Mar 2

Mar 2 Plaza Premium Toronto Pearson (YYZ) Terminal 3 Domestic Lounge Review

“The Point - Plaza Premium lounges are easily accessible to Canadian travellers, but not all lounges are made the same. While great for a drink, the food offerings at the newly renovated domestic Plaza Premium lounge in YYZ Terminal 3 left things to be desired.”

— Distant Points

The first stop on after getting through security was the Plaza Premium Lounge in Toronto Terminal 3 domestic departures. This lounge was recently renovated and expanded, and the physical space shows immense improvement.

Although the food options weren’t great, the lounge has been renovated

To get into the lounge you can show your American Express Platinum Card, American Express Business Platinum Card or your Priority Pass Select for complimentary entry. Select passengers flying on Air Transat, WestJet and Sunwing also get access to the lounge. If you don’t have access otherwise, the Toronto Terminal 3 Plaza Premium lounge costs $50 + tax for 2 hours, $60 + tax for 3 hours or 80+ tax for 6 hours, a steep price to pay.

When I showed up to the lounge there was a sign suggesting that the lounge was full – this was not the case as there were numerous seats available. The agent was suggesting people check the lounge out for a seat before purchasing a pass, she mentioned that several people wanted refunds. If you see the sign, I would still go in and ask if you can be let in. (Editor’s note: other people have reported this DP)

As I was flying a domestic economy flight, I wanted to grab a bite to eat before getting on the plane to Vancouver. As I get free entrance for me and a guest with my American Express Business Platinum, I went ahead and purchased access for myself and the gentleman in front of me who was about to pay. I saved him $40 and it’s good to be able to help a fellow traveller out.

The new seating area provides both the standard Plaza Premium seats and some bench and tables seating. Unfortunately, there are not really any outlets around the bench seating and the seats by the wall, but there are available plugs beside the classic plaza premium seats. (The lounge was busy, so I didn’t want to take too many pictures, but the lounge does have several seating sections.)

There are barely any outlets near the tables along the wall and none on the middle table

The food selection at this lounge was poor – all low-quality salads with lots of carb fillers. That being said, the classic Plaza Premium chicken thighs weren’t terrible. Neither was the coconut chickpea curry, both of which were freshly replaced after I took the photos. The rest of the lounge food was a disappointment. There were a few low quality snacks, like chips (with no salsa), pretzels and instant noodles.

As for drinks, there were several free pour bottles of middle of the road alcohol and several wine bottles. That being said, the wine was almost always empty, and it was infrequently refilled. There were also domestic beers (Molson, Coors Light), a coffee machine, and a selection of teas. For those of you who are lactose intolerant, there was almond milk available for your coffee.

All things considered, I was surprised with how clean the lounge was considering how busy it was – the attendants frequently came around to pick up plates.

The Point

I prefer the international Plaza Premium lounge and the KLM lounge, unlike OMAAT, but flying domestic means that it’s not as easy to stop by and grab a quick bite. In the end, it’s still better than paying for beers!