I had a chance to see Maple Leaf Lounge in Halifax Recent cross-country mileage runs. I had my first flight to Montreal, but arrived at the airport bright and early to check out the lounge.
Compared to lounges at larger airports, it was quite small, but let’s see how it stacks up against other maple leaf lounges.
Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Halifax – Access
I arrived at the airport at around 5 am in anticipation of the 8:30 am flight. Safety was a breeze, because there weren’t too many unfortunate spirits on a long weekend Sunday morning.
The lounge is located on the third floor, one floor above the exit level in the center of the airport.
After going through security, I got on the exit level and then took an elevator to the Maple Leaf Lounge. There is also a staircase for those who like to go some extra steps.
The lounge is open daily from 4:15 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. for travelers traveling to Canada and international destinations, but not to those flying to the United States.
I entered the lounge in different ways. Just holding an American Express airplane reserve card would suffice and I also had the opportunity to hold Air Canada Airplane Elite status as a Super Elite.
I was greeted by a friendly check-in agent who smiled as I took a few pictures after entering. Models of airplanes and world clocks are present in the check-in lobby, as they are in other maple leaf lounges.
After scanning my boarding pass to confirm my eligibility, I entered the lounge so that a few more people could occupy the place.
Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Halifax – Seats
Upon entering is a business center with a door on the left. The area has several work desks, some lounge chairs and a printer.
To get to the main part of the lounge, the space opens up to the initial seating area. Next to the hallway is a pair of seats with a small table.
There are clusters of seats across the lounge with chairs in groups of two and four.
There are seats in front of a fish tank to the right of the immediate food and beverage area. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fish tank in any other Maple Leaf Lounge, so thank you Halifax.
An area to the right of the fish tank has a table in the middle of a standard maple leaf lounge chair. Next to them is an eight-story high-top workstation with a power outlet.
Near the high-top workstation is a television with four scooped seats and a small table. The television was playing sports highlights from the previous night’s action, which was a bit more at this time of day.
There are paired seats with tables along the walls. Behind the lounge, there is another cluster of lounge chairs.
There are more leather seats, including tables, in front of the window overlooking the terminal and tarmac. These seemed to be the most popular seats during my stay.
In the dining area, two sets of red chairs along the windows and an island in the middle of four other spaces.
I spent most of my time at the workstation because I wanted to get some emails sent before my flight.
The restrooms are located near the check-in desk with a door on the right at the time of entry. My visit to the men’s room was clean and tidy. Unfortunately, there is no shower in this lounge.
Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Halifax – Bar & Dining
The bar and dining area meet in a single spot to the left of the fish tank.
As I visited very early in the morning, the lounge is not served alcohol. Standard Maple Leaf Lounge offers of domestic beer, wine and spirits seem to be available until 11am.
There was an automatic juice machine, two refrigerators and a filtered water machine that were closed to the public. There were no staff members at the time, as the rest of the area offered the same thing.
Two Lavaza automatic coffee machines and a variety of self-serve teas are available.
In the buffet opposite the dining area, you will find muffins and several cold drinks.
The only other food options were in a refrigerator near the window, which offers quality breakfast items and more cold drinks.
Since this was my first visit to this lounge, I’m not sure if hot food was served before the epidemic. In any case, it would be nice to see some hot food items, as well as more cold items, as the drinks are the most available in this lounge.
I took a sip of sparkling water and ate a muffin during my stay, knowing that on my flight later that day I would eat two parsley omelettes.
Conclusion
Halifax Robert L. The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge at Stanfield International Airport is a small place with limited food available. The space has several seating options and a fish tank.
It was quiet during my morning visit, but I imagine it gets a lot busier during the day. I would love to see hot food items available, as well as some more variety in the beer offer.
As the only airport lounge, the Maple Leaf Lounge is a quieter, more comfortable place to spend time before your flight than at the terminal.
