A gorgeous patio overlooking the runway and San Francisco Bay. Tons of great food. A lovely bar with craft cocktails. And plenty of space to work.
The new Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge at San Francisco International Airport is a great place to relax or roll up your sleeves and work. The lounge opened last month at Terminal 2 at SFO, and it’s a beauty.
The rooms are decorated in soothing shades of tan, grey and soft brown, with floor to ceiling windows in many areas. There are plenty of quiet, cozy corners for a business person to plug in.
They’ve installed cool, carved wooden tables for a nice, natural feel, and there are colourful works of art on the walls, as well as a VIP room for up to 10 people.
The washroom (well, the men’s at least) is worthy of a four-star hotel, with tons of marble and Molton Brown soap and skin lotion. They also have showers with heated towel racks.
“It beats the heck out of the competition,” one frequent flier told me as he sat in the lounge.
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The patio at the new Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge at San Francisco International Airport. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Undoubtedly the most noteworthy feature is the outdoor patio, a large affair with two vapor fireplaces, spiky plants and plenty of comfortable seating, including two bright red Muskoka chairs. The patio overlooks the tarmac, with views of San Francisco Bay and the East Bay Hills. It’s a great place to watch planes come in for a landing.
The west wall has a great mural of the city with the Golden Gate Bridge and the Air Canada maple leaf symbol.
I was there on a Saturday around lunch time and found a wide variety of offerings, including chimichurri beef sliders, a mixed veggie bowl of squash, tomatoes and zucchini, caprese wraps, chicken in a spicy adobo sauce, brown rice pilaf, a salad bar, turkey sandwiches, and lobster bisque. They also had Cioppino, a San Francisco specialty with fresh seafood in a thick tomato broth base. It was very good, with tons of large shrimp and meaty scallops, and this is coming from someone who was born and raised in the Bay Area and often makes his own Cioppino at home.
Desserts were plentiful as well, including brownies and chocolate chip cookies. Non-alcoholic drinks also were set out; a cranberry spritzer and lemon iced tea that wasn’t too sweet.
The bar stocks California and Canadian wines, as well as local craft beers. There’s also an espresso machine.
The bar at the new Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge at San Francisco International Airport. JIM BYERS PHOTO
One of the specialties at the bright and sunny bar is a Mezcal negroni, which was smoky and excellent. The bar staff seemed knowledgeable, but I noticed that one of the red wines they offered was mislabelled. The main grape was Zinfandel, but the menu didn’t mention it. Not a big thing, but a mistake they should correct.
I came from Terminal 3 and had a little trouble finding the lounge, so here’s my suggesetion. When you exit security at Terminal 2 (the AC terminal at SFO) look for the signs that point to Terminal 3, then look left against the wall for the lounge sign. If you head down the wide hallway towardsthe shops and Terminal 2 gates you’re heading the wrong way.
The SFO facility is Air Canada’s 28th lounge worldwide, and its third Maple Leaf Lounge in the U.S. (also at LAX and a newish, lovely one at New York’s LaGuardia).
“We’re thrilled to bring our Maple Leaf Lounge experience to San Francisco International Airport, giving our Bay Area customers a way to enjoy Air Canada’s award-winning product and glowing hearted hospitality from the moment they arrive,” said Jacqueline Harkness, Managing Director, Products and Services at Air Canada. “It’s one more way we’re investing to become San Francisco’s favourite way to travel internationally.”
The 165-seat, 8168 square ft. (761 square metre) airport retreat “elevates Air Canada’s flight and airport experience for customers travelling from California to Canada or through to Europe, Asia and Australia via three of the airline’s main hubs: Toronto Pearson, Montreal Trudeau, and Vancouver International Airports,” officials said.
The new Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge at San Francisco International Airport. JIM BYERS PHOTO
The lounge was designed with San Francisco-based architectural firm Gensler and is the first of its kind with an outdoor terrace and the two fireplaces.
Artists featured include Canadian painter Shawn Evans, and a custom mural from California artist Amos Goldbaum.
Air Canada has also re-introduced Newark Liberty International Airport to its roster of lounges with the opening of the new United ClubSM location in Newark Terminal A. In this new location, Air Canada will be uniquely co-located within the United Club, offering a dedicated Air Canada customer service desk and an access policy consistent with Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounges.
Air Canada’s Maple Leaf lounges, including San Francisco and the new United ClubSM in Newark Terminal A, are available to Air Canada customers who are Aeroplan 50K, 75K, and Aeroplan Super Elite Status members, Star Alliance Gold members, Aeroplan premium co-brand cardholders, and customers departing on a business class ticket with Air Canada or another Star Alliance member.
As a leading global carrier, Air Canada offers lounges in 19 airports worldwide including at New York’s LaGuardia and Newark airports and at Los Angeles and San Francisco airports in California. Eligible customers travelling in International Business Class from the carrier’s global hubs at Toronto Pearson or at Vancouver also have access to exclusive, award-winning Air Canada Signature Suites located at those respective airports. Eligible customers travelling abroad may also enjoy Maple Leaf Lounges at London Heathrow and Frankfurt.
A convertible ride on the Golden Gate Bridge. Photo Courtesy San Francisco Travel Association.
Year-Round Daily Flights from SFO to Canada
Air Canada, in partnership with United Airlines, offers up to 21* daily flights from San Francisco to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal, representing up to approximately 21,000* seats weekly. Select flights between San Francisco and Toronto are operated onboard wide-body aircraft offering Air Canada’s lie-flat pods.
*One-way flights (SFO to Canada) operated by Air Canada or United Airlines– based on peak week travel in September 2023.
