Plaza Premium Lounge (near gate B15)
Vancouver has one of the largest Plaza Premium Lounges in Canada. Its portfolio of East Asian airports and a focus on trans-Pacific travel made Vancouver a great place to put a large lounge. There’s local West Coast beer on tap, but guests are limited to four drinks per visit. The food is also only passable—skip the dessert.
The seating is comfortable and much quieter because its on the upper level and not the main concourse. Power sockets are easy to find, but I think Vancouver lounges need to accommodate East Asian plugs, maybe an idea for the next renovation?
Maple Leaf Lounge (domestic)
This was the first time I departed Vancouver on Air Canada. I previously flew WestJet for their low prices and Porter for work routings. This was also a chance encounter since I was rerouted from San Francisco via Vancouver instead of Toronto. Guests are welcomed on the lower level by a member of staff before heading up the stairs or elevator to the lounge level.
The lounge is large but was quite busy when I visited. I had to wait a while for some of the more delicious meals to be replenished, but had an open self-serve bar to keep me busy. As a solo traveler, I liked the high tables facing the large windows with a view of the tarmac and easy access to charging sockets. Families and business travelers might like to lounge around and have a chat on one of the many armchairs and coffee tables.
Maple Leaf Lounge (transborder)
There are no good lounge options in the transborder zone, giving Air Canada a monopoly. While there is one shower suite available, the lounge looks dated and tired. The food was underwhelming and two options on the soda fountain just dispensed water.
It’s usually crowded on weekends, making it hard to find a comfortable spot to sit. The L-shaped seating arrangement at one end of the lounge makes it hard to get food or drinks as it makes you walk past a narrow corridor.
Plaza Premium Lounge (near gate C29)
This is more of an “express” location. The other two lounges are both on the upper level with a segregated space from the main waiting area. There is still a full bar service, but find options are limited to one carbohydrate and two meat-based dishes. Vegetarians are out of luck here as even the cold sandwiches have tuna and ham and the potato salad has mayo, which is made with egg.
It’s a little noisier as it’s near the entrance and exit corridor and doesn’t have a wall separating the space, but proves to be a convenient location to take a break between piers B, C, and D. It’s accessible by payment or an eligible lounge program such as Dragon Pass and Priority Pass.
