting on my Air Canada flight to Edmonton.
My Thoughts on the Plaza Premium Lounge Toronto:
Plaza Premium has recently renovated it’s new Plaza Premium Lounge in Toronto Pearson International Airport in Terminal One Domestic Departures.
The space looks fresh and bright, and is slightly better designed in terms of occupancy. Despite this, the space is still much too small for a lounge with this many visitors, and your visit is likely to be marked with high occupancy, and perhaps having difficulties getting your preferred seat. As a result, your stay is likely to be a short one.
World Traveller 73 
Recent Comments