Air Canada Maple Leaf Vancouver Lounge
The brand new Air Canada Vancouver International Maple Leaf Lounge at Vancouver International Airport has a bar, buffet dining, showers, a TV room, and a business centre.
While the bar is very sociable in the evenings, it can become crowded downstairs. Only Business Class passengers are permitted upstairs to the Air Canada Signature Suite, with fine dining restaurant.
NEWS: The new Air Canada Vancouver International Lounge has opened a new Maple Leaf Lounge in the international area of Vancouver International Airport after an 18-month renovation. The YVR Air Canada Lounge has a bar, buffet dining, showers, a TV room, and a business centre.
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Vancouver Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge review
The new Maple Leaf Lounge at Vancouver International Airport is a delight. A large bright light lounge, with a great view over the runway. It was refurbished a few years ago, and so is one of the new style lounges, and a vast improvement on the old lounge.
The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge at Vancouver International is easy to find, near the priority international security lanes which lead to departure gates for Air Canada's trans-Pacific flights, plus the once a day flight to London Heathrow. It is literally straight after security in the international part of the terminal, and if you're walking airside from domestic, it's quite a trek and by gate 54.
The re-opened Air Canada Vancouver Lounge International is a two-level, 13,500 square feet (1,250 square yard) two-level facility can accommodate 258 travellers and pretty much this number turn up every evening. A quiet haven during the day, it can get really really busy late at night.
Straight after reception there , there is a large Air Canada logo cut out of pine slats on the right-hand wall. Indeed the décor is similar to other, newer Maple Leaf Lounges, such as Toronto or London.
Furnishings by Canadian designers Brent Comber (North Vancouver), Birchwood Furniture (Calgary), Nienkamper (Toronto) and Mobilier Modern (Montreal). Next to reception there is an area to store your hand luggage. Few people do.
Then, on your left is the corridor with the bathrooms and sole shower. Carry on and the bar is in a dominant position ahead of you. The bar has seats along its length, and wrapped around the side, which are arranged in an inviting manner when the lounge is quiet, and which turn into a chaotic maze making it impossible to get to the bar when it is busy.
To your right is the main food area, with Canada's signature 'wine wall' with bottles of wine - just for show - in a nice display cabinet.
In the alcove is a heated island cabinet, plus a salad bar, while there is also a display kitchen, which makes up the two hot dishes of the day.
Keep on walking, and there is the main seating area in the corner with floor to ceiling windows. Indeed further around are recliners overlooking the runway, and a small private room. Back in the main part of the lounge are two low white workbenches.
Keep on walking in a circular fashion, as there are more seats at the back of the bar. Behind the bar, there is a small, white dining table for two with red chairs, which seems an odd solitary place to dine, and then in the far room is an area around a television, plus the large work table.
The lounge was designed by Vancouver's Gustavson Wylie Architects, and the furniture was designed by North Vancouver's Brent Comber, Birchwood Furniture of Calgary, Nienkamper from Toronto and Montreal's Mobilier Modern, and light touches abound, from the pine logs to sit on, to the huge work benches made out of a single pine trunk.
USB and mains power sockets abound, not just in the worktops, but in the small side tables.
It features artwork by Canadian artists Kendall Kendrick (Vancouver) whose creation celebrates west coast nature, Nicolas Ruel (Montreal) showcasing overseas travel, and Danielle Roy (Montreal) from her collection titled "A flower - a human being" creating a powerful imagery of urban portraits by uniting people from all walks of life with beautiful flowers.
Full-fare Business Class passengers are welcome to visit the Air Canada Signature Suite upstairs, which is situated immediately above the Maple Leaf Lounge (enter through the Maple Leaf Lounge.) The Signature Suite is a retreat with a complimentary fine dining restaurant, a luxury bar, and Concierge services. Indeed, a solitary staff member spends all day sitting at the bottom of the stairs to check boarding passes, which does seem like either bad design or rather extravagant.
