Hey, you’ve gotta hand it to Air Canada for continuing to lead the way with its unique grab and go lounge concept…
Second Air Canada Cafes open at two big hubs
Air Canada Cafe is a concept by the Star Alliance airline, whereby the carrier has what are essentially grab and go cafes. The idea is that those with lounge can grab a drink or snack if they’re short on time, and take it to their gate (or there’s a limited amount of seating to enjoy it on premises).
So far, this lounge network has consisted of four locations, at Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ), Toronto Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ), Montreal Trudeau Airport (YUL), and Vancouver Airport (YVR). Air Canada has now doubled down on this concept, and has opened two more Air Canada Cafe locations at airports that already have them.
First, we’ve seen the opening of a second Air Canada Cafe at Vancouver Airport. This is located in the domestic departures area, in Concourse C, near gate 50. The lounge has 84 seats, and covers 4,489 square feet. This is the second Air Canada Cafe location in the domestic departures area of the airport.
The lounge boasts a full-service bar with barista made coffee, craft beers, and local wines. The menu is described as drawing from seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, with options like warm char siu pork bao buns, vegan curry bao, freshly made vegetarian Kimbap, and sweet treats from the Granville Island institution Lee’s Donuts.
Second, we’ve seen the opening of a second Air Canada Cafe at Montreal Airport. This is located in the US Preclearance facility. The lounge has 62 seats, and it’s the second Air Canada Cafe location at the airport, with the other one being in the domestic departures area.
This lounge is described as being inspired by Montreal’s “third wave” coffee culture, so it boasts barista coffee. It also has a menu featuring Montreal classics, like smoked meat sandwiches, fresh bagels, vegan soup created by Sagamité Watso, and pistachio croissant pastries. The beverage selection includes wines from L’Orpailleur Winery, gin from distillerie du Fjord, and craft beers from Montreal’s RJ Brasseur brewery.
As far as access goes, the Air Canada Cafes are available to customers traveling on a business class ticket, Star Alliance Gold members, Aeroplan premium co-brand cardholders, and Aeroplan 50K, 75K, and Super Elite members.
If you ask me, this is the lounge concept of the future
Airport lounges have evolved a lot over the years, and in particular, the way they’re monetized has changed. These updates have largely democratized the concept of lounge access, but when “everyone” has lounge access, it starts to feel like less of a quiet retreat.
Of course there are different kinds of lounges, and your typical domestic lounge is going to be different than an international first class lounge. But frankly when it comes to standard domestic lounges, I find myself just often skipping them and going straight to the gate. Nowadays you’ll almost always find a gate area that’s much quieter than a lounge, and to me that eliminates one of the main reasons to visit a lounge. So unless I really want something to eat or drink, I just sit in the gate area.
These grab and go concepts are perfect for these situations. They offer all the food and drinks you could possibly want, and you can just take them straight to a quiet gate area. I’m happy to see this concept slowly catching on in the United States, with the United Club Fly and Provisions by Admirals Club concept.
Bottom line
We’ve just seen the opening of additional Air Canada Cafes in Montreal and Vancouver, meaning that each of the airports now has two Air Canada Cafe locations. This total network now consists of six locations, so that’s pretty impressive, as this is an area where Air Canada is continuing to lead. Well done!
What do you make of the Air Canada Cafe concept?