--- iata: YWG name: Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport city: Winnipeg country: Canada lastUpdated: '2026-09-09' officialWebsite: 'https://www.ywg.ca/' sources: - 'https://www.ywg.ca/' - 'https://www.ywg.ca/assets/pages/Website_Statistics_Q4_Eng_2025.pdf' - 'https://www.ywg.ca/en/newsroom/view/228/2025-year-in-review/' - 'https://www.ywg.ca/en/passengers/transportation/parking/' - 'https://www.ywg.ca/en/passengers/transportation/taxis/' - 'https://www.ywg.ca/en/passengers/transportation/ride-sharing/' - 'https://www.ywg.ca/en/passengers/transportation/public-transit/' - 'https://www.ywg.ca/en/passengers/traveller-info/security/' - 'https://www.ywg.ca/en/passengers/traveller-info/connecting/' - 'https://www.ywg.ca/en/passengers/traveller-info/passport-control/' - 'https://www.ywg.ca/en/passengers/at-ywg/dining/' - >- https://www.ywg.ca/en/passengers/at-ywg/dining/view-restaurant/6/plaza-premium-lounge/ - >- https://www.ywg.ca/en/passengers/at-ywg/dining/view-restaurant/16/maple-leaf-lounge/ - >- https://www.ywg.ca/en/passengers/at-ywg/dining/view-restaurant/4/sapphire-lounge/ - >- https://www.ywg.ca/en/passengers/at-ywg/dining/view-restaurant/12/tim-hortons/ - 'https://www.prioritypass.com/en/lounges/canada' - >- https://www.prioritypass.com/en/lounges/canada/winnipeg-james-armstrong-richardson-international/ywg2-plaza-premium-lounge - >- https://www.plazapremiumlounge.com/en-uk/find/americas/canada/winnipeg/winnipeg-richardson-international-airport/departures-level - 'https://www.cbp.gov/travel/preclearance' - 'https://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/en/verified-travellers' - 'https://info.winnipegtransit.com/en/winnipeg-transit-plus/fare-structure' - 'https://unicitytaxi.mb.ca/rates/' - 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipeg_Richardson_International_Airport' quickFacts: - >- Single Cesar Pelli / Stantec main terminal (opened 30 Oct 2011) at 1970 Wellington Avenue; operator Winnipeg Airports Authority; Transport Canada NAS owner; ICAO CYWG - >- 4,412,013 passengers in 2025 (+2.7% vs 4,297,478 in 2024) — official WAA Q4 statistics PDF. Split: 3,774,421 domestic / 422,006 transborder / 215,586 international - >- Two sterile products in one building: domestic/international via CATSA near Door 3, and a separate U.S. CBP preclearance pier entered from Departures between Door 1 and Door 2. Official CBP hours 05:00–18:00 - >- Live Priority Pass Canada lists one Winnipeg pin: Plaza Premium Lounge opposite Gate 6 (04:00–21:00; max 2 h; not for U.S. flights). Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge is opposite Gate 9 (official WAA 04:45–18:15) and is also closed to U.S. departures - >- No rail. Winnipeg Transit D12 / D13 / 224 stop on the Arrivals Level 1 median by Door 3. Official WAA window 05:24–01:17. City fare as of 1 Jan 2026: CAD $3.45 cash / $3.10 peggo e-cash - >- Door 2 on both Arrivals and Departures is temporarily closed for renovations — enter and exit via Doors 1 and 3. Perimeter Aviation uses a separate south terminal ~2.6 km away, not this hall bentoTips: - label: Timing title: 'Budget CBP separately — the desk closes at 18:00' detail: >- A short domestic CATSA wait does not help a Minneapolis or Chicago itinerary. After U.S. check-in, follow the transborder signs between Door 1 and Door 2, cross the bridge, then clear CBP. Evening U.S. metal still has to be processed before 18:00 — and the holdroom food is Urban Crave only. summary: >- U.S. departures add a second border after CATSA. Official CBP Winnipeg preclearance hours are 05:00–18:00. Neither lounge is on the U.S. side of that door. category: timing - label: Terminal title: Pick the correct pier first — there is no airside hop into the U.S. detail: >- Official WAA connecting page: leave the domestic/international gate area down to Arrivals, collect bags, go back to Departures Level 2, then transborder screening + preclearance. Perimeter Aviation is a different building 2.6 km south — do not walk it with a jet boarding pass. summary: >- One 2011 building, two products. Domestic and non-U.S. international share the Door 3 CATSA hall; U.S. flights use a separate checkpoint and CBP pier. Connecting Canada→U.S. is a landside bag reclaim, not a stroll. category: terminal - label: Food title: Eat before you go into U.S. preclearance detail: >- Sapphire Lounge on the official dining list is a public bar with cold plates — not a Chase Sapphire Lounge and not a Priority Pass room. Trust today’s what’s-open board; WAA hours drift between the directory list and the vendor pages. summary: >- Density is in the domestic/international hall (Starbucks, Prairie Bistro, True Burger, Little Brown Jug, Freshii, Booster Juice). After CBP the official directory lists Urban Crave only. category: food - label: Status title: Priority Pass works — unless you are flying to the U.S. detail: >- Maple Leaf opposite Gate 9 is Air Canada / Star only and also excludes U.S. departures from Winnipeg. Do not invent a transborder lounge, a Centurion, or a Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club. Door 2 is closed — U.S. screening is still the Door 1–2 bridge. summary: >- Live Priority Pass Canada includes Winnipeg. The pin is Plaza Premium opposite Gate 6, 04:00–21:00, max 2 hours. It is explicitly not accessible on U.S. transborder flights. category: status lounges: - name: Plaza Premium Lounge zone: Airside opposite Gate 6; not reachable after U.S. preclearance hours: >- 04:00–21:00 daily (Priority Pass + official