Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Montreal Airport (YUL)

Interestingly, the layout of the bar and the buffet looks almost exactly like the SFO MLL, minus the live cooking station.

Also, the transborder YUL MLL does not have a bar. Instead, all drinks are self-serve, including all alcohol.

For the time being, YUL is my home airport. Your observations regarding customer service in the international lounge are spot on. It’s the same service as the domestic and transborder lounges: not terrible but nothing to write home about.

Doesn’t help that the Canadian market is small and Air Canada has a monopoly for flights and lounges in Canada.

As someone for whom YUL is my home airport, the international Maple Leaf Lounge is way better than the domestic and transborder ones at YUL. The domestic and transborder lounges are tired looking and desperately need a revamp.

There are some international departures in the morning to sun destinations in countries like Mexico and the DR. There is a huge market for that here in Montreal. It's just that the international section is way busier when the flights to Europe are getting ready to depart. I have had to wait in line to access the international Maple Leaf Lounge.

This has the feel of a cheap Cathay lounge to me. Similar aesthetic but more cut-rate materials.

I thought the Maple Leaf Club membership was shelved in the pandemic and no immediate plans to bring it back given overcrowding at AC hubs given their recent credit card tie ins with lounge access.

And if there was a signature lounge at YUL presumably you wouldn’t have access unless it was the fully flexible points redemptions, not on standard redemptions?

In December I entered in the transborder MLL waiting for a flight for Chicago. There was a queue to enter at 6am or so. Once in I found the lounge crowded and depressing. The line for self service coffee was several minutes. Needless to say, I left for a restaurant and enjoyed it more than that lounge.

Also, for the international MLL, one of the airlines I fly frequently from YUL (TK), recently started using the Air France lounge. Much better than the MLL.

"" international Maple Leaf Lounge (not to be confused with the domestic lounge or the transborder lounge, since Canadian airports are kind of complicated in that regard).""

The fact that you don't understand domestic, transborder and international doesn't make it complicated... it means you can't seem to grasp the distinction. Having a transborder function allows for US bound flight to land in the US without going through immigration upon arrival and allows for flights to easily divert. Also, Canadian airports are much better for transit passengers, unlike US airports that really don't have international transit (does HNL still allow that ?)

MLL ? where is that ? you mean YUL

MLL = Maple Leaf Lounge

Do try to keep up.

But no sparkling. Not even behind the staffed bar. AC is ludicrously frugal.

This ML lounge is better than any ML lounge in Canada. YUL has no signature lounge like YYZ and YVR which are excellent lounges offering much more drink. food and services.

I'm pretty sure the lounge was opened in 2016 when the International wing was expanded.

Still the International terminal is a vast improvement over the Aeroquay days

Wow...why so snarky?

Disappointing the management staff were using the lounge as a conference room. Certainly not professional.

Ben: If you haven't seen it, look up on YouTube "Pan Am Shop Talk." Besides some historical MIA terminal shots, it's a good message and fascinating and I think you'd get a kick out of it. (And if you view that channel's other videos, down a rabbit hole that takes hours to get out of... "This is MY galley" or "Miss Upper Deck" are kinda funny training videos.

Line up to get in ALL THE TIME
Waiting time can be longer than 1 hour
What a waste of time
Poorly managed

The real reason they were designed this is historically there were different security standards for domestic canada vis International standards (just like Australia and NZ) The transborder is simply because of the preclearance setup

God you’re a tool aren’t you?

You think Ben, professional traveler, who holds two passports, has crossed more borders and visited more airports/lounges than 99.99% of all of humanity doesn't understand Canadian airport security areas?

Did I miss where Ben said he didn't understand the difference?
Or did you miss where he didn't say it?
I think you're trying to teach your grandma to suck eggs.....

The international lounge has a extremely disappointing 'new' rule that entry cannot be gained more than three hours before the flight. This is unacceptable when you are on an international business trip and paid for the access to the lounge to work. What a strange draconian rule, what is the problem that is being solved here?

The article says the lounge closes every day at 9pm, but AC says it closes every day at 11pm ( https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/fly/premium-services/maple-leaf-lounges/maple-leaf-lounge-details.html#/!lounge@montreal).

Perhaps the info here was from Covid times, or they just changed recently. I hope so, at least, as I have an international AC flight coming up at 11:35 PM, and it seems odd that AC would close their own lounge so much earlier than their own flights depart. But I guess I'll soon find out.

Comfortable enough lounge with tasty food selection.

Dr. Güntürk Üstün

love it 🙂