The Air Canada Signature Suite at Toronto Pearson Airport is a lounge exclusively for passengers flying Air Canada Signature Class on international flights (Excluding departures to the US, the Caribbean and Central America). In this post, we share information about the lounge and how to access it.
Overview:
The Lounge offers a selection of a-la-carte meals developed by celebrity Chef David Hawksworth, full bar service, and a buffet. There is restaurant-style table seating, bar seating, and lounge seating with couches, chairs, and low tables. There is also a place to store luggage which is very convenient.
Access:
You can’t access this lounge by using a credit card, having Elite status, paying for access, or if you’ve been upgraded. You either have to pay for your ticket (“fare type: J, C, D, Z or P) or have booked a Flexible Business Class (refundable) ticket with Aeroplan. As previously noted, It also doesn’t apply to all destinations: flights to the United States, Mexico , Central America and the Caribbean are excluded. For full details, check this website.
Our Experience:
We arrived at the lounge during the time period many flights depart to Europe and so it was at capacity; we were asked to return in about 20-30 minutes but they completed our check-in and stored our luggage.
Upon return, they found space for us in the dining area. It was a tight squeeze due to the proximity of other tables and people. Once seated, we were brought a menu for food and drinks and eventually an amuse-bouche. It was hard to feel comfortable because of the proximity to your neighbours but eventually, everyone just became friends and started conversing with one another. Everyone was happy to be traveling again and wanted to share their experiences with one another!
Overall, the food was delicious! We shared two appetizers, two mains and a dessert, making sure to save some room for a few snacks from the additional buffet area. The burger is a must; best airport burger ever! They had two types of sparkling wine, cocktails, draft beer, and more. We had a glass of Moet Brut, Taittinger Rose, and eventually a Beau’s draft beer and a Dododimonti 2012 red wine. After the meal, we moved to a quieter area to relax.
The buffet options were also great and we wish we could have eaten more to try everything; cheese, olives, charcuterie, sliders and sandwiches (jerk chicken), along with unique items like laksa.
The bathrooms are individual stalls with sinks inside and there are about 6-8. Despite the lounge being at capacity, it was never a long wait to use one.
Overall, this felt like a high-end restaurant experience more than an airport lounge. This is convenient if you’re flying on a red-eye because you can immediately go to sleep on the flight and not lose 2 hours to the meal service. We found the food to be better than what’s served on the flight or sold at the airport.
This lounge doesn’t have a shower; you need to go to the Maple Leaf Lounge for that (if it is open). This means that if you are connecting and on a long layover from Vancouver or just wanting to freshen up before the next flight, showering may not be possible.
Another small drawback is the lack of space. We’d say that lounges like the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge in Doha or the Cathay Pacific The Pier Lounge in Hong Kong are much larger, and a little bit more comfortable for relaxing. With the limited space and travel rebounding fast in Canada, this lounge seemed to remain at capacity and struggled to keep up with the number of people who had access in the early evening.
Summary:
Overall, we feel really fortunate to have had the opportunity to access this lounge. We really enjoyed the food, the drinks, and the service. Hopefully, maybe one day we can try the Vancouver Suite but we have other lounges on our wish list too!
Have you been to any of the Air Canada Signature Suite Lounges? If yes, how was your experience?
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