Air Canada unveils sweet new Maple lounge

Air Canada unveils sweet new Maple lounge
By Hannah Edensor


Air Canada has unveiled its new Vancouver International Maple Leaf Lounge following an 18-month makeover and expansion, and hoo boy, she’s a pretty one.

The revamped lounge offers eligible customers a stylish oasis celebrating Canadian design, artistry and craftsmanship against the backdrop of beautiful British Columbia.

Located directly opposite the priority security lanes for international departures at Air Canada’s trans-Pacific hub, the lounge is designed by Vancouver-based Gustavson Wylie Architects Inc. It offers seating capacity for 258 customers across a two-level space that showcases contemporary Canadian design and artwork including:

  • Creations by Canadian artists Kendall Kendrick (Vancouver), Nicolas Ruel (Montreal) and Danielle Roy (Montreal), whose ‘A flower – a human being” collection creates a powerful imagery of urban portraits by uniting people from all walks of life with beautiful flowers
  • Furnishings by Canadian designers Brent Comber (Vancouver), Birchwood Furniture (Calgary), Nienkamper (Toronto) and Mobilier Modern (Montreal)
  • A custom-crafted work table in the business zone by Live Edge Design of Duncan, BC, which was created with wood salvaged from a maple tree in the Cowichan Valley that had come to the end of its natural life.

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The lounge also offers:

  • Hot and cold dining options, including a feature salad by celebrated Vancouver Chef David Hawksworth, a chef’s station for individually prepared dishes, along with wines from Canada and from around the world
  • Flat screen desktop computers, RICOH colour printing and scanning, and complementary wi-fi
  • Spa-inspired shower rooms with rain shower heads, a Samsung TV zone, a VIP room and a quiet zone with reclining lounge seating.

Air Canada offers premium customers access to 22 Maple Leaf Lounges worldwide including 16 lounges at Canadian airports, and lounges at New York-LaGuardia, New York-Newark, LAX, London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Paris.

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Since 2015, Air Canada has strategically expanded its international network from its YVR hub, and now offers non-stop flights to a wide range of destinations, including Sydney (daily non-stop), Brisbane (daily non-stop), Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo-Narita, Seoul, London and Mexico City.

Earlier this month Air Canada also announced the launch of year-round non-stop Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’ services between Melbourne and Vancouver from 3 June 2018. The airline will operate three Melbourne-Vancouver services a week, with flight AC038 departing at 09:40am each Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

The introduction in 2018 of a year-round service from Australia’s second largest city will follow the completion of a seasonal service between Melbourne and Vancouver from 3 December 2017 to 4 February 2018 (the peak northern hemisphere winter period).

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