Review of Sky Team Lounge at YVR

We recently took advantage of the Priority Pass benefit with our new credit card at the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) en route to Japan. With Priority Pass, we had two options at the YVR international terminal: either the classic Premium Plaza Lounge or the Sky Team Lounge. The Premium Plaza Lounge was immediately after security and it looked pretty busy. It was the older of the two lounges and has a more strict dress code (smart casual) and a classic, regal look. We decided to go with the Sky Team Lounge, a newer, more casual space. From the photos that we saw online, it also looked more modern and open.

The check-in is located at the ground level and you will need to take the elevator up one level to the lounge itself. Check-in was easy using the Priority Pass app on my phone. They also needed a boarding pass to show that we were booked on an international flight that day. Alternatively, we just gave them the name of the airline we were taking that day and that was sufficient for them to look up our flight information.

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We arrived at the lounge around 11:30am and it was very busy. As soon as we got out of the elevator, there was a newspaper stand, then immediately behind there is a Business Centre with a computer, printer and a few office chairs in a half-moon configuration. It was fully occupied at the time, with some patrons in an intense team meeting. As we keep walking, there was plenty of seating with many outlets for charging electronics. The space itself is not too big but it’s located on the top floor with lots of light given the surrounding glass walls. I really enjoyed the ambience. There are also space-separating walls so you don’t have to feel like you’re in a fishbowl. To the right, there is a wine bar. Behind there are two loungers to put your feet  up if needed. The lounge is only about 2 years old but the loungers appear to be in rough shape as the pillows are ripped. Some of the other seating is also in bad shape, there was a chair, which we were going to sit on that was badly stained. There is a bridge with more seating along the walls, leading to the food section.

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There is a central buffet style area with snacks like crackers, cheese and smoked salmon, desserts such as carrot cake and brownies, as well as cold sandwiches and hot foods. They were serving cajun chicken, rice and veggies that day. I did not try that. Instead, I read many reviews about their noodle bar,  so I had to try it out. Using their order sheet, I ordered the mixed wonton and fish ball noodles in soup as well as some pork dumplings and veggie dumplings. The noodle bar was full-service and they rang the bell as soon as the order was ready. The noodles were not bad. I enjoyed how they had various toppings such as fried onions, chilli oil and pickles to help enhance the flavours. The dumplings were alright. You cannot compare it to what you will get at dim sum. For drinks, there was a variety of tea, coffee and specialty coffee, soft drinks and liquors. The lounge did clear up significantly after approximately 12:30pm. I had more time to pick up some more snacks including the mushroom soup (pretty good), cheese and crackers (good), smoked salmon (not my fave), coleslaw (good) and carrot cake (alright)

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The service was very good. There were many staff members walking around clearing our tables throughout our time there and checking up on us. There was wifi but it is just the general YVR wifi and the speed was not the best. I also had the chance to take a peek into their shower rooms which looked spacious and clean. The lounge was very close to most international departure gates so we pretty much stayed there until a few minutes before boarding. 

Overall, we had a good experience at the Sky Team Lounge. I have not been to any other airport lounges in the past and would love to be able to in the future to compare. 

Until then, happy travels!