Eligible and fee-paying international travellers at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) will soon have access to a heightened level of comfort with the upcoming opening of a brand-new Plaza Premium Lounge.
In Fall 2023, the Plaza Premium Lounge within YVR’s non-US international terminal, located near the international security screening point, was permanently closed. The lounge was relocated to a temporary space within the atrium of the newly built Pier D wing.
Within a large upper level overlooking the same atrium, construction has been underway on a new permanent replacement and expanded Plaza Premium Lounge serving the international terminal, as previously reported by Daily Hive Urbanized. It is located next to Gate D68 on Level 4, just before the new Pier D atrium.
And there is now an opening period slated for this new lounge — later this summer.
A spokesperson for Plaza Premium Lounge told Daily Hive Urbanized today the new lounge will be considered the “Canadian flagship location,” and contain 260 seats.
This flagship lounge will be larger in terms of floor area than the previous location near international security, which will become a new duty-free shop. The previous international lounge at this space spanned about 6,800 sq ft and had about 180 seats.
It will have a considerably larger seat capacity than other existing Plaza Premium Lounge locations at YVR.
The 2015-built main lounge location for the domestic terminal has about 135 seats over a 6,400 sq ft lounge area.
The lounge in the US transborder terminal reopened in 2022 following major renovations. The renovations doubled its floor area to about 4,000 sq ft and increased its capacity to about 132 seats.
May 2024 construction progress on the new Plaza Premium Lounge location in the international terminal of Vancouver International Airport. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
May 2024 construction progress on the new Plaza Premium Lounge location in the international terminal of Vancouver International Airport. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Not only will Plaza Premium Lounge’s international location be significantly larger, but it will feature vastly improved amenities and features.
According to the spokesperson, plush seating, ergonomic furniture, and a “soothing ambiance” will be set within an interior design inspired by British Columbia’s natural beauty. The space will have intricate details reflecting nature and hand-selected works from local artists.
Guests can also expect improved high-speed WiFi, charging stations, private workspaces, and entertainment options, as well as “gourmet dining,” including freshly prepared meals, artisanal snacks, premium beverages, specialty cocktails, and a live cooking station.
In total, Plaza Premium Lounge has four locations at YVR, which are accessible to some business class and first class passengers depending on the airline, and select bank/credit card partners. Alternatively, passengers can also pay an admission fee for entry.
Artistic rendering of the new Plaza Premium Lounge at the international terminal of Vancouver International Airport. (Plaza Premium Lounge)
Plaza Premium Lounge, headquartered in Hong Kong, is one of the world’s largest independent airport lounge brands and operators, with over 250 locations in 80 airports in 30 countries, serving 20 million travellers annually.
It has been awarded the “World’s Best Independent Airport Lounge” award eight times by the prestigious annual Skytrax World Airline Awards, including the Plaza Premium Lounge at Rome–Fiumicino International Airport (FCO), which earned another consecutive first-place ranking for 2024.
Earlier in July 2024, Plaza Premium Lounge announced its strategy to perform a major expansion within the Americas as part of its US$300 million capital investment for global expansion over the next three years.
This will result in increased lounge access, new flagship locations, elevated customer experiences, and new digital solutions.
It was specifically noted that the expansion strategy’s “major efforts” would be concentrated on Canada, the United States, and Brazil, with significant projects in Toronto and Vancouver and new lounges in high-traffic US cities such as Las Vegas and Washington, DC.
According to the company, recent consumer reports and trends studies show that 70% of travellers desire more lounge access, greater personalization, and an integrated digital solution, like an app, for all services.
“Since our inception, Plaza Premium Group has been driven by a singular goal: to make travel better. Our journey began with the vision of providing accessible and luxurious airport hospitality services to all travellers, regardless of their class of travel or ticket type. Our Americas expansion is a significant milestone in our continued pursuit of excellence,” said Song Hoi-see, founder of Plaza Premium Group, in a statement this month.
The 2015-built Plaza Premium Lounge in the domestic terminal of Vancouver International Airport (YVR), near Gate B15. (Plaza Premium Lounge)
The 2015-built Plaza Premium Lounge in the domestic terminal of Vancouver International Airport (YVR), near Gate B15. (Plaza Premium Lounge)
The 2015-built Plaza Premium Lounge in the domestic terminal of Vancouver International Airport (YVR), near Gate B15. (Plaza Premium Lounge)
Demand is driven not only by the strong post-pandemic rebound of the global aviation industry but also by growing overcrowding within airports. This is also being experienced at YVR, which recorded 24.9 million passengers in 2023, including 6.1 million non-US international passengers — approaching the all-time record in 2019 of 26.5 million passengers, including 7.4 million non-US international passengers. 2.4
Based on the latest available statistics, YVR has already recorded 10.3 million passengers over the first five months of 2024, including 2.8 million non-US international passengers — up from 9.5 million passengers over the same period in 2023, including 2.4 million non-US international passengers.
Across the global aviation industry, demand for such airport lounge experiences — which offer complimentary food and beverage, quiet space, extra space to stretch, more comfortable seating options, faster Wi-Fi, charging stations, and special luxurious amenities, services, and features, including showers — is surging.
According to Business Traveler, as of Summer 2023, airport lounge usage has exceeded pre-pandemic figures, with a 12% increase in lounge visits spanning 1,374 lounges at 671 airports worldwide compared to 2019.
A June 2023 industry report on the “Global Airport Lounge Access Market” forecasts this sub-sector of the aviation industry will generate US$55.7 billion annually by 2028 — up by US$6.4 billion compared to 2022.
“The increasing disposable income of middle-class people and the increasing trend of using flights for save time are contributing to the overall growth of the Airport Lounge market. There will undoubtedly be an increase in demand for airport lounges as more companies conduct business on a global scale and depend on air travel to hold meetings and attend conferences,” reads the report.
YVR’s newest lounge is currently the 2017-renovated Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in the international terminal. In June 2023, Cathay Pacific reopened its 2016-built lounge at YVR after a long pandemic closure.
Other lounges at YVR include the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge locations in the domestic and US transborder terminal, and the SkyTeam Lounge in the international terminal.