WAA dining page 4:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.) access: - >- Priority Pass (max 2 hours; children under 2 free; standard and premium alcohol listed extra) - LoungeKey / DragonPass when the live app lists this pin - Amex Platinum (Plaza Premium Canada — confirm card terms) - Day pass from about CAD $50 (official WAA dining page) bestFor: - Domestic and non-U.S. international departures - Priority Pass with a two-hour window summary: >- The only pay lounge at YWG — useful if you are not flying to the United States, useless after CBP, and capped at two hours on Priority Pass. verdict: depends terminal: Domestic-International amenities: - Hot and cold buffet on rotation - Workstations and complimentary Wi-Fi - Air conditioning / disabled access / digital card accepted - No smoking including vaping - name: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge zone: Airside opposite Gate 9; not reachable after U.S. preclearance hours: '04:45–18:15 daily (official WAA dining page)' access: - >- Air Canada / Rouge / Express or Star Alliance operated flight with qualifying cabin or status - Maple Leaf Club / eligible Aeroplan pathways (confirm Air Canada app) - >- Not Priority Pass, not a day-pass product, and not for U.S. departures from Winnipeg bestFor: - Eligible Air Canada and Star Alliance passengers on non-U.S. flights summary: >- The quieter airline room if you qualify — official WAA copy still says Maple Leaf access is not available for flights to the United States when departing from Winnipeg. verdict: worth-it terminal: Domestic-International amenities: - Complimentary buffet and bar - Wi-Fi and work tables - Tarmac views - No showers waterOptions: - kind: refill name: Airside bottle fillers by washrooms zone: airside summary: >- WAA does not publish a filler map. Empty the bottle at CATSA, then use the washroom-adjacent stations instead of buying airside. location: >- Traveler-documented fillers next to the washrooms in the domestic/international holdroom after the Door 3 CATSA checkpoint terminal: Domestic-International isBestValue: true isBestQuality: true - kind: purchase name: Tim Hortons (after security) zone: airside price: typically CAD $3–5 for a 500–600 ml bottle summary: >- Sealed bottles when the washroom fillers are a long walk from your gate. Hours vary by the second Level 2 pin (early bank only). location: >- Official Tim Hortons pin after security on Level 2 in the domestic/international hall (listed 4:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.) terminal: Domestic-International - kind: purchase name: Urban Crave (U.S. pier) zone: airside price: typically CAD $3–5 for a 500–600 ml bottle summary: >- If you are already through CBP this is the sealed-bottle option. There is no lounge drink and no documented filler map on the U.S. pier. location: >- Official dining directory: after security, USA only, Level 2 — the only listed food on the CBP side terminal: U.S. Transborder - kind: purchase name: Landside Tim Hortons / Stella's zone: landside price: typically CAD $3–5 for a 500–600 ml bottle summary: >- Fine if you need a sealed bottle before screening; you will dump liquids at CATSA, so this is not the value play. location: >- Official Tim Hortons 24-hour pin on Level 1; Stella's restaurant/cafe on Level 2 before security terminal: Landside airportistScore: 7.4 slug: ywg region: North America --- > Markdown for [/airports/ywg](/airports/ywg). Append `.md` to any page URL (or send `Accept: text/markdown`) for an agent-readable copy. - [HTML page](/airports/ywg) - [Lounge directory](/airports/ywg/lounges.md) - [Sitemap](/sitemap.md) # Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (YWG) Winnipeg, Canada · North America Compact 2011 one-terminal prairie gateway with real U.S. preclearance and a live Priority Pass pin — undercut by an 18:00 CBP close and zero lounges after that door. ## Airportist Score **7.4 / 10** Weighted sum of the six published categories (no holistic fudge). - Ease of use (25%): 8.2 — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout. - Comfort & amenities (20%): 7.2 — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet. - Food & retail (15%): 6.8 — Food and retail quality and variety. - Ground access (15%): 7.2 — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city. - Reliability (15%): 7.6 — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience. - Lounges (10%): 6.6 — Worth-it density and access quality. ## At a glance - Passengers: 4.41M (2025) - Terminals: 1 main terminal (Domestic/International + U.S. CBP pier) - Typical security: 12 min - On-time: 84% - Disruption: normal ## Best for - Domestic Canada banks on WestJet, Air Canada, Porter, and Flair - U.S. preclearance before a Stateside connection — if you clear by 18:00 - Priority Pass on a non-U.S. departure - Straightforward one-building wayfinding ## Watch out for - Neither lounge is reachable after U.S. preclearance - CBP desk closes at 18:00 — evening U.S. metal is a cutoff, not a lounge night - No rail — D12/D13/224 from the Door 3 median, or a $25–35 taxi - Perimeter Aviation is a different terminal 2.6 km south ## More intel - [Lounge directory](/airports/ywg/lounges.md) (free) - [Getting there](/airports/ywg/getting-there.md) (free) - [Amenities](/airports/ywg/amenities.md) - [Traveler tips](/airports/ywg/tips.md) - [Water](/airports/ywg/water.md) - [Full guide](/airports/ywg/guide.md) - [Disruptions](/airports/ywg/disruptions.md) - [Reviews](/airports/ywg/reviews.md) (free)