New Aspire | Air Canada Café at Billy Bishop Toronto Airport (YTZ)
Air Canada’s new Maple Leaf Lounge concept
Air Canada announces the opening of the new Café Aspire Air Canada. Travellers to Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport can enter from today, June 1, 2023.
This Air Canada Café is in collaboration with Swissport, a network of prestigious airport lounges. This is the sixth Swissport lounge in Canada and the 27th in Air Canada’s lounge network.
Features of the new Aspire | Air Canada Café
This new Aspire | Air Canada Café is a hybrid between an Air Canada Café and a Maple Leaf Lounge. In the Aspire | Air Canada Café, you’ll find :
- Self-service hot and cold buffet prepared by local chefs, with fresh bakery-style bread and pastries
- Selection of hot and cold takeaway meals
- Central bar with complimentary beverages and premium drinks available for purchase
- 367 square metres (4,271 square feet) of high-end space for working or relaxing
- Reserve a meeting room to work with others or in a quiet environment
- Additional workspace to make calls
- Wireless chargers in almost every seat
- Ultra-fast, reliable Wi-Fi
- TV with news and sports channels
How to access the Aspire | Air Canada Café
Access to the lounge with Air Canada, Aeroplan or Star Alliance
As a passenger, you can access this impressive Aspire | Air Canada Café with a same-day ticket on an Air Canada flight as well as with:
- Business class ticket
- Or an Aeroplan Elite Status (50K, 75K, Super Elite)
- Or by being a Star Alliance Gold member
- Or by holding a Premium Aeroplan credit card such as the American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card or the American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card (by the way, these two Aeroplan credit cards are on promotion right now for a limited time).
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $599 | |||
| $599 |
Access the lounge with other programs
Moreover, members of these airport lounge networks can access this lounge:
- Priority Pass
- DragonPass
- Executive Lounges by Swissport
For example, Platinum Cardmembers® and the Business Platinum Cardmembers® from American Express enjoy unlimited access to Executive Lounges by Swissport for the Cardmember, one guest and two children under 21.
This is just one of the very generous benefits of the Platinum Card®.
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $799 | |||
| $799 |
Also, if you don’t need unlimited access, other credit cards can offer you a few annual visits to DragonPass-affiliated salons.
This is the case with Visa Infinite Privilege credit cards offering six annual DragonPass airport lounge visits (such as the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Privilege* Card or the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Credit Card).
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $599 | |||
| $599 |
Or, with a lower annual fee (and a welcome bonus), the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite +* Card will also give you six annual visits to DragonPass airport lounges.
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $150 |
Finally, other first-year free credit cards, such as the CIBC Aventura® Visa Infinite* Card, the CIBC Aventura® Gold Visa* Card and the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard, will give you four annual visits to DragonPass airport lounges.
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | |||
| $0 | |||
| $0 |
So there’s no shortage of credit card options for accessing this new airport lounge!
Billy Bishop Toronto Airport YTZ
Air Canada offers several flights between Toronto and Montreal (YUL) with :
- Up to eight daily flights to Montreal (YUL) from Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ).
- Up to seventeen daily flights from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to Montreal (YUL).
These connections make it easier to fly to Montreal on business or simply to catch a direct flight from YUL.
Flights will resume this fall between Toronto’s Billy Bishop YTZ airport and Ottawa’s Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW).
Bottom line
The Air Canada Café at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport (YYZ) inspired the one at Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ).
Over the next few years, Air Canada plans to renovate its Maple Leaf lounges. The airline is aiming to open a new Maple Leaf Lounge in San Francisco’s Terminal 2 in June 2023, and an Air Canada Café in Montreal YUL in 2024.
There’ll be plenty of action at the lounges!
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