Are you planning to fly through the Toronto International Airport with Air Canada? If so, you might be wondering about the Air Canada Signature Suite for business class travelers. Is it worth upgrading to business class to get access to this exclusive airport lounge?
I usually fly through Montreal rather than Toronto, so this was my first visit to the Air Canada Signature Suite in the Toronto International Airport. It took place in early July 2026, at the height of summer travel season.
In this review I’ll show you what you can expect to find inside the Air Canada Signature Suite in Toronto, how to get access to this exclusive lounge, and whether or not I think it’s really that much better than Air Canada’s normal business class lounges.
Disclosure: I paid in full for my plane ticket and didn’t disclose that I was a blogger during my flight or the visit to the lounge.
Air Canada Chauffeur Service at YYZ
According to the Air Canada website, “eligible connecting Air Canada Signature Class customers arriving from within Canada and connecting to Asia, Europe, or South America, will be met by one of our Concierges before being whisked across the tarmac in one of our exclusive vehicles to visit the Air Canada Signature Suite”.
However, it also says that this service is offered on a “surprise and delight” basis. 🙄
Having traveled to 70+ countries and flown through a lot of airports, this would have been a new experience for me and I had my fingers crossed that I would “surprised and delighted” to be chauffeured off my domestic flight, across the runway, and all the way to the Signature Suite. Even just to have that experience once would be fun.
In the end, I was not selected to be surprised and delighted by a luxury car transfer from my domestic flight to the Signature Suite in the international departures terminal. Instead, I walked about fifteen minutes through the airport to reach the lounge.
Where is the Air Canada Signature Suite at the Toronto Airport?
Air Canada offers Signature Suites in two airports: Toronto and Vancouver. In Toronto, the lounge is located upstairs in international departures, beside Gate E77. My flight was departing from Gate E77, and it was only a two-minute walk from the lounge to the gate.
Access to the Signature Suite is not close to the access for the Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge. Instead, follows the signage to the lounge’s semi-private elevator (shown above) and it take up to the third level. When you exit the elevator the Signature Suite is to your right, around the corner.
What is it like inside the Air Canada Signature Suite in Toronto?
The Air Canada website claims the YYZ Signature Suite offers “the finest in food, design and comfort”. But what exactly does that mean?
Basically, the Air Canada Signature Suite in Toronto is set up like a restaurant. After scanning your boarding pass for entrance, you’ll be taken to a hostess stand where a member of the team will escort you to a table. Once seated, you can order food off the à la carte menu or help yourself to the buffet.
There are a few different sections of the restaurant, but none offer anything particularly unique. The only table I would personally avoid is the large round table with bench seating immediately below the hostess stand, as it can be a bit noisy.
Food & Drink at the Air Canada Signature Suite in the Toronto Airport
My layover in Toronto was from about 4:20 pm until 8:00 pm, so I was in the lounge for prime dinner hours. I figured that I’d probably get better food in the lounge than on my international flight, so I decided to order a full meal (and support my on-board sleep with a couple of drinks).
Of note, at the time of my visit to the Signature Suite at YYZ, the menu on the Air Canada website did not match the menu that was actually being served. If there is a queue to enter the lounge (see below) then you might want to ask to take a peek at the menu before you enter to make sure there’s something you want to eat.
Food at the YYZ Signature Suite
The menu at the Signature Suite is split into appetizers, main dishes and desserts. At the time of my visit they were offering four starters, four main courses and three desserts. A vegan option was available for both the first and second course, but not dessert.
I started with a salad, built upon spicy mustard greens and garnished with pearl couscous, quinoa, roasted beets, avocado, labneh and puffed rice. The puffed rice added a great crunch and the sweet roasted beets were yummy, but mustard greens aren’t my personal favorite salad base.
For my main course I had the falafel, which was a shockingly small portion of three little falafel patties served topped with lots of herbs and banana peppers on a garnish of red pepper hummus.
The highlight definitely came with the dessert course. I opted for the signature chocolate cake with horchata ice cream, and that ice cream was the best thing I ate all day. Next time I would go back and ask for just a bowl of the ice cream.
Drinks at the YYZ Signature Suite
The Air Canada Signature Suite in Toronto has an extensive drinks list including beer, wine and cocktails. The drinks can be ordered from your server or directly at the bar, and there is no self-service drink station.
I sampled two drinks: a marzipan kir and a local Ontario ice wine. Both were good, and if I’d had more time (and fortitude) I might have sampled their signature espresso martini as well. I think the cocktails and wine selection do make the Signature Suite stand out from other airport lounges.
The Signature Suite Buffet
If you don’t want to order from the à la carte menu, you also have the option of serving yourself from the Air Canada Signature Suite buffet. You’ll still be seated at a table by the host or hostess, and someone will still take your drink orders, but you’re free to serve yourself from the available hot and cold dishes.
At the time of my visit, dishes on the cold buffet included a cheese and charcuterie platter, crostini, salad and sandwiches. The hot buffet had cilantro rice, Mexican street corn, a chicken dish and soup. There were also some desserts on the buffet but I didn’t look too closely to see what was on offer.
Bathrooms at the Air Canada Signature Suite YYZ
Surprisingly, there are no showers in the Air Canada Signature Suite bathrooms at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Instead, the bathrooms in the Signature Suite are set up as individual bathrooms, each with a private toilet, Molton Brown toiletries and cotton hand towels.
Who can access the Air Canada Signature Suite in Toronto?
Generally speaking, access to the Air Canada Signature Suite in Toronto is limited to passengers who purchased a Signature Class ticket. At publication time in 2026 this includes:
- People traveling to Europe, Asia and South America who are booked and ticketed with J, C, D, Z and P fares. Usually this means you have a lay-flat seat in a pod
- People who booked a Business Class Flexible Reward or a First Class Flexible Reward in J, C, D, Z or P with their Aeroplan points
- Lufthansa Group HON Circle members departing from YYZ on an international flight operated by a specific list of partners (check the Air Canada website for the current list), plus a guest
- Travelers with a First Class ticket on an international flight operated by Lufthansa or Swiss, plus a guest
Who isn’t getting access? Travelers with an airline credit card or who were upgraded from a lower ticket class. You can try to get in, but they’ll likely send you to the Maple Leaf Lounge instead.
I arrived at the lounge around 4:00 pm on a busy Saturday in June, and was able to be seated immediately. When I left about ninety minutes later there was a queue to get inside, and I heard the staff saying the wait was approximately ten minutes.
Signature Suite Lounge Pricing
It’s not possible to purchase access to the Air Canada Signature Suite. If you want to buy lounge access, you can buy access to Air Canada’s normal Maple Leaf Lounge. You have to buy it online at least 24 hours before your flight, and the cost ranges from $49 to $79, depending on your ticket type.
Is the Air Canada Signature Suite in Toronto worth it?
If you’re looking for a place to eat a nice meal during a layover in Toronto, the Air Canada Signature Suite is a good option. The food options were creative and varied, and the drink menu really stood out.
However, if you’re looking for a place to linger for a few hours, work on your laptop or have a loud videocall (please don’t) then after you’re done eating you’ll want to head over to the spacious Maple Leaf Lounge. It has ample seating for individuals and groups, self-service drinks and a buffet that will definitely appeal to kids and travelers with less-creative palates.
I’m slowly flying my way across Canada! I also have reviews for the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in Calgary and the WestJet Elevation Lounge in Calgary.
Planning a trip to Toronto? Pin this post for later!
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