Summary

  • Air Canada is the largest airline in Canada with 350 aircraft, hubs in major cities, and a member of the Star Alliance.
  • Maple leaf symbols are prevalent in Air Canada’s branding, lounges are named Maple Leaf Lounges, and they invested in improvements.
  • Air Canada has Maple Leaf Lounges in both US and European airports to provide consistent service to passengers.

Air Canada is proudly the flag carrier and largest airline by some margin for Canada. The airline, based in the borough of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, in the French-speaking province of Quebec, is home to a growing fleet of over 350 aircraft (including subsidiaries) and serves almost 200 international passengers and 222 cargo destinations worldwide.

The airline was also a founding member of the world’s largest airline alliance, the Star Alliance. While its roots are firmly in Montreal, the airline operates major hubs at Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Montreal-Trudeau (YUL), and Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

Whenever you think of Canada’s symbols, the maple leaf always comes to mind. While the maple symbol is prevalent in the majority of Air Canada’s liveries, collateral, and visible onboard, did you know that the Maple tree was only designated as a national arboreal emblem of Canada in 1996?

An Air Canada Boeing 777 landing

Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock

Air Canada has appropriately named its airline lounges the ‘Maple Leaf Lounges’ and now operates 17 of these across Canada, the United States, and Europe. More recently, the airline has made significant investments throughout its network of lounges, including expanding capacity in its hub locations.

New food menus and the installation of eGates have made it easy for guests to check in and gain quick access to the area. Throughout this improvement, the carrier has also introduced new policies to make access more consistent for eligible travelers.

Before we take off internationally, let’s just recap where you can find Maple Leaf Lounges at home:

  • Calgary (YYC)
  • Edmonton (YEG)
  • Halifax (YHZ)
  • Montreal (YUL)
  • Ottawa (YOW)
  • Regina (YQR)
  • Saskatoon (YXE)
  • St. Johns
  • Toronto Pearson (YYZ)
  • Toronto Billy Bishop (YTZ) – Aspire | Air Canada Café
  • Vancouver (YVR)
  • Winnipeg (YEG)

Related

Inside Air Canada’s New Billy Bishop Airport Cafe

Air Canada has opened its newest lounge at Toronto’s downtown airport.

International Maple Leaf Lounges

Many of the world’s leading international airlines operate a network of airline lounges in their home country and at some of their most frequent international ports. This enables the respective carriers to deliver consistent service to their customers regardless of where they may have traveled.

This entices customers repeatedly, as they know what they can expect and what they are paying for the next time they buy their airline ticket.

Prime examples of international carriers with a network of lounges outside their home country can be seen by Air New Zealand (with lounges located in Australia, Fiji, and the Cook Islands) or Emirates, which has lounges in over 30 destinations worldwide.

Air Canada is no different here, with a robust network of Maple Leaf Lounges scattered across the United States and Canada. Let’s take a closer look at where you might find them:

United States

One of the largest international markets for Air Canada is travel to and from the United States. Many of Canada’s busiest airports are also home to US preclearance facilities, enabling passengers to clear US customs before leaving Canadian soil.

This allows the passenger to land in the US as a domestic passenger and make easy connections to another service or a quick departure from the terminal.

Air Canada has four Maple Leaf Lounges located in:

Airport:

Location:

Details:

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

Terminal 6

  • Open 4:30- 22:30 daily
  • Business center
  • Quiet zone
  • Free WiFi
  • Snacks and beverages
  • News and entertainment

New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

Terminal B Eastern Concourse, Level 3

  • Open 4:30-20:00 daily
  • Business center
  • Quiet zone
  • Free WiFi
  • Snacks and beverages
  • News and entertainment

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

United Club, Terminal A, near gate A27, 2nd floor

  • Open 5:00 – 21:15
  • In this location, the Maple Leaf Lounge co-operates with the United Club. Air Canada passengers are welcomed to an Air Canada customer service desk and agent, alongside an access policy consistent with Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounges.
  • Business center
  • Free WiFi
  • Snacks and beverages
  • News and entertainment

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

Terminal 2, Sector 4, 4th floor

  • Open 5:00- 22:15 daily
  • Business center
  • Quiet zone
  • Free WiFi
  • Snacks and beverages
  • News and entertainment
  • Shower facilities
  • Outdoor terrace with views over the airport runway

Want to learn more about the lounge in San Francisco? Check out the video below:

Europe

Air Canada’s long-haul network has extensive operations in Europe, with destinations on its route map including (but not limited to) Barcelona, Copenhagen, Dublin, Madrid, Lyon, Lisbon, and more.

The airline’s most popular destinations are also home to Maple Leaf Lounges, which include Frankfurt, London Heathrow, and Paris:

Airport:

Location:

Details:

Frankfurt International Airport (FRA)

Terminal 1, Concourse B (Level 3)

  • Hours of operation vary:

    • Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 6:00 – 16:30
    • Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: 6:00 – 17:00
  • Business center
  • Quiet zone
  • Free WiFi
  • Snacks and beverages
  • News and entertainment
  • Shower facilities

London Heathrow International Airport (LHR)

Terminal 2B – Queen’s Terminal, Level 1

  • Open daily 6:00- 17:30
  • Business center
  • Quiet zone
  • Free WiFi
  • Snacks and beverages
  • News and entertainment
  • Shower facilities

Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG)

Level 1 (currently closed until 2025)

With its current lounge closed due to airport construction, eligible passengers can visit the Extime Lounge, which is located just before immigration in Terminals 2B and 2D.

Related

Review: The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge At Frankfurt Airport

Some consider the lounge one of Frankfurt Airport’s best business class facilities.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *