North American airlines have really been upping their game lately when it comes to their premium lounge experience: -- United has introduced Polaris Lounges, which offer sit down dining and daybeds for international first and business class passengers -- American has introduced Flagship Lounges, which offer an improved food & drink selection and nicer decor…
Continue reading: New Air Canada Lounge Has The World’s Best Business Class Dining Experience
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Looks amazingly good.
Completely agree with you about the word "signature". Now ludicrously overused and utterly devalued: McDonalds in the UK is currently advertising its "signature burgers", so you know this word is on its way out.
O Canada. This does seem amazing, pity no nice views from the lounge as that would be icing on the cake. Nice that they are offering Ontario wines but pity they don't seem to feature quality Canadian craft beers (of which there are innumerable in Ontario and Quebec alone). But overall this obviously exceeds anything we find south of the border in America and makes the long-haul biz class flight deals ex-YYZ seem more attractive.
Looks awesome. So if you're flying MXP>YYZ>LAX in J for example, you can't use this lounge?
@ Luis -- You couldn't use it, unfortunately, because the transborder terminal is separate from the other international terminal, so you'd have no way of even reaching this lounge.
Sometimes I think that AC attempts to do better with their business class because they don't have any higher class of seating. No First Class on AC.
Also calling it "Best"? It's not even open yet! And the VS Clubhouse still looks better.
The fact that Gary Leff also called it "best" makes it sound like Air Canada just paid off the entire BoardingArea like shrills.
Ben, I think I saw you strolling through international departures, Terminal 1 at Pearson last night with Ben Smith and the entourage. All wearing visitor badges? Around 9:30 pm? On your way from the lounge tour?
Sorry, I completely disagree with you that differentiating between paid and award flight bookings in business class to determine eligibility for access is justified. Previous attempts to do this (cf. SQ's private room when it first opened) went down like a damp squib, and it's a slippery slope when airlines begin to differentiate between valuable and less valuable premium class customers in this way. No problem in excluding elites, but if you've booked business class you should have access, regardless of how your ticket was funded. If space is tight (and, let's be honest, there's no excuse in it being so in a brand new lounge) then access to business class passengers should be permitted on a first come, first served basis.
Looking forward to visiting this lounge on my next trip to Europe. I normally fly paid executive class so I would qualify for access. Unfortunately flights to Mexico are not in the "zone". https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/signature-suite.html
"The best" is a very strong expression...I'm not so sure if you can call the dining experience here "the best" after only visiting it once for a media event.
@ JL -- That's fair enough, though I really don't think Air Canada has any competition in North America when it comes to the dining experience. What other airline offers a comparable dining experience? The closest is the Polaris Lounge, and that's really just a dozen tables in the middle of a totally overcrowded lounge. It's a perfectly nice experience, but it's not restaurant quality in the same way this is. But you're right, and I do want to visit this lounge "undercover" sometime when it's mostly full.
@ Michael -- I see where you're coming from and I somewhat agree. I don't like airlines differentiating between ticket types in a given cabin. But I disagree that a first come first serve model is any better. For me the single most important aspect of a premium experience is being able to manage expectations. You want to know exactly what you can expect when you go to the airport, so you can arrive as well rested as possible. That's simply not possible if everything is done on a first come first serve basis, where you don't know whether you'll be able to have a proper dinner before the flight or not.
So while I don't like them discriminating between ticket types, I don't think there's a better model to go with. And I say this as someone who books mostly award tickets and upgrades. They've literally taken over all the lounge space they can get, so they're doing their best. Also keep in mind this is what they're starting with, and it's possible they'll make the access requirements less stringent in the future.
But to me nothing ruins a nice lounge like it being completely overcrowded to the point that there's only standing room.
Based on the pictures it doesn't seem there's anywhere to properly set up a laptop and work. There appears to be LOTS of dining tables and some living room-like areas with couches and armchairs, but no pub-height bars or tables with outlets. I would imagine that most travelers on paid J tickets would be business people and would value a workspace. Seems odd they overlooked that in favor of (too many?) 2- and 4-tops for the restaurant style dining. Were there other work areas that just didn't make it into the blog entry?
@ keitherson -- I'm calling it the best dining experience, not the all around best lounge. I love Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses, including the spas, showers, fun vibe, etc. All things considered I might even prefer it to this lounge if I could only choose one. But the food there simply isn't comparable.
For example, here's my review of the JFK Clubhouse, which has things like corn dogs, flatbreads, and chicken wings on the menu. It's perfectly edible food, but not really gourmet. Do you disagree?
They've posted the entry requirements:
https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/signature-suite.html
Interestingly, it looks like only paid J on AC flights get in. I'd be annoyed if I were a paid J passenger on LH/OS/etc., especially if I were booked on an AC ticket.
CX has no problem to accommodate Oneworld emerald members and people travel in first class to their first class lounges. Yes CX has more F lounges in HKG but there are also more people can access the lounges.
