Review: the ‘new’ British Airways lounge in Toronto, now managed by Plaza Premium

In October last year British Airways closed its lounge at Toronto Pearson International airport. Eight months later the lounge opened again – under Plaza Premium management.

Reader Dawn asked us if we wanted a review.  As we have no plans to head there ourselves in the short term we were happy to accept.  Here is what she found.

The lounge consists of two parts.  As you enter, there is the First Class lounge to the right and the Business lounge to the left. Dawn and her husband initially went to see the First Class lounge and later on the Business / Club lounge.

It is important to note that the lounges have NOT been fully refurbished.  Some of the furniture and much of the decor is unchanged and it is unclear why the space was closed for so long.

The real change is that the lounge is now managed by Plaza Premium who also run the adjacent lounge, and not by British Airways.  One upside of this is that you can now have a shower as long as you don’t mind being escorted to the main Plaza Premium lounge.

You can see details of the Plaza Premium lounge on their website here.

British Airways First Class lounge at Toronto

The First Class area was quite small and comprised of a long corridor area. There were bench type cushioned seats on the right and the bar area on the left.

The seating area had winged armchairs with power sockets on the floor (you had to pick up the flaps to access them!) with great views onto the tarmac.

It was a bit crowded as there were three London flights that day with the two Heathrow flights being delayed which resulted in not enough seats being available.

There were only two types of white wine – Pinot Grigio or a Chardonnay (American). The Nicolas Feuillatte champagne was served by the staff.  Dawn didn’t look at the red wines, but there were two choices here too.

The bar had a couple of whiskies, gin, vodka etc. There was also a fridge filled with soft drinks and water and a standard coffee machine.

On the left hand side was a paltry selection of snacks – some crisps, cold mini quiche lorraines, deserts including large chocolate covered strawberries and some antipasti type offerings with celery and peppers.

and

There is a separate restaurant-style dining area.  However, this is only open to First Class passengers and not Gold Card holders.

The First Class dining area was quite narrow with approximately 12 seats. Unfortunately Dawn was not able to see a menu. It’s worth noting that there is no First Class on the British Airways Gatwick flight from Toronto.

Instead, Dawn was told that she could take food from the Business Class section next door and bring it over.

British Airways Galleries Club lounge at Toronto

The Club section was actually, in Dawn’s opinion, a more comfortable space than the First Class lounge. There was a PC station (is that still necessary these days?):

…. and plenty of seating, and a hot buffet with a variety of dishes.

The lounge also had a “live pasta cooking station” which comprised of two choices of pasta – a vegetarian choice and a seafood pasta cooked to order.

There was also a good selection of salads, hot food and several desserts.

The self service bar was well stocked and had the same two red and white wines the First Class lounge was serving.

The staff were all very helpful, but obviously getting to know the ropes. There were several disgruntled Gold card holders who weren’t happy about not being able to avail themselves of the a-la-carte dining option in the First lounge and the staff weren’t entirely sure how to handle the situation.

All in all Dawn said that the that the reopened British Airways lounges at Toronto are decent, but not outstanding.  The Business Class dining area is certainly an improvement on many other lounges even if the food selection in the First lounge for Gold card holders is meagre.

If you don’t have access to the British Airways lounge, you can book the adjacent Plaza Premium lounge for cash via their website here.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.