Upon arriving in Winnipeg after a flight from Vancouver, I took a while to take a look at the one two airport lounges obtainable within the airport. After a short go to to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge down the corridor, I made my method over to the Plaza Premium Lounge.

I used to be feeling a bit peckish, and since this lounge has a wider sizzling meals choice than its counterpart, I made a decision to pop in for a fast chunk earlier than heading downtown.

Plaza Premium Lounge Winnipeg – Entry

The Plaza Premium Lounge, which opened in 2015, is positioned airside within the departures wing, on the second degree of the principle terminal.

The lounge is located proper throughout from Gates 5 and 6, and is definitely identifiable by its identify prominently illuminated on the entrance.

The check-in counter is immediately by way of the entryway, and the lineup may simply spill out into the hallway on a busy day, as there isn’t all an excessive amount of area right here.

The lounge is open from 4am–7pm day by day, excluding Saturdays, when it’s open from 4am–5pm. Because of the lounge’s location, these travelling on transborder flights to the US received’t have entry to the lounge, however anybody on a home or worldwide flight will.

Plaza Premium lounges at the moment are affiliated with DragonPass, which permits entry to holders of an eligible Visa or Mastercard product. I loved complimentary entry from my American Specific Platinum Card, which offers cardholders and one visitor with limitless entry to Plaza Premium Lounges, each earlier than departure and upon arrival. 

Even with no bank card or membership that gives entry, you may have the choice of buying a day go for the lounge, which begins at $52.50 plus tax per individual for two hours.

Plaza Premium Lounge Winnipeg – Seating

The lounge’s décor boasts a basic Plaza Premium aesthetic, with a spread of brown hues and different heat tones. The open-concept lounge has a number of seating choices scattered all through, and might accommodate as much as 100 visitors.

It’s value noting that that is an open-air lounge, so it isn’t totally secluded from the remainder of the airport. As a substitute, its glass partitions merely act as a divider, and due to this fact it might not be the quietest of areas, as noise spills over from the terminal.

Heading to the best from the check-in desk, there are a handful of four-person eating tables. These tables function hanging studying lights and easily-accessible charging retailers and USB ports, if you could cost a tool or get some work finished.

A cluster of hexagonal nooks is simply previous these tables, which is a function seen at many different Plaza Premium Lounges. Nestled inside are tender brown seats and a small desk fitted with charging ports and a studying mild.

These are possible the most effective seating decisions for a solo occupant, as they’re quiet, non-public, and excellent for working or stress-free in your personal particular person area. 

Additional contained in the lounge, there are quite a few rows of brown plush armchairs, that are nice for lounging. There’s a departures display screen close by, the place you possibly can test the standing of your flight.

To the left of the armchairs are snug two-person and three-person seating areas, with smaller tables.

The lounge encompasses a small enterprise centre with two computer systems, which is considerably hidden within the again nook of the lounge,. This space didn’t look like significantly lively, as on the time of my go to, it was additionally getting used as a storage space for kids’s excessive chairs.

It’s additionally value noting that there aren’t any loos positioned inside this lounge. Moderately, you’ll must enterprise exterior into the departures concourse to entry the amenities.

Plaza Premium Lounge Winnipeg – Eating

The self-serve buffet-style meals choice is positioned alongside the left aspect of the Plaza Premium Lounge Winnipeg.

The lounge affords a collection of sizzling dishes, which, on the time of my go to, was teriyaki rooster accompanied by rice and buttered greens.

Moreover, there was a modest salad station, together with some pasta salad. Lastly, there have been a couple of choices for desserts.

Though I had visited the Maple Leaf Lounge earlier than this, I opted to eat lunch right here within the Plaza Premium Lounge earlier than going into city, as I used to be extra enticed by the recent meals choice.

Regardless of my enthusiasm, nonetheless, I used to be in the end a bit let down. I discovered the teriyaki rooster to be solely passably edible, and the rice and inexperienced beans had been additionally disappointing. 

It should be acknowledged that the eating inside Plaza Premium Lounges isn’t spectacular, a minimum of in North American places. Moderately, it’s often enough for passengers who solely need to satiate their starvation earlier than leaving the terminal, and it’s often higher than what’s served in economic system class on many airways. 

The beverage station can be self-serve, and options tender drinks and a Nescafé espresso machine.

Within the centre of the lounge is an aesthetically pleasing marble-clad bar, with six bar seats.

Complimentary alcoholic drinks can be found on the bar, together with draft and canned beer, crimson and white wine, and fundamental spirits – though with a most of 4 drinks per go to.

There’s additionally a collection of paid premium drink choices to select from when you needed a wider vary of spirits. 

Conclusion

The Plaza Premium Lounge at Winnipeg Airport is a modest and unassuming airport lounge, however it’s enough for unwinding, catching up on work, or grabbing a fast chunk.

As I’d anticipated, the lounge is a scaled-down model of the opposite Plaza Premium Lounges at Canada’s bigger hubs. The inside is properly laid out, though the meals and drinks are run-of-the-mill.

You probably have entry by way of your eligible American Specific, Visa, or Mastercard, it’s good to have the ability to benefit from this lounge at no further price, however I don’t suppose it’d be definitely worth the value of entry in any other case.