Plaza Premium First at Vancouver YVR | North America's First, an Elevated Lounge Experience

North America’s first Plaza Premium First is located at Vancouver International Airport. I couldn’t miss the chance to try it during this trip, so I paid out of pocket to upgrade and see what it was like.

Here are the lounge’s basic details:

• Cost: Plaza Premium access, plus CAD 30 + tax to upgrade to the First area
• Location: International departures, near Gate D68 at the far end of the concourse
• Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.; it opens one hour earlier on Saturdays
• Service: À la carte ordering, a buffet, and showers

Overall impression: If you have a long wait before your flight, the price is acceptable. The food is a little better, and the seating is quieter and more comfortable.

Front Desk & Access

After taking the elevator to the fourth floor, you will see that the lounge is divided into two areas. Turn left for the regular Plaza Premium lounge, or enter on the right for the First area I was primarily there to experience.

Even the regular PPL no longer worked with Priority Pass. When I asked at the front desk, I was told that Priority Pass members could not enter the lounge as of January 2025. 【October 11, 2026 update】 Priority Pass can now be used at Plaza Premium again. It appears the partnership was restored at some point.

Other available access options are shown below:

I entered by showing my physical Amex Platinum Card. The U.S. version works too. It appears to use the Plaza Premium access that comes with the Platinum Card, so there is no need to go through PPS as an extra step.

DragonPass also works. Its website lists the lounge here.

Plaza Premium First

• Seating

There are many types of seats to choose from.

• À la carte dining

Drinks and food menus

I tried the Fish Taco, Shrimp Panzanella, and cheesecake that day. The main dishes were decent, and I liked the cheesecake.

• Buffet

This was another pleasant surprise. Since relatively few guests pay to upgrade to the First area, the food here was fairly fresh.

Plaza Premium

I also visited the regular PPL area on the left. It still meets the basic needs for eating, drinking, and relaxing.

The Lufthansa tail in the final photo is from the flight I was about to take. I will also try to bring you a review of the Vancouver–Frankfurt business-class experience on Lufthansa’s 747-400 soon.