Ahead of a recent domestic flight from Toronto to Vancouver, I visited the newly refurbished Plaza Premium Lounge in the domestic area of Toronto Pearson International Airport’s Terminal 1.
The new 4,900-square-foot lounge was unveiled in November 2022, with an elevated interior design, food, and amenities.
Plaza Premium Lounge Toronto (Terminal 1 Domestic) – Access
The lounge should be relatively easy to spot as there are numerous signs to point you in the right direction.
The lounge is very conveniently located airside, just past security.
This Plaza Premium Lounge is open from 5am to 8:30pm to those travelling domestically through Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
DragonPass users who have eligible Visa or Mastercard products have the benefit of accessing Plaza Premium Lounges as part of their credit card benefits.
I enjoyed complimentary access due to my American Express Platinum Card, which allows the cardholder and one guest unlimited entry to Plaza Premium Lounges.
Those who don’t have a membership or credit card allowing entry can still purchase a day pass to the lounge, which starts at $60 (CAD) per person for two hours with taxes included.
I approached the admissions desk, where I was asked for my boarding pass and presented my Platinum Card to the associate, who quickly granted me entry.
Plaza Premium Lounge Toronto (Terminal 1 Domestic) – Seating
The lounge is one large room with a bar, dining area, and seating clusters. It’s well-lit with a crisp combination of faux marble and white and light grey hues.
Upon entering the lounge, you’ll find yourself in a modern setting with a luxuriously curved bar, enhanced by the wrap-around light feature that hangs from the ceiling.
To the bar’s right is the dining area with two, four and six-person seating, and to the left is a newly introduced VIP section.
Adjacent to the dining tables are leather nook-style seats with charging outlets and a small desk. A limited number of these seats are also positioned near the rear of the lounge.
Also, at the back of the lounge along the windows are two rows of individual seats that face out toward the concourse.
The refurbished lounge looked attractive and on par with the new Plaza Premium style. I appreciated the modern but functional design and the prioritizing of charging outlets throughout.
However, at the time of my visit, the lounge was rather crowded, which definitely detracted from the overall experience. This is sadly not an uncommon occurrence and tends to be the case for too many Plaza Premium lounges across Canada.
Plaza Premium Lounge Toronto (Terminal 1 Domestic) – Dining
The food selection at this Plaza Premium Lounge looked sufficient but somewhat uninspiring. Again, this is essentially on par with what you can expect from many other Plaza Premium Lounges in Canada.
The self-serve buffet is located at the front of the lounge and to the right when you first enter.
There were a few hot dinner items, including a beef and chicken dish, as well as samosas and vegan chilli.
Then there was a selection of bread, desserts, and a salad bar that included pasta salad.
As for alcoholic beverages, beer, wine, and spirits are listed as available, and premium liquor is displayed on the shelves. House pours are available for free, while the premium liquor is subject to a charge.
Non-alcoholic beverages are largely self-serve and consist of a coffee machine, hot water for tea, and a pop machine; however, the bar staff also serve coffee at the bar.
Plaza Premium Lounge Toronto (Terminal 1 Domestic) – Other Facilities
The washrooms in the lounge were sleek and well-maintained. The lounge also has introduced a shower room which is available to guests at an additional charge.
To the left of the bar, when you first enter the lounge, is a new VIP seating area. The area offers largely a similar experience as the rest of the lounge, but with a few elevated privacy and perks.
There’s a cluster of central seating, individual seats along the wall, and then seating in sets of two along the windows.
The area has a snack selection of its own and a high concentration of Dyson air conditioners (there were two in this VIP area alone, and I only saw one in the entire rest of the lounge). There’s s also a dedicated snack spread, one complimentary premium beverage, and and shower access included for VIP guests.
I confirmed with the front desk that the total VIP buy-up is $13 (CAD) for the exclusive VIP area, which doesn’t seem too unreasonable for the inclusions that accompany it, and especially the additional privacy compared to the rather crowded main seating area.
After popping in to check out this newly refurbished lounge, we soon moved downstairs to the Air Canada Café to spend the rest of our time in a more upscale and peaceful environment before catching our flight.
Conclusion
My time at the newly refurbished Plaza Premium Lounge at Toronto Pearson International Airport was brief but satisfactory.
The lounge is a suitable space to decompress before your flight, and the new design is very much in line with Plaza Premium’s modernized style.
However, keep in mind that the lounge can become overcrowded rather quickly. It’s certainly worth paying a visit at no additional cost if you have access via your eligible American Express, Visa, or Mastercard, but don’t expect to be sitting in the throes of luxury and exclusivity.
And if you have a few hours to kill during your time here, the $13 (CAD) buy-up to the VIP section isn’t an unreasonable cost, considering that you’ll get a premium drink, a more private seating area, and access to the shower room.
The trans border Premium Plaza lounge at Terminal 1 in Toronto is terrible. Every time you try to go in whether it is at 6.30 am or pm there is always a line up and difficult to get in. Seriously thinking of canceling the Amex Platinum to Aeroplan. The last 4 trips did not give us any comfort.
I’d imagine the transborder Maple Leaf Lounge to be quite crowded as well, and the trade-off is that there’s no hot food in there. Good to have access to both lounges if possible to keep options open before a flight.