Food
Food is a bit poor in the Air Canada Vancouver Lounge International - the implication seems to be that you'll have plenty of time to eat on board on the 17 hours over the Pacific. This isn't great if you want to pre-flight dine, and sleep on board. However, the food selection would be amazing in any North American domestic lounge, but is only so-so compared to international lounges.There is buffet area, with only a fairly basic breakfast, however at lunchtime and in the evenings there are hot options, plus menu items by David Hawksworth (a Vancouver chef) and open plan cooking with individually prepared dishes.
There are trays of Sandwiches, with everything form ham, cheese, turkey, and even goats cheese.
There was large bowls of pasta and salad. And lots of Mediterranean salads, including Hummus and Greek salad.
There are also two hot soup offerings, which rotate every day.
There are bags of crisps (chips, in US parlance).
The rest of the time there are only light snacks with cheese, crackers, and a vast array of vegetables with dips.
Early in the evening there are two dishes made almost on demand - there is generally a pasta dish, and a pizza, the exact makeup rotates through the week.
Remember that if you are in paid business class, you can dine in the restaurant upstairs, with full waiter service, and an a la carte menu.
Bar
The bar is a central fixture in this lounge, with a dominant forefront location you see as soon as you enter the lounge. It appears inviting, although with only one member of staff behind the bar, service can be a little slow.There are normally the standard Maple Leaf options for red and white wines, Canadian beers, and a wide selection of spirits.
There is beer on draft, while in the fridge are cans of Canadian, Coors, and Heineken.
The spirit selection is vast. There is everything from Captain Morgan to Smirnoff, Black Label, J&B and Baileys.
You can also ask the bar staff to mix up a very good cocktail.
However, it is worth checking out the cocktail list. There is not only a 'signature' Air Canada cocktail (with bourbon, maple syrup, and ginger ale), but also a 'Vancouver' special Bloody Mary (or Ceasars, as they are called in Canada, since they are prepared with Clamato, which is clam juice, instead of standard Bloody Mary Mix made with tomato).
Also note that if you are after a beer, there are beer taps in the dining section, with Guinness, Granville Island Pale Ale, Coors Light, Molson Canadian, Heineken, and Smithwicks. Pint and half pint glasses are on the shelf - and there are even Guinness logo glasses.
Business Centre
There is a Business Centre in the Air Canada Vancouver Lounge International, which has a high worktop wooden table, inset with power, and high work stools.Opposite this is a printer and scanner.
Don't miss the charging station either, where you can lock away your phone while it charges.
There is free, fast, wifi in the lounge.
The table is worthy of note. The Maplewood work table built by Duncan's Live Edge Design. This custom crafted work table was created with wood salvaged from a maple tree in the Cowichan Valley which had come to the end of its natural life. The wood slabs have gone through an extensive kiln drying process, followed by hand finishing, ensuring this tree will continue to live on in a new incarnation for several decades.
All seats feature mains power 120 volt power outlets, and USB sockets.
Newspapers are good, with a decent international selection, including everything from the Straits Times to the Hong Kong Daily. There is a great selection of magazines, from House and Home to CarGuide, on a neat little rack by reception.
Bathrooms
There are decent bathrooms in the Air Canada Vancouver Lounge International.There are also shower rooms with rain shower heads, and a "Spa-inspired" room.
Air Canada Vancouver Lounge International Access
Video: Air Canada International Lounge
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Vancouver Airport Guide
| Air Canada Maple Leaf Vancouver Lounge | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rating |
Video walkthrough and Image gallery by Loungeindex.com
| |
| Pros | Modern new lounge Great runway views Great cocktail bar |
|
| Cons | Can get crowded Limited catering No self serve bar |
|
| Location | Terminal D, Airside, between gates 65A and 65B | |
| Terminal | D | |
| Opening hours | 0630-2330 | |
| Lounge for: | Air Canada | |
| Other Airlines: | Lufthansa Vancouver Lounge Air New Zealand Vancouver Lounge | |
| Access | Air Canada Business Class passengers, Maple Leaf Club members, and Star Alliance Gold members. | |