Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Review - YUL International Airport (Montreal)

In this post, I'll be reviewing the  international Maple leaf lounge  at Montréal-Trudeau Airport.  access to this lounge is complementary for Air Canada passengers flying  internationally in business class.  There are separate maple leaf lounges for passengers flying domestically or to the US.  The lounge is clearly marked with banners and Located next to gate A52.   Note that This lounge is located in the international zone and not accessible to passengers flying domestically ( similar to the Air France, Desjardins and the National Bank Lounge).  After scanning your boarding pass, you’ll need to head upstairs.  The elevator opens right into the lounge.

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Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge lobby

There are lots of seating areas followed by a big bar in the centre of the lounge.  The seating areas are separated by  geometric separators to create some privacy.  The seats next to the window offered some nice views of the airplanes on the tarmac. Note that there are no  working plugs available to charge your devices  near the seats. The ones that were present did not work at all  so this was very disappointing for an airline like Air Canada and  definitely a lack of basic amenities for business travellers  who might need to charge their laptops as regular passengers who need to charge their devices before the flight.  thankfully there were dedicated plugs on the plane, but I expected there to be some in the lounge

The main bar

Seating areas with a view

Food and Dining

The main bar is a full service bar tended by a friendly and hard-working bartender who served some very stiff drinks. My bloody Caesar was well mixed and tasty.

Across the bar, you will find the main buffet that offers a Variety of food  options.  I decided to get some fried fish fillets,  bean salad and a Classic Montreal smoked meat sandwich.  I wasn't too sure about the smoked meat sandwich because I previously had one at the domestic Maple Leaf Lounge and it was the worst  Smoked meat sandwich I've ever had.  Here however, the standards were much higher and an attendant heated up my sandwich in the oven and topped it with a slice of juicy pickle.  The sandwich was delicious and the slices of smoked meat were tender. 

Cocktails made to order from the friendly bartender

The main buffet

Great dinner tonight: Fried fish fillet, Montreal smoked meat sandwich and a bloody Caesar.

There are showers available at this lounge although I did not get to try them.  After about  an hour and a half, it was time to board my flight so I headed downstairs. This lounge was a decent place to kill some time before boarding and a massive step up from the domestic Maple Leaf lounge. The food was a welcome improvement over the domestic lounge. I think this is one of the better Air Canada lounges and I’d say about similar to the nearby Air France Lounge and National Bank Lounge.

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Montreal Maple Leaf Lounge Review - YUL Airport (Domestic)

There was a long line to enter the elevator.

In the fall of 2022, I went on the most epic trip of my life to the Maldives! (more on that in another post). As part of my itinerary, I flew out of Montreal Airport (YUL) on Air Canada. This was the first out of three flights with a layover at Toronto Pearson Airport then on to the Maldives with Etihad Airways and a layover in Abu Dhabi. This first flight was in Premium Economy but because I booked my ticket to the Maldives in Business Class , my boarding pass still granted me access to the Maple Leaf Lounge. Regular Premium Economy tickets on Air Canada do not include lounge access, this must be purchased separately.

This was a short one hour flight from Montreal to Toronto Pearson Airport and therefore I had to remain in the Domestic side of the Airport and couldn’t access the (much nicer) International Maple Leaf Lounge.

The lounge is located at the far end of the YUL domestic terminal, between Gates 1 and 3. After going through security, turn right and walk to the end until you reach Gate 3. There will be a sign on your left. The lounge is located upstairs and can be accessed by stairs or an elevator.

Right off the bat, I had a bad first impression. The elevator waiting area was very crowded and as we made our way up, the doors opened to a long line of travellers waiting to enter. Thankfully I did not end up waiting too long but a large crowd of passengers showed up right behind me. I assume it was a 10-15 min wait to get in. Once inside, the lounge was pretty crowded and it was hard to find a place to sit. There were several people travelling on business working on their laptops as well as a rowdy group of guys drinking who looked like they were heading to Vegas.

The Air Canada Domestic Maple Leaf Lounge.

Above was the seating area next to the buffet. Unfortunately, I did not get a photo of the main area which was much more crowded.

The dining area offered a selection of rice, pasta and DIY salads.

On the menu were hot meals like chicken skewers and a chicken curry. Behind the hot meals was the coffee and snacks station.

Smoked meat sandwich with wine and a cappuccino.

The chicken skewers looks appetizing but were bland and chewy.

While the food looked appetizing, I was very quickly disappointed after taking a single bite. The smoked meat sandwich was made up of tender, juicy smoked meat slices sandwiched between stale bread. I ended up eating the smoked meat with a fork and spat out the bread.

The chicken skewers were very chewy and bland. I left mine and so did Felix. The pasta and salad were decent.

In between the main lounge area and the buffet was the drinks section. There was a bar with several liquor choices and mixers for DIY cocktails. The fridge contained juices and bottled water. Across from it was the wine bar with multiple selections of red and white. Unfortunately there was no sparkling wines or champagne. There were a selections of beers available on tap to self pour.

Across from the buffet was a cappuccino machine and some cookies and snacks. I tried one it was mediocre at best.

The main bar had a range of liquor available for DIY cocktails.

The wine bar

Overall, I felt like this lounge was too crowded and the food needs some improvement. It feels more like a reluctant effort on AIr Canada’s part since they have to provide a lounge for their domestic business travellers. The Maple Leaf Lounges in Vancouver and London are significantly better than this lounge but in the end, it still offers an area away from the chaos of the airport to relax with some food and drinks before your flight.