@ Arcanum -- It's a fair point, but the issue is the limited capacity of the lounge. With up to four daily flights on Austrian, Lufthansa, and Swiss, that would add a lot of people. Hopefully they can expand the lounge eventually.
@ Mitch -- That's a great question, am following up on that and will let you know. My gut says yes to Iceland and no to Bermuda, but I could be wrong.
Wow this does look incredible! Will be interesting to see how it compares to the QF lounge at LHR T3.
Ben, do you think you could do a post listing which business class lounges are your favorite? I'm wondering which other J lounges provide a la carte dining. Polaris of course. What about Al Mourjan? Any others?
@ Pigx5 -- Right, they also have a lot more lounges. What they explained is that there are only five spaces allocated by the airport for lounges in Terminal 3 -- Air Canada already has three lounges, there's a Plaza Premium Lounge, and then there's this. There's simply no more square feet they have access to at the moment.
@ AdamR -- It's a good observation. Their explanation is that they wanted to do everything they could to keep a restaurant vibe. One of the reason they didn't add certain other amenities is because they felt it would detract from the experience of it being like a restaurant. Whether or not we agree with that is a different story, but that's the explanation of why they don't have any workstations.
@ BrooklynBoy -- It's a great idea, let me work on a post. Believe it or not, Al Mourjan has cut a la carte dining in their restaurant. The only thing you can order are sandwiches in their little downstairs dining area, and the last time I ate there the food was disgusting. Let me see if I can compile a list.
Michael,
No, it makes sense. If I pay for premium tickets I do not want to mix with those on upgrades, freebies and award tickets. You can use the bizo lounge. I didn't pay several grand to hobnob with those who didn't. Sorry
Lucky, I ask you a question on FB but you have not replied. Are you ok with other bloggers just use onemileatatime’s news directly which they translate into their language and post on their website directly? Are you aware that people are doing this?
@Lucky, do they have any lockers to store carry-ons? The pictures of the dining area near the buffet and bar look really tight. This is where most people would normally sit to grab a quick drink/bite. It looks spacious now but when you add people plus their carry-ons, this will get really crowded.
@ pigx5 -- No, that's not acceptable. If you'd like to share further details we'd of course appreciate it!
Love the wood paneling (also loved the entrance to the new Quantas lounge in LHR) but I was a bit concerned about the local Ontario wines (Niagara Peninsula) wines. The soil and climate in southern Ontario and upstate New York can't match the wine growing regions in other parts of the world. There may be some exceptions now but that was the case when I lived in Toronto years ago.
Oh well, it's a pity they don't allow people with award tickets to go in. The Maple Lounges are terrible, it'd be nice to get access to this one.
Lucky, to be honest, I am not an AC fan. Do you know when the QF @ LHR will open? That's a lounge to get excited about!
This is great news for me. I fly a few times a year in paid J from WAS to various destinations in Asia via YYZ. Air Canada always seems to have the best J fares, I think to lure American residents to transit in Toronto.
I agree with AdamR though -- it doesn't look like there's a lot of places to actually work. I don't know about other business travelers, but most of my lounge time is working on my laptop, with a bit to eat beside me. I don't just sit down to dine.
I also notice a lot of the tables are set up in a 4-person configuration, and I think most paid J travelers are in pairs at most (business travelers), but I guess they can easily reconfigure those.
Well, a big step up from the Maple Leaf Lounge. I think it will also be quite empty, since the MLL is right in front of you when transiting from the US, after the high-speed moving walkway. Only savvy travelers will know about this relatively hidden new lounge.
Would this lounge be accessible on a BOS-YYZ-CPH flight as they are both international flights?
This must be the reason why the new YVR MLL in International Terminal, which opened a couple of months ago and is well done design wise, has been given a huge thumbs down on FlyerTalk with regards to almost a total absence of food save for packaged snacks. All the money for food and drink has been siphoned off to this new YYZ lounge. Shame on AC.
Big step up from the existing T1 Maple Leaf Lounge for sure. I'm looking forward to trying it out. In other YYZ lounge news, Plaza Premium has opened a new lounge post US Customs in the T3 transborder area. Coupled with the renovated AA lounge, this gives two great new options for American, WestJet or Delta transborder fliers. Access is open to Amex Platinum or Priority Pass members or to purchase. I was there last week.
Looks like a hybrid of Qatar's London Lounge, and Qantas and Cathay Business lounges at home bases. combined-elements of all. Even the burger is straight out of the Qatar lounge (and very nice it is too) .
Great if they keep standards up, but everyone here will have seen great lounges open and then start cost-cutting and degrading the service.
All the best to them and anything that keeps the bar moving higher is a good thing.
I buy business class tickets on AC every summer for European vacations (there’s good deals sometimes if you set price alerts in Kayak) so yes I will definitely check out this lounge next time. Thanks for the info. Although I do appreciate the showers in the existing lounge after a long hot summer day so maybe I’ll try lounge hopping in this case. My only issue with the good food in lounges is it kills your appetite for the multi course meal on the plane. Of course that could actually be the ultimate first world problem!
