Net Income Per Limited Partner Unit (Details 2) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Basic and Diluted Net Income per Limited Partner Unit
Basic net income per limited partner unit impact (in dollars per unit)	$ (0.34)
Diluted net income per limited partner unit impact (in dollars per unit)	$ (0.34)

The per unit impact on diluted net income per limited partner unit in the event of allocation of undistributed earnings to incentive distribution rights holders.

No definition available.

Name:	paa_PerUnitImpactToNetIncomeLossPerOutstandingLimitedPartnershipUnitDiluted
Namespace Prefix:	paa_
Data Type:	num:perShareItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration