Is there a Plaza Premium Lounge at GIG?

Yes, there are actually 3 Plaza Premium Lounges at Rio de Janeiro Galeão International Airport (GIG): Before security, inside the parking garage, on the Premium Parking level in Terminal 2 After security for domestic departures in Terminal 2 After security for international departures in Terminal 2

Can I use Priority Pass at the Plaza Premium Lounge in Rio?

No, Plaza Premium Lounge is no longer associated with Priority Pass.

Are there showers at the Plaza Premium Lounge at GIG?

Yes, there are showers available at all of the Plaza Premium Lounges located at Rio de Janeiro Galeão International Airport (GIG). Showers are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are tight for time we recommend requesting a shower as soon as you arrive. Lounges can get very busy during peak rush hour times.

Plaza Premium Domestic Departures Lounge at Rio de Janeiro International Airport [Review]

Rio de Janeiro Galeão International Airport (GIG) has come a long way since the days before the Olympics and World Cup came bursting through the country.

Along with a beautifully refreshed Terminal 2, passengers have their choice of dozens of food and beverage options as well as multiple lounges to relax in before taking their international or domestic flights.

If you are a fan of Plaza Premium Lounges, you are in luck as there are 3 options for you at GIG. Since I was flying a quick domestic flight on GOL from Rio to São Paulo (before connecting to Chicago), I settled in at the domestic lounge inside of security in Terminal 2.

Table of contents

What Are Plaza Premium Lounges?
Location
Gaining Entry
First Impressions
Seating
Food and Beverage
Amenities
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

What Are Plaza Premium Lounges?
Location
Gaining Entry
First Impressions
Seating
Food and Beverage
Amenities
Final Thoughts

What Are Plaza Premium Lounges?

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Seating — Plaza Premium Lounge Seating

Plaza Premium Lounge is the world’s largest award-winning independent lounge network. They are owned by the Plaza Premium Group, which is a hospitality group that is also responsible for other lounges totaling over 160 locations in 44 international airports.

Regardless of class of travel, many travelers can enjoy a quick bite of food, a drink, and often a shower for little or no cost.

If you have a premium credit card from American Express, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express, you and 2 guests can enjoy complimentary lounge access in airports across the world. Additionally, cardholders of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and Capital One Spark Miles for Business can also access select Plaza Premium Lounges, including GIG.

Hot Tip: The Plaza Premium is far less crowded, has better seating options, and is showing less “wear” than the GOL Lounge (which is located directly in front of the gate).

Location

The Plaza Premium Lounge that I visited was on the domestic side of Terminal 2 departures, after security.

After going through security and making your way past the many shops, including a Dufry (duty-free) shop, follow the signs for departures and VIP Lounges.

Rio de Janeiro International Airport Domestic Departures GIG — Plenty of Shopping Available

There will be a split where you can visit the food court to the left or departures to the right, so continue to the right.

Rio de Janeiro International Airport Domestic Departures in Terminal 2

Before you head up the escalators to the gates, you will come face to face with the Plaza Premium Lounge.

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Entrance — Plaza Premium Lounge Domestic Departures GIG Entrance

Hot Tip: The lounge is open from 6:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. every day, which should accommodate almost all passengers flying domestically in Brazil.

Gaining Entry

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Signage — Plaza Premium Lounge Domestic Departures GIG Entryway

At the time of my visit, this lounge belonged to the Priority Pass network, though Plaza Premium Lounges are no longer part of Priority Pass. All I had to do was open the Priority Pass app on my phone, scan the QR code, sign my name, and I was in.

As of February 2020, you can also purchase a 3-hour stay for $35 on the Plaza Premium website or via the LoungeBuddy app.

First Impressions

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Booths — Plaza Premium Lounge Domestic Departures GIG Booths

Upon walking into the lounge, it is immediately identifiable as a Plaza Premium Lounge thanks to the standardized colors and seating options.

The modern styling with multiple wood tones, classic blue and beige chairs, nice lighting, and a carpet with a Copacabana sidewalk design all tie in nicely together.

If you weren’t paying attention, you could easily confuse parts of this lounge with the one located on the international side of the terminal.

The Plaza Premium Lounge on the domestic side is a sprawling 10,000 square feet and has over 220 seats, so space should not often be an issue — it certainly wasn’t when I was there at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday as there were, at most, 10 other people in the lounge.

Seating

What I really like about the Plaza Premium lounges at GIG are the seating options.

Whether you are traveling solo, with someone else, or a big group, there are plenty of options to choose from — and all of them are comfortable! And (almost) more importantly, most of them had multiple power outlets conveniently located to charge your gadgets!

There are options for groups to sit together and chat.

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Sitting Area — Plaza Premium Lounge Domestic Departures GIG Sitting Area

There are options to sit and dine in a booth and chair set up like in a restaurant.

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Dining Area — Plaza Premium Lounge Domestic Departures GIG Dining Area

There are mini-booth options if you prefer more privacy.

Plaza Premium Lounge GIG Booths — Plaza Premium Lounge Domestic Departures GIG Booths

There are the classic lounge chairs (which are quite comfortable and have built-in USB outlets).

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Lounge Chairs — Check out the Copacabana sidewalk themed carpets!

There are work pods with an adjustable light and outlets if you need to get some business done.

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Work Pods — Plaza Premium Lounge Domestic Departures GIG Work Pods

There are seats by the bar if you don’t like any of the other options.

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Bar Area — Plaza Premium Lounge Domestic Departures GIG Bar Area

There are bar stools at the bar if you don’t want to be too far from the action!

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Bar — Plaza Premium Lounge Domestic Departures GIG Bar

Even the overflow seating is cute and functional.