Did you tip?
Lounges with sit down dining are uncommon in areas were tipping is expected.
@ Bill -- I actually specifically asked about this, and they said that servers are told to turn down tips, so not only is there no expectation to do so, but it shouldn't happen.
@ Gus -- You would get access based on flying Air Canada business class outbound from Toronto to Copenhagen.
will be flying YYZ-LHR on Dec 31 in paid business so really looking forward to using this!
This definitely helps their competition in the east coast to asia market, where they have been making efforts at drawing customers through YYZ (eg, competitive prices and the attempt to streamline immigration). It does seem a bit odd, though, that on the outbound, you'd have this fantastic dining experience, while inbound you'd be stuck in the generally overcrowded lounge in the transborder area.
Now maybe they will follow up this lounge policy with no free food or drinks in flight on J award tickets. You're on an award ticket? Then here's the price list for hot dogs and sodas on board, while the paid person across the aisle gets served champagne and a 3 course meal.
I don't buy the 'not enough space' excuse. How many people on any given flight are in J on an award? Surely not enough per flight to 'crowd' (sic) the lounge. Allowing elites from partner airlines who are flying in economy, yes, that could cause over crowding. But just people flying on award tickets in J on AC metal? No way...
There is no such thing as a "free" award ticket. No matter how may full fare flights you took, and how much spend you put on your AC credit card, to get the miles for an award ticket, you are still a second class person with AC. 🙁
As for Martin, who doesn't want to slum it with the peasants on award tickets, when he gets enough miles from his paid flights to earn a "free" ticket, he will find himself excluded. I wonder how he will feel then?
The lack of bid upgrade access seems suspect. If you've paid for your upgrade and they're awarding you miles in that class of service it seems as though you should be able to get the full experience. Those bid to upgrade can often be more expensive than a sale P class fare.
It's disingenuous for you to promote your award booking service and then not call out airlines when they are providing your customers an inferior service. Award miles are just an alternate form of currency, you can't have it both ways.
Virgin Clubhouse LHR - Better Ambience, better food!!! This still looks good - but i would rate the Virgin heathrow clubhouse far better, just because of the space, the general trendiness, the good food and entertainment value!!!
What the heck is Korean Fried Cauliflower? I have not seen any cauliflower in Korean cuisine.
Exclusion of award J is probably a good thing - if you are only allowed in on an AC flight that means that you have paid at least $500 in YQ. You are way better off booking Swiss on an Aeroplan (at least in the near future) award and use the $500 on a really nice meal somewhere else.
Typically Ontario - they have not discovered that the best Canadian wines come from the Okanagan Valley in BC. This might be a problem caused by the Ontario Government that has banned the "importation" of BC wines into Ontario contrary to the laws passed in the last two years that prohibit the practice. So the crappy Niagara wines are another reason to either boycott the lounge or find something better elsewhere.
Also worth a mention is our archaic Canadian liquor laws, which mandate that no alcohol can be served before 11 am. So the lounge is dry in the mornings. No mimosas or bloody Marie’s or Caesar’s in the morning. Lounge looks great but rather restrictive with accessibility. I do like the LHR maple leaf lounge quite a bit I wish our domestic ones were half as good especially the crapy ones in YVR.
In all the years of travel and many many airline lounges in the world......this is the worst airline lounge that I have ever been in......this is the customer shower. After 24 hours flying from Brisbane, I was looking forward to a refreshing shower. I was shocked when I got in the shower and looked down ...... needless to say, I got out very quickly, fearful of what I might catch. There was orange mould all around the bottom of the shower, grime and a wad of other peoples hair that had not been removed from the plug hole. When I complained, they were not interested.
The food was bland and has been the same every time I am in this lounge.
Just finished a visit to the lounge. Great experience, and I agree the dining is exceptional—food, service, everything. The lounge decor is classy and creates a relaxing vibe. There seemed to be a good balance between dining seating and non-dining seating options, and while there were quite a few people there it certainly didn’t feel crowded. Really good experience overall and worth seeking out if eligible.
@yyz - they have a valet who will stow carryons while in he lounge, which was a nice feature.
Looks great.
Were you invited? I know there was a special media event recently.
Or did you buy a fullfare J ticket?
It's too bad there is no such lounge in YVR. I frequently fly from Toronto to Hong Kong via Vancouver, business class full fare.
Recently had the pleasure of visiting the Signature Suite on my way to Mumbai, and enjoyed the best sable fish I have ever eaten. This place is special.
I am sitting in the Signature Suite right now. The dinner was amazing and will save me staying up to have supper on the plane - I will try to get a better sleep.
The only disappointing thing is the beer selection. Canada prides itself on making good beer. Here the selection is horrendous. There is a huge amount of Craft IPAs and other good tasting beer available in Canada. Why am I limited to Molson Canadian and some international lagers. Guiness is the most exotic beer available???