Are you planning to fly through the Calgary International Airport with Air Canada? If so, you might be wondering about the Air Canada Lounge in Calgary. Is the added cost of Maple Leaf Lounge access really worth it?
I fly in and out of the Calgary International Airport fairly often. My most recent visit to the Maple Leaf Lounge at YYC was in July 2025, and the experience was comparable to what I’d also seen in 2024 and 2023.
In this review I’ll show you what you can expect to find inside the Air Canada lounge in Calgary, how to get access to the lounge, and whether or not I think it’s worth it.
Where is the Air Canada Lounge at the Calgary Airport?
Air Canada has one Maple Leaf Lounge at the Calgary Airport. It is located at the entrance to Concourse C, which is the domestic terminal.
The Maple Leaf Lounge in Calgary is open daily from 4:30 am to 12:30 am. I arrived at 9:30 on a weekday, and the lounge was fairly quiet. By 10:30 things were picking up and more than half the tables were occupied.
What is it like inside the Air Canada lounge in Calgary?
In early August 2024, Calgary experienced a serious hailstorm that caused more than $3 billion in damages across the city. In fact, it was the second most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history. The Maple Leaf Lounge at YYC was one of the facilities that was badly damaged so the lounge had to close for several months for repairs and renovations. What you can experience today is the result of those repairs and renovations.
There are a few distinct seating areas in the Maple Leaf Lounge in Calgary. The seats that go the fastest are the pods of four armchairs along the windows, with views over the runway. The downside of these tables is that most don’t have power outlets. There are also more typical restaurant-style tables, as well as five or six armchairs set around a faux fireplace.
There were few people in the lounge when I arrived (as you can see from the photos!) but towards noon things definitely picked up. It never got as busy as the lounge in Montreal (where you’ll likely be sharing a table with a stranger) but most of the seats were filled.
Services and Amenities at the Maple Leaf Lounge in Calgary
The Air Canada website shows that the lounge in Calgary has news and entertainment, WiFi and a business center. It doesn’t offer a “cell-free quiet zone”.
During my visit, the “news and entertainment” consisted of a single flat-screen TV showing the news. The magazine rack at the entrance was empty. The business center had some desk cubicles, a printer and charging cables.
Food & Drink at the Air Canada Lounge
I arrived at the Maple Leaf Lounge as breakfast was wrapping up and lunch service was beginning, so I had the chance to see both meals. Air Canada advertises that the Maple Leaf Lounge in Calgary has “complimentary light snacks and beverages”.
Walking in from the front door, the food and beverage area is split into two. On your left there is a bar, with self-serve drinks and a bartender who can prepare some mixed drinks. On the right, there is a self-service buffet with savory and sweet foods, snacks and non-alcoholic drinks.
Breakfast at the Maple Leaf Lounge YYC
Because my visit started at 9:30 am, the bar area wasn’t yet open. The food service area was serving breakfast, with four hot dishes on the self-serve buffet: bacon, cinnamon french toast, hash brown potatoes and a ham-and-cheese omelette. There was also a cold food buffet featuring fruits, vegetables, dips and sauces. At the end of the buffet there was a station with bread, bagels and a toaster.
Alcoholic drink service began at 11:00, and in the hours before that guests had access to a coffee machine, water fountain (still and sparkling) and I’m sure there was juice and soda somewhere, but I didn’t look for it.
Lunch at the Maple Leaf Lounge in Calgary’s Airport
I was leaving the lounge for my flight right as lunch was being served, so I had the chance to snap a few photos (but I didn’t eat anything). There were three three hot dishes that I saw: a vegetarian pasta, a chicken pasta, and mashed potatoes. I feel like there must have been something else to go with the mashed potatoes (some kind of meat?) but I didn’t see it out yet.
Beside the hot dishes there was also a new salad bar, featuring vegetables, dressings and dips, cheese and bread. As well, bowls of snack foods were placed at the end of the cold buffet.
As I mentioned above, alcoholic drink service began at 11:00 am. Lots of people were getting started on beer, wine and Bloody Marys as I was leaving.
Bathrooms at the Maple Leaf Lounge in the Calgary Airport
I was curious to see if there were going to be showers in the Air Canada lounge in Calgary, as their website did show the shower icon under the available amenities but it was in a lighter grey color than the other symbols.
It turns out that there are no showers here, and I would also say the bathrooms are a low point. There aren’t nearly enough women’s toilets for the number of visitors using the lounge, even outside of peak hours. There was always a queue for a toilet.
Who can access the Maple Leaf Lounge in Calgary?
There are many people who get automatic access to Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounges. I was going to list them all, but the list kept getting longer and longer and longer to the point where it was ridiculous. Basically, lounge access is complimentary for travelers flying Air Canada (or a Star Alliance partner) in business class or first class. It’s also complimentary for travelers at higher levels of status with Aeroplan (Air Canada’s loyalty program) or Star Alliance.
There are a few other specific situations where a traveler might have lounge access, which are all listed here.
At some airports (especially YYZ in Toronto) the Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge is often oversold and travelers have to queue to enter. Fortunately, I’ve never had that experience at the Calgary airport.
Maple Leaf Lounge Price
If you don’t have lounge access for one of the reasons above, you can buy a Maple Leaf Lounge pass by logging into the Air Canada website (or app) at least 24 hours before your flight and adding on lounge access. The cost will be somewhere between $49 and $95, depending on the type of ticket you have.
You can’t buy lounge access at the airport on the day of your flight, so if you’re wanting to add it on make sure to do it through the Air Canada website or app in advance.
Is the Maple Leaf Lounge worth it?
Personally, if I knew that I had a long layover in Calgary I would consider buying a lounge pass, especially if I could add it on for $49. The cost of food and drink in an airport is high, so having access to the complimentary food and drinks plus a quiet space to relax and wait would be worth it for me. I also think the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge offers a superior experience to its competitor, the WestJet Elevation Lounge in Calgary.
However, I wouldn’t spend thousands of dollars to upgrade a plane ticket just to get lounge access, as it’s not worth that much to me. If you have other reasons to upgrade (comfort, an expense account, etc.) and lounge access is included in your ticket then you might want to get to the airport an hour or two early to take advantage of the amenities you’re paying for anyways.
If you’ll be in Calgary, don’t miss my self-guided walking tour of the city center and my recommendations for the best hotels in Calgary.
I’ve also reviewed Calgary’s newest European-style thermal sauna.
If you want to get out of the city and into the Rocky Mountains, check out this tour of Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and Banff (from Calgary) that has more than 1,000 five-star reviews! 🐻🏔️
Planning a trip to Calgary? Pin this post for later!
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