After an almost two-year separation, Plaza Premium Group and Priority Pass have renewed their partnership. As of June 6, 2023, 39 independent Plaza Premium lounges will rejoin the Priority Pass network, including lounges in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific region.
From then, another 24 lounges will become available to Priority Pass and LoungeKey members as of June 20, 2023, adding to the 1,300+ lounges worldwide that are currently available through the Priority Pass network.
Plaza Premium Lounges Rejoin Priority Pass Network
As of June 6, 2023, Priority Pass and LoungeKey members will once again have access to Plaza Premium lounges in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. The first phase will see 39 lounges added to the network, and then from June 20, 2023, another 24 lounges will join the program.
In North America, a total of 15 lounges will become available to members as of June 6, This includes lounges in key travel hubs such as Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR), Orlando (MCO), and more.
In Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, another 15 lounges will become available as of June 6, with another six joining as of June 20, 2023. These include key areas such as London Gatwick (LGW) and Dubai (DXB).
The Asia Pacific region will see a large bump in lounge access through the renewed partnership, with a total of 27 lounges added in Cambodia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Of these, nine will become available as of June 6, and the remaining 18 will be accessible as of June 20, 2023.
It’s worth noting that of the lounges that will be available for members as of June 6, 2023, it may take up to 24 hours for the availability to appear in the Priority Pass app and website.
The Latest Chapter in the Lounge Access Drama
If you’ve paid attention to lounge access in the last few years, you may recall that Plaza Premium, LoungeKey, and Priority Pass have a bit of a storied past.
In July 2021, the Plaza Premium Group cut ties with both Priority Pass and LoungeKey. In July 2022, both Visa Canada and Mastercard Canada switched their lounge access partnerships from Priority Pass and LoungeKey, respectively, to DragonPass.
At that point, DragonPass had emerged as the sole lounge access program partner with both Visa Canada and Mastercard Canada. Lounge access from DragonPass was offered through the Visa Airport Companion Program and the Mastercard Travel Pass Program.
In other words, those that previously had a Priority Pass or LoungeKey membership through a Visa or Mastercard no longer had that benefit. Instead, eligible cardholders could sign up for a complimentary DragonPass membership through their eligible Visa or Mastercard credit cards.
With the latest announcement, this doesn’t mean much has changed for the vast majority of cardholders. If you had access to Plaza Premium lounges through DragonPass, you’ll still enjoy this benefit; however, if you’ve enjoyed lounge access through Priority Pass from, say, the Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card, you now have a few more lounges at your disposal.
If you have either the American Express Platinum Card or the Business Platinum Card by American Express, this doesn’t move the needle at all, since you would have had access to all lounges in any situation. Likewise, if you have access to Plaza Premium lounges through DragonPass, this doesn’t change anything for you at the moment.
Conclusion
Plaza Premium and Priority Pass have once again joined forces. The resumption of lounge access will be spread across the month of June, with an initial influx as of June 6, and another rollout by June 20, 2023.
In total, this means that 63 Plaza Premium lounges in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific region will become available to Priority Pass members. Of these, 15 Plaza Premium lounges in Canada and the United States will once again be accessible through Priority Pass.
This is the latest development in the lounge access saga, which is wholly positive for anyone who has been without complimentary access in the past two years.