For the last lounge visit during my whirlwind Aeroplan adventure, I visited the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in the transborder area of Toronto Airport Terminal 1. I had just arrived from Frankfurt in Air Canada’s Boeing 777 business class, and after a six hour layover was connecting to Miami in Air Canada’s Boeing 787…
Continue reading: Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Toronto Transborder (YYZ)
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As a United Club member and Star Alliance Gold who's flying YYZ - ORD on Tuesday, this article is pertinent to my interests and well-timed. Thank you, Ben, for your efforts. The lounge doesn't look too bad either.
Interesting- you arrived from Frankfurt, do you have to go through Canadian immigration before going through US immigration, or do you go directly to US? I’d definitely consider a Toronto connection if the latter…
You can go directly from international to US immigration, i.e. bypassing Canadian immigration, at least in terminal 1 (star alliance)
Have you ever thought about moving out of Chicago? I grew up there and thought it was a decent city, then I became an adult and studied and worked in places like NYC and SF and realized that Chicago is really a poseur of a city full of underachievers.
4 stars is too generous. Sure the food and drinks are decent compared to other NA lounges but it’s a zoo most times and like you said, needs a refresh.
"Thai curry pasta"? There's no such thing as Thai pasta. Besides, you can hardly call that a hot "dish". Just a cheap filler
I guess the AC lounge made it into a thing by pouring and mixing Thai Curry with pasta.
Ben is right though if you think of apples as nature’s candy, the healthy snack choice compared to chocolates, chips, and cookies.
Having been in this lounge many times, I don't actually feel that it is outdated. Other than the outlets, what makes you feel that way?
Born, bred, grew up, graduated from The University of Chicago (home of 80 Nobel winners), lived elsewhere, came back, resident in the suburbs, and will die here. Greatest city on Earth, poseur boy.
The food options seem better than back when I was frequently flying AC to go to the states 5-10 years ago.
Do they still only allow alcohol during certain hours? I always found that bizarre.
But at the end of the day, if you have to go to the smaller US cities that international airlines don't go, Air Canada seems to have found their niche of being at least one step above their US competitors. Not my favourite way to cross an ocean, but there are worse options...
Never spent much time in Chicago until three years ago when two of my kids started at UChicago. Now I visit 3-4 times a year. It’s a fantastic place. Heading there in early March again.
The irony of someone who spends most of his waking life commenting on every post here calling others underachievers is not lost on us.
Clearly you did not visit this lounge during a busy time. The elevators get so backed up that they have to open the fire exit stairs so that passengers can walk down rather than miss their flights.
“Unfortunately the transborder lounge doesn’t have any shower suites.”
This isn’t accurate — there are two (same location they’ve always been). Just used one in the past week.
NEVER buy a day pass to the Canada Airlines Maple Leaf Lounge. I did this and arrived at the lounge in Toronto, and we were denied access because they were full. This would be fine, however, the airline refuses to refund my money. They say that I was “scanned in,” which absolutely never happened, and I have told them that I would pay double the cost if they could produce a video or still image of anyone from my party spending one second in the Lounge. They have produced no evidence and have never refunded my money. Do not take the chance. I would also encourage you from avoiding doing business with this dishonest company.
Just visited this lounge en route to Honolulu. Trash everywhere, hideously overcrowded, a real mess. Ended up leaving and just waiting at the gate. What a disappointment.
The worst lounge I have ever travelled to.
I have been to many countries and this is the lounge with the cheapest lowest quality food I have ever been to
You haven't been in Admiral's club?
The food selections even at their hub in Miami are usually poor to awful.
Typical bland food, bland design, to match bland canadians.
Terrible lounge, and workers are true to the canadian npc religion.
Flew business on another foreign airline, this was the lounge offered. I avoid air canada like the plague, should have also avoided this place.
One nice perk is this place has showers. Other than that, hard pass.