Skyteam Vancouver Lounge
The Skyteam Vancouver Lounge is a welcome delight at an airport where Skyteam has so many flights.
The Vancouver Skyteam lounge has a commanding location, right on top of the heart of the terminal with great views and high cathedral like ceilings.
The new SkyTeam Lounge Vancouver features a complementary buffet and bar (open all day), complementary wifi, showers, and best of all a power socket at each seat.
Vancouver Skyteam lounge review
For a small generic lounge belonging to an airline alliance, the Skyteam Vancouver Lounge packs quite a punch, with the same wealth of facilities found in much larger Skyteam lounges like London or Sydney. It also has the rare distinction of being a Priority Pass lounge.
The lounge quite easy to find, being right at the middle of the international terminal. Head to gate 53, and look for the large Lift bar in the middle. Then head behind it,, past the duty-free store. It is on the corner, with what seems like just a small lobby on the ground floor, which is full of designer curves and a living moss wall. Then you go up to the upper-level mezzanine via a lift or stairs. The Vancouver Skyteam lounge has two separate wings, linked by a glass bridge. Both parts of the lounge have great views of the airport runway, and on a clear day the distant mountains.
It's also larger than you might expect, at 5,600 square feet (528 square meters), and with seating for 126 passengers.
The décor is very similar to most SkyTeam lounges worldwide, with light wood dividers, hard wood floors, and plenty of curves, enhanced by colourful furniture. Everywhere you go are views of the the curved beams creating the roof of the terminal.
It is an outstation for every Skyteam airline like KLM and Air France, none of which have their own lounge, but with a Skyteam flight leaving so regularly, particularly in the evenings, it is good to have a decent lounge to head to. There are two main parts to the lounge, and most people initially turn left for the central buffet and dining area, with dining tables for couples and a large communal table (with a large 'reserved' sign that says it is just for groups of 6 or more.
For solo or Business passengers, there are shelves with high stools around the edges, around the large high white bench. There are further tables for two in the bridge linking the two wings.
The other half of the lounge has a large circular seating area with lots of individual seats around the edges, with three rows and large armchairs, plus some more seats in the centre.
Ever seat has a lamp, a side table, and power and USB outlets.
Around the lounge there are some very pleasant art pieces, and don't miss the 'logo wall' on the way to the toilets, with a logo of each of the Skyteam airlines.
Finally at the back of the lounge there are two recliners for a short nap.
Food
Food in the Vancouver Skyteam Lounge changes through the course of the day. It is provided by the Miami based Global Lounge Network, who of course also operate the Miami Skyteam lounge.At breakfast times there are both the ingredients for a cooked breakfast, with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and mushrooms. Plus options for an Asian breakfast, with an array of hot Asian specialities. There are also trays of pastries, cereal, and fruit.
By mid morning, the food moves onto lunch.
There are typically two hot dishes.
There are also some desert yoghurts, and a vast cheese plate including a good selection of blue cheeses.
Just like the Cathay Pacific lounge next door, there is a noodle bar, with a small menu of cooked-to-order Asian specialities such as noodle soup with fish balls, wonton soup, shrimp dumpling, and pork dumpling.
With one up on Cathay, the Vancouver Skyteam lounge abandons buzzers, and instead has text messages to let you know when your noodles are ready. So long as you have a Canadian mobile phone. Otherwise, like most people, you hand around the serving hatch and wait for your name to be called.
Bar
In the wine bar at the first part of the lounge, up on the walls are wine cabinets. However, the only wine to try is the selection of a dozen wines from automated dispensers.
The wine is generally of an upper shelf quality, and pretty well sourced too.
In the fridge under the counter are cans of beer.
There are bottles of tonic, and large bottles of Tomato juice for mixing up a Bloody Mary. Which means you have to head to the spirits section, on the far right of the bar.
Spirits in the Vancouver Skyteam lounge are Baileys, Grey Goose vodka, Martini, Jim Beam, Chivas Regal, and Heindricks Gin.
In the morning there are also canisters of orange and pineapple juice.
Bathrooms
In lounge, up the corridor, behind the bar.There are two large shower cubicles.
Business Facilities
The business centre has a large curved area, with semi-circle shelf and three chairs.This has mains power (120v only) and USB recharging sockets lurking under the centre-mounted covers.
Alas the sole computer, running Windows and with internet connections, has now been removed.
There are shelves with the magazine rack, and indeed a message book.
A separate newspaper and magazine rack is at the entrance.
There is free wifi. When you enter the lounge you are given a small slip of paper with the code.
Access
SkyTeam's Vancouver lounge is open for first & business class passengers on Air France, KLM, China Southern, China Eastern, Taiwan's China Airlines, Delta, Korean Air and Vietnam Airlines, as well as travellers on those airlines who hold top-tier SkyTeam Elite Plus frequent flyer status.
Alas, there is no access to the Skyteam Vancouver Lounge for Delta Air Lines passengers, who must go through pre-clearance.
Therefore the lounge acts as the Air France KLM Vancouver Business Class Lounger.
Priority Pass access to the Vancouver Skyteam lounge is on offer, which is a distinct rarity on the network.
Video: Skyteam Lounge
View photos of Skyteam Vancouver Lounge
Vancouver Airport Guide
| Skyteam Vancouver Lounge | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rating |
Video walkthrough and Image gallery by Loungeindex.com
| |
| Pros | Large light open space Great cook to order noodle bar |
|
| Cons | Limited bar | |
| Location | Airside, near Gate 53. | |
| Terminal | Int | |
| Opening hours | 0730-2300 | |
| Cost | Priority Pass | |
| Lounge for: | ||
| Other Airlines: | Air France Vancouver Lounge KLM Vancouver Lounge | |
| Access | First and Business Class on Skyteam airlines, and Skyteam Elite Plus. Also Priority pass. | |