Air Canada Announces Plans to Re-Open Maple Leaf Lounges

Air Canada has announced that it will be re-opening its Maple Leaf Lounges this summer, starting with Toronto's Pearson International Airport, which re-opened on July 24th (D Gate). That will be followed next by lounges in Montreal and Vancouver which are scheduled to re-open by Labour Day. Air Canada indicated that it will also be looking at re-opening lounges in Ottawa and Calgary, along with international locations, however, that will be dependent on overall traffic and the general state of the pandemic.

Not surprisingly in this era of COVID, there will be some changes to the lounge experience as Air Canada takes necessary precautions to protects its customers and employees. Air Canada has released a video setting out the new bio-safety measures it has implemented, which can be viewed here.

So what can you expect? Here is a summary of the changes announced by Air Canada:

• Floor markers and plexi-glass barriers are reception to enforce social distancing;

• No buffet meals. Instead, all food items will be individually wrapped and packaged;

• Food items can be ordered directly to your seat using a new smartphone application by scanning a QR Code which pulls up the menu;

• No more self-service bar. Bar service will now be assisted;

• Physical magazines and newspapers have been removed and will, instead, be available in digital form;

• Seats and tables will be cleaned after every use;

• Dedicated washroom attendants inside each washroom to ensure that washrooms are properly sanitized after every use;

• All employees and customers must wear face masks; and

• Employees' temperatures are taken before every shift and empoloyees must answer health questions before every shift;

Air Canada appears to be taking the necessary precautions to re-open their lounges as safely as possible. Would you feel comfortable visiting an airport lounge? Let us know in the comments. Also, if you have actually visited a Maple Leaf Lounge recently, let us know in the comments what that experience was like and if Air Canada's practices match their promotional material.