Vancouver Airport, here's what Air Canada's lounge has to offer

The last leg of my world tour brought me for the first time at Vancouver airport, in the west coast of Canada. I had enough time to get out of the airport and "pop downtown" but these days I didn't feel like it, better to be safe in a lounge than to risk missing the plane because there is a strike or an accident or who knows what else.

I then turned to my favorite activity at airports.: hopping from lounge to lounge, and Air Canada's was my coworking base for most of the day, but I also visited the Skyteam lounge and the Plaza Premium.

Access

Air Canada is a member of the Star Alliance for this you can access whether you travel business class with the Canadian carrier or all other SA carriers.

Access is also granted to holders of elite status, which is equivalent to Gold Star Alliance in the Aeroplan and other airlines' loyalty programs.

To be precise, this lounge houses inside it a second, even more exclusive lounge. The Signature Suite is a room reserved exclusively for Air Canada business class passengers. Paradoxically, the carrier with the maple leaf on its tail treats biz passengers who have no status better than those who are loyal travelers. Exactly the opposite of, for example, what companies like Lufthansa, British Airways and many others do.

Location

Locating this lounge is very easy since it is located immediately after the security and immigration checkpoints. As soon as you enter the international terminal, simply turn left and the entrance will be immediately on the right.

If, on the other hand, you are arriving from a flight and are therefore in transit, once you have passed the electronic document check you must turn left, go through duty free and proceed straight ahead.

The lounge

Aesthetically, I like this lounge much better than the waiting room that Air Canada has in Toronto., where I have been before.

This lounge is brighter because it directly faces the runway, and the spaces are better distributed than in Toronto.

The hall is developed with the buffet part in the center. There is a self-service area and an area where chefs prepare dishes based on guests' orders.

Then there is a well-stocked bar, complete with a bartender, because this is North America and everyone here drinks heavy even at 11 a.m., not before though because it is forbidden here to serve alcohol until 10 a.m.

The main seats are sofas, not very comfortable actually.

Then there is a more secluded area where there are armchairs with leg rests where you can lie down and take a nap while waiting for your flight.

There is also a small private room, probably for the use of clients who want to have a more secluded meeting or gathering.

On the opposite side is a TV area.

Services

The wi-fi is definitely performing, and there are plenty of power outlets scattered both among the sofas and tables and in other areas. There is a printer to connect to for printing documents and a totem for safely charging devices, and nothing else.

Again, everything is quite basic, as I had already observed in Toronto

Food & Beverage

Air Canada has a partnership with Lavazza and in the lounges, as well as on board the planes, offers Italian coffee.

The bar is fully stocked, and the bartender has never stopped making cocktails of all types and strengths since he started working.

The buffet, after breakfast ended, has changed offerings, and express cooking has also been activated. This is really a quality service. Air Canada actually offers a choice of a few dishes, offerings that are freshly prepared by the chefs. I tried nibbling on everything from pizza to more fusion dishes.

In conclusion

The good thing about the lounge is that it feels like you are inside the runway with planes almost parking in it; the bad thing is that it lacks comfortable seating where you can eat without inventing acrobatic positions or circus-like contortions.

It would be logical to expect even more given Vancouver's importance in Air Canada's network.

• round the world tour