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Chairs — Plaza Premium Lounge Domestic Departures GIG Overflow Seating

Bottom Line: No matter what your reason for visiting the lounge is, there will certainly be a seat that you and your party can get comfortable in.

Food and Beverage

Normally I like the food at the Plaza Premium Lounge when visiting the location on the international side. In fact, my family and I will often go out of our way to eat there instead of risking things at the Admirals Club.

Unfortunately, I will not be going out of my way to eat at this lounge in the future.

Perhaps it was the awkward timing of my visit between lunch and dinner, but the food that was available was not appetizing at all.

Meals

Since I had skipped lunch on my way to the airport, I was looking forward to eating something satisfying during the lounge visit before catching my flight.

My first stop was at the kitchen buffet where there appeared to be a decent array of options as well as a pasta action station.

The pasta station offered the following options:

Pastas:

Spaghetti
Penne

Sauces:

Pomodoro
Butter and herbs
Four cheese sauce
White sauce
Garlic and olive oil

Unfortunately, due to the time, there was no staff available to cook the pasta, so I moved down to the hot buffet.

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Buffet — Plaza Premium Lounge Domestic Departures GIG Hot Buffet

At first glance, I thought I would have plenty of options to chose from, but upon closer inspection, nothing really seemed appetizing. The spread, on paper, was somewhat impressive and included:

Pumpkin soup with ginger
Pão de queijo (cheese bread)
Hot dogs
Stuffed tomatoes
Carrot soufflé
Roasted beef
White rice
Chicken breast

However, it was very clear that the food had been sitting out for a while and I wasn’t hungry enough to risk filling up on questionable food before 2 flights.

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Hot Dog — I decided to skip the leftover hotdogs…

Salad Bar

One bright spot in the F&B experience was the salad bar.

The greens and toppings all looked fresh and there were options for little sandwiches and fruit as well.

The salad bar included:

Beets
Black and green olives
Hummus
Lentils
Mixed greens
Potato salad
Quail egg
Shredded carrots
Shredded cheese
Tomato confit
Zucchini

At this point, I had already made the decision to skip lunch and just have a couple of snacks and a beer before my flight, so I skipped the salad.

Although, if I am being completely honest, I was never going to have a salad!

Snacks

The snack options were, unfortunately, also lacking. There were only corn chips and visibly stale bread.

No worries, I thought, I love corn chips. So I grabbed a bowl, grabbed a beer, and found a seat…

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Chips and Beer — Beer and chips, the perfect pairing… or so I thought!

…only to bite into the chips and find them to be some of the stalest chips I have ever tried. I should have known better as they were right next to the extremely stale bread. Oh well!

Drinks

Fortunately, the drink situation was not as bad as the food.

For non-alcoholic beverages, there was a basic self-service drink station with water and orange juice. If you wanted a soda or any other option for a drink you need to head to the bar.

In the interest of this comprehensive review, I headed to the bar (but not for a soda).

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Beverages — Plaza Premium Lounge Domestic Departures GIG Non-Alcoholic Beverage Options (Water and Orange Juice)

The bar offers quite a few basic options thanks to a relatively well-stocked liquor shelf, some red and white wines, an espresso machine, and a beer tap.

I opted for a Heineken draft and was pleasantly surprised with the pour and how cold it was.

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Draft Beer Heineken — The draft beer at the Plaza Premium Lounge Domestic Departures GIG was a nice, cold Heineken.

With some decent snacks and some sports on the big TVs, I could easily see myself enjoying a few drinks here with friends before a flight. Maybe next time!

Bottom Line: The food and beverage options left a lot to be desired. Perhaps it was the odd timing of my visit, but if you are planning on having a full meal here, prepare to be creative with your options.

Amenities

For amenity offerings, the Plaza Premium lounge is on the basic side, but still very solid. With food, drinks, Wi-Fi, and showers, there really isn’t much more you would need in a domestic terminal lounge.

Plaza Premium Lounge Rio Wine — Plaza Premium Lounge Domestic Departures GIG Self-Service Wine

Here are all of the amenities listed on their website:

Bar
Draught beer
Food and beverage
Newspapers/magazines
TV channels
Wi-Fi
Charging stations
Flight information
Lounge bay
Shower facilities
Vegetarian options

Again, a very solid lineup for a lounge that didn’t even exist a few years ago and a great way to save yourself from the overpriced dining options surrounding the gates.

Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to check out the shower facilities.

Final Thoughts

The Plaza Premium Lounge in the domestic departures section of Terminal 2 at GIG is a solid place to settle down before catching your flight somewhere else in Brazil.

Select Amex and Capital One cardholders with access will be much more comfortable at this lounge compared to the GOL Premium Lounge near the gates.

The seating options are excellent, the Wi-Fi is strong, and there are showers for those who want to freshen up.

If you are looking for a cold Heineken or a cocktail, the handsome bar in the middle of the lounge should have you covered. Coffees and espressos are also handmade at the bar and smelled delicious.

However, if you are looking for somewhere to feed your family or get a solid meal for yourself before your flight, be prepared to be disappointed. That being said, I have had much better meals at night in the international version of this lounge, so I may have just been unlucky with my timing between lunch and dinner service.

Although lounge options are limited in the domestic terminal of Rio Galeão, the Plaza Premium Lounge is still your best option and I will certainly be visiting on my next trip through the domestic terminal of GIG.

2 comments

Karen November 1, 2022
No longer accessible via PP and Gol lounge is closed. So nothing Priority Pass at GIG?
- Keri Stooksbury November 2, 2022
  Correct – we’ve updated the piece to reflect that this lounge is no longer affiliated with Priority Pass. Keep an eye on Priority Pass’ GIG page for details on when you’ll be able to access the GIG lounges with your membership.

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