Review: Air Canada Café at Montreal-Trudeau Airport (YUL)

The new Air Canada Cafe at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport is a welcome addition, as it adds lounge capacity to an already busy Air Canada hub.

When I visited the Air Canada Cafe, the domestic Maple Leaf Lounge was closed for renovations, so the place was packed. It may not be the most relaxing place to spend time, but the grab-and-go concept for food makes it easy to get value from your Aeroplan Premium credit card or Star Alliance Gold Status.

Where is the Air Canada Café at Montreal-Trudeau Airport (YUL)?

The Air Canada Cafe is right next to the legacy Maple Leaf Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau Airport. If you’re unfamiliar with that location, Gate A5 is an excellent landmark.

Accessing the Air Canada Café at Montreal-Trudeau Airport (YUL)

The easiest way to access the Air Canada Cafe at Montreal-Trudeau for most passengers is by holding an Aeroplan Premium Credit Card, such as the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card.

American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card

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American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card

The American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve card offers complimentary Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge™* access, priority airport services, and a free first checked bag for up to eight travel companions.

Frequent Air Canada flyers will also appreciate the annual worldwide companion pass earned at $25,000 in spend and the ability to earn Status Qualifying Credits towards Aeroplan elite status.

OFFER
85,000 Aeroplan points

MINSPEND
$10,000

EST. VALUE
$1,785+

ANNUAL FEE
$599

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
–

You can also access the Air Canada Cafe Montreal if you have Star Alliance Gold status (which comes with Aeroplan 50k Status). Alternatively, if you have a business class ticket for a same-day Air Canada flight or a one-time lounge access pass, you can also access it that way.

Seating

Arriving at the Air Canada Cafe, you’ll likely need to add your name to a waitlist if it is busy. You can do this at the iPads near the entrance, or through a QR code displayed outside the entrance.

When I checked in, it said I was number 14 in line; however, after only 10 minutes, I was invited back to the lounge. By that time, I had already checked in at the lovely Aspire AMEX Lounge at Montreal, so I sauntered back an hour later, and there was no wait to get in.

I imagine eventually the lounge will use the slick glass gates like the Air Canada Cafe YYZ, but for now, you check in and scan your boarding pass with a desk agent, like at Maple Leaf Lounge locations.

When you step into the lounge, you realize how small the space is, as it’s basically a rectangular room with one large communal table near the windows.

Just behind the check-in desk, there’s a round communal table to sit at as well, and some seating scattered in the area around the coffee bar.

Food & Beverage

As mentioned earlier, and nearly identical to the Air Canada Cafe at Billy Bishop, the concept here is very much grab-and-go, but if you’d like to sit in the lounge, you’re more than welcome to. 

At the far end of the lounge, you’ll find a fridge filled with cold food offerings, including: maple oats, fruit salad, black bean breakfast bowl, croissants, muffins, japchae, chickpea with feta salad, kale chicken caesar wrap, black bean wrap, and dipped apples.

Just around the corner is the convenience-store-style fridge found at most AC Cafes with canned beverages.

I tried the bahn mi and ‘cheese board’ from the cold selections and was not impressed with the bahn mi, but perfectly happy with the cheese selection.

The highlights for me were the hot-food station and the open beer-and-wine bar. The options are on display behind glass, and you take from the pre-packaged bags underneath each display. 

As I talked about in Episode 27 of Miles Ahead, Air Canada Cafes have much more personality than their Maple Leaf Lounge counterparts, and I appreciated the Montreal-style bagels and Montreal smoked meat sandwiches available.

Ultimately, I opted for a chicken Milanese sandwich, which was fantastic. I paired my chicken Milanese with a maple potato donut that I enjoyed immensely as well. There’s a small section for desserts next to the hot food buffet.

There’s a small section for desserts next to the hot food buffet.

There’s everything you could want beverage-wise available. The main coffee bar is immediately to your right when you enter the lounge and hosts three espresso machines, sparkling, still, and hot water taps, self-serve soda, and some cold brew taps (I think) that were out of service. 

Over at the open bar, which had wine and beer, your options are rosé, red, and white varietals. I was impressed to see a lager, IPA, cider, and a kombucha on tap for the beer options.

Conclusion

The Air Canada Cafe at Montreal Trudeau Airport is a nice addition to a rather barren airport when it comes to airport lounges. It’s not on the same level as the Aspire AMEX lounge, but hopefully the renovations to the Maple Leaf Lounge in the domestic terminal will fix that. 

Overall, the hot food options are great, and I love the concept of grab and go as Air Canada’s lounge overcrowding becomes inevitable, rather than avoidable.