Montreal-Trudeau Airport separates domestic and international sections
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As of April 3, 2019, Montreal-Trudeau Airport will separate the domestic and international flight sections. What are the consequences for the access to the exhibitions?
Domestic / international flight separation at Montreal-Trudeau
For the past few years, it has been possible to move freely, without control, between the domestic and international sections of Montreal-Trudeau airport.
But as of April 3, 2019, Montreal-Trudeau Airport will re-establish a checkpoint at the entrance to the Duty Free store, separating the two sections.
It will therefore no longer be possible to enter the International section of the terminal without a boarding pass for an international flight.
Access to the airport lounges
As of April 3, 2019, Montreal-Trudeau Airport will have 4 distinct sections:
- Domestic flights (Canada)
- International (all international flights EXCEPT USA)
- Cross-border (to the United States)
- Public (before security)
and not 3 as before:
- Domestic / International
- Cross-border
- Public
You can see these 4 zones on this diagram. The new separation will be at the border of the green and orange zones.
Access to the Maple Leaf Lounge in the Domestic and Transborder sections of Montreal-Trudeau Airport
In the domestic section of Montreal-Trudeau Airport, there is only one lounge: the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, located between gates 1 & 3.
This is also the case in the transborder section for flights to the United States. The Maple Leaf Lounge is located at door 73.
To access Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges with a credit card, you have several options:
- American Express cards offering unlimited access to all Maple Leaf Lounges, whether you are traveling on an Aeroplan Reward or have a paid ticket on Air Canada and its Star Alliance partners
- CIBC/TD Aeroplan Cards offering 1 to 4 annual accesses to all Maple Leaf Lounges only if your airline ticket is an Aeroplan Airline Reward.
| Card | Condition of access | Number of annual annual pass | |
 | The AeroplanPlus Platinum Card American Express | Flights Air Canada Air Canada Rouge Air Canada Express or partners | Unlimited access for the cardholder |
  | The CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite CardThe TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Card | Aeroplan Airline Reward Air Canada Air Canada Rouge Air Canada Express | 1 access per year |
  | The CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite Preferred CardThe TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Preferred Card | Aeroplan Airline Reward Air Canada Air Canada Rouge Air Canada Express | 4 accesses per year |
Access to the lounges of the International Section of the Montreal-Trudeau Airport
Within the international section of Montreal-Trudeau Airport, there are 4 lounges:
- Air France-KLM
- Air Canada Maple Leaf
- National Bank
- Odyssey Desjardins
The Air France-KLM lounge is not accessible with Canadian credit cards. For the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in the International section, the conditions of access with a credit card are identical to those stated above.
Let’s take a look at the other two exhibitions.
Access to the Odyssey Desjardins Lounge at Montréal-Trudeau Airport
The Salon Odyssée Desjardins is located at the end of the international section, at door 63.
It is available ONLY to holders of certain Desjardins credit cards.
| Card | Condition of access | Number of annual annual pass | |
 | The Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege card | Flights international | 12 accesses per year |
 | The Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard card | Flights international | 8 accesses per year |
 | The Odyssey Gold Visa card | Flights international | 50% discount on the entrance fee ($40) |
  | The Prestige Platinum CardThe Platinum Visa card | Flights international | 50% discount on the entrance fee ($40) |
You can find some pictures of the Odyssée Desjardins show in this report.
Access to the National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau Airport
The National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau Airport can be accessed in many ways via :
- The National Bank’s World Elite Mastercard®
- certain American Express payment cards
- a Priority Pass membership
- a subscription to LoungeKey
Simply present one of these cards to gain direct access to the National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau Airport:
| Card | Condition of access | Number of annual annual pass | |
 | The World Elite Mastercard of the National Bank | Flights international | Unlimited access for the cardholder & a guest |
 | The Platinum Card from American Express | Flights international | Unlimited access for the cardholder & a guest 2 children under the age of 21 |
 | The Business Platinum Cardfrom American Express | Flights international | Unlimited access for the cardholder & a guest 2 children under the age of 21 |
The National Bank lounge at Montreal-Trudeau Airport is a member of the Priority Pass program. Some credit cards in Canada offer Priority Pass membership and annual access.
Here are the credit cards that offer Priority Pass membership and access:
| Card | Condition of access | Number of annual annual pass | |
| The Platinum Card from American Express | Flights international | Unlimited access for the Priority Pass cardholder & a guest |
| The Business Platinum Cardfrom American Express | Flights international | Unlimited access for the Priority Pass cardholder & a guest |
 | The American Express Platinum CardScotiabank | Flights international | 10 annual accesses with Priority Pass |
| The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card Scotiabank | Flights international | 6 annual accesses with the Priority Pass | |
 | Visa Infinite Preferred level cards(CIBC, Desjardins, RBC, TD…) | Flights international | 6 annual accesses with the Priority Pass |
So, you may very well have a card that gives you DIRECT access to the National Bank lounge (e.g., the Platinum Card® from American Express for the cardholder, 1 guest and 2 children under 21) but ALSO a Priority Pass membership (in the case of the Platinum Card® from American Express, the Priority Pass account holder and 1 guest have access).
This is a great way to get a “double” card if you are a large family or a group of friends!
It is also possible to access the National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau Airport via Mastercard LoungeKey. Most World Elite Mastercard level cards offer the LoungeKey subscription. But only a few add annual access (while with the others you have to pay for your access).
That’s the case with these 2 World Elite cards offered by BMO.
| Card | Condition of access | Number of annual annual pass | |
 | BMO Mastercard World Elite | Flights international | 4 annual accesses |
 | BMO AIR MILES Mastercard World Elite | Flights international | 2 annual accesses |
To access the National Bank lounge at Montreal-Trudeau Airport, you will need to present your Mastercard credit card. The cost of access to the salon will be deducted and refunded to your card account a few days later.
Bottom Line
From now on, access to the Montréal-Trudeau Airport lounges is truly segmented according to your destination.
Unfortunately, it will no longer be possible to use the lounges in the International area for domestic flights.
To make sure you can get to a lounge, no matter where you are going, The American Express® AeroplanPlus®* Platinum Card will be your best ally since it offers access to the Maple Leaf Lounges, located in the 3 sections of the Airport (provided you travel with Air Canada or one of its Star Alliance partners).
Cover photo: Abdallahh-Flickr
