The 10 worst airport lounges in Canada: 2026

How I built this: I took every Canadian lounge on Lounge Frog with at least eight rated metrics, dropped anything closed, and left out nap suites, spas and restaurants.

Two things to know before you read the list. That one metric pulls every Plaza Premium, Aspire and Desjardins lounge here down a bit, and it is why Winnipeg's Plaza Premium makes the list despite scoring 5 for food and seating.

Vancouver: one bad room, two good ones a short walk away#

#1. Plaza Premium Lounge (C29), 1.8. This is the lowest-rated lounge in Canada, and it isn't close. It's the small Pier C room in the domestic terminal: 36 seats, beer and wine only, open 6:45am to 8:30pm. It scores 1 for food, coffee, quiet, wifi, workspace, views and exclusivity. Nothing scores above 3.

The fix is easy, because Vancouver has a second Plaza Premium in the same terminal. The domestic Plaza Premium near gate B15 rates 4.4 and takes the same Priority Pass, LoungeKey and DragonPass cards. If you hold Air Canada lounge access, the Maple Leaf Lounge near C29 is upstairs from the same gate area.

#8. SkyTeam Lounge, 3.0. This is the international terminal, near D53. Until it does, Priority Pass members should use the Plaza Premium International lounge on Pier D instead.

Toronto: the transborder problem#

Three of the ten are at Pearson, and two of those are past US preclearance, which is where Pearson's lounges are weakest.

#2. Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Express, 2.1. This is the compact Express room in Terminal 1 transborder, near gates F84 to F99. The same Air Canada and Star Alliance Gold access gets you into the main Maple Leaf Lounge (Transborder) on level 4 at Node F, which rates 4.1 and has a full bar. Priority Pass holders on the same side have the Plaza Premium US Transborder lounge near F53, which rates 3.9.

#3. Plaza Premium Lounge (T3 US Transborder), 2.5. This one is past preclearance in Terminal 3, near gate A10. If you're on American or hold oneworld status, the Admirals Club on the same concourse rates 4.0 and scores 5 for cleanliness, coffee and service.

#7. KLM Crown Lounge, 2.9. This is the Air France-KLM room upstairs in Terminal 3 international. It takes Priority Pass, but so does the Plaza Premium T3 International lounge upstairs from C32, which rates 4.7, has two showers and is one of the best-rated lounges in the country.

Montréal: weak on the far side of passport control and preclearance#

#5. Aspire Lounge (International), 2.9. It opened in 2025 just past duty free near gates 52 and 53. It's only open from 2pm to 10pm. The Air France-KLM Lounge near gate 57 rates 4.5, has three showers and takes Priority Pass, but not between 3:30pm and 6:30pm. With Air Canada access, the Maple Leaf Lounge (International) near gate 52 rates 4.5.

#9. Desjardins Odyssée Lounge (Transborder), 3.3. This is past US preclearance near gate 76. It's an average room, not a bad one. Entry is for Desjardins Odyssey cardholders and Visa Airport Companion members, not Priority Pass. The only other lounge on the US jetty is Air Canada's Maple Leaf Lounge (Transborder) above gate 73. It rates 3.7, so it's only a modest step up.

Also low, but not on the list: the National Bank Lounge on the international jetty rated 2.7. It closed for renovation on October 4, and a smaller temporary space with a two-hour limit replaced it at the same spot near gate 53. Here's what changed.

Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg: small airports, short menus#

At these three airports the low scores partly come down to size. Each has two or three lounges, and if you only hold Priority Pass, the lounge on this list is often your only option.

#4. Aspire Lounge, Ottawa, 2.6. This is near gates 18 to 20. With Air Canada or Star Alliance Gold access, cross to the Maple Leaf Lounge near gate 15, which rates 3.9. For Priority Pass holders in Ottawa, the Aspire is the only option, and it's still better than the gate.

#6. Plaza Premium Lounge (US Departures), Edmonton, 2.9. This one is just past gate 88 after preclearance. On the domestic and international side, the Plaza Premium near gate 52 rates 4.5 with two showers, but it's on the other side of preclearance, so it's no help on a US flight.

#10. Plaza Premium Lounge, Winnipeg, 3.6. This is across from gates 5 and 6. It scores 5 for food, seating and crowding, and nothing below 3 except exclusivity. It's on this list because Canada's floor is high, not because there's much wrong with it. The Maple Leaf Lounge opposite gate 9 rates 3.9 if you have Air Canada access, but it closes at 6:15pm.

What sits just above#

Three lounges tie at 3.7 and missed the list: Air Canada's Montréal domestic and transborder Maple Leaf Lounges, and the Plaza Premium in Pearson's Terminal 3 domestic area. Any of them could swap in after a few more ratings.

For the other end of the scale, see the 10 best airport lounges in Canada, our Maple Leaf Lounge ranking and our Plaza Premium ranking. South of the border, there's the US version of this list. Scores follow our methodology.