Air Canada has moved from Terminal 2 to Terminal 6 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). As part of the move, it has opened a brand new Maple Leaf lounge in T6 that is small but outstanding.
First, the bad news. While the Maple Leaf Lounge in T2 was part of the Priority Pass network, the new lounge is about half the size and no longer a Priority Pass lounge. With the Alaska Airlines Club down the hall facing such crowding issues that often has to turn away Priority Pass members, that’s both a shame and blessing.
It is a shame because it would be a great addition to the Priority Pass portfolio. It is a blessing because the lounge was empty when I was there. While it no doubt fills up before the widebody flight to Toronto in the morning with simultaneous departures to Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver, the afternoon was a good time to visit.
Finding the LAX Air Canada Maple Lounge in T6
The lounge is easy to miss. As you approach Gate 65 (down the main corridor, past the pet relief area), look for an elevator “cube” (for lack of a better word) that will take you upstairs to the fourth floor.
The only problem: I did not have access. I call this a “first look” instead of a “review” because I spent two minutes in the lounge. It has been opened for a couple weeks and when I saw the signs I was excited, thinking my Priority Pass card would still get me entrance. It did not.
But I asked the kind ladies at the front desk if I could take a look around. Probably because there were only two other guests in the lounge, they said yes. Even so, I did not want to push my luck so a look at the restrooms and showers will have to wait.
I managed to take the following pictures in about 30 seconds–
The food area contains a generous buffet of cold items and two hot soups. Unlike the Alaska Lounge down the hall, the alcohol is self-serve. Soft drinks and a Lavazza coffee machine are also available.
Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge LAX Access Rules
I will be posting a separate post on what a boon this lounge is for United MielagePlus elite members later today, but if you have a United Star Gold card and are traveling on any Star Alliance flight (even United economy class) you have access to this lounge. I suspect the lounge will become a bit more crowded than today once the word gets out…
Access is also granted to Air Canada business class passengers and United international business or first class passengers. If you are flying domestically in a premium cabin on United Airlines and do not have Gold status, there is no access to this lounge.
CONCLUSION
I’ll fly United out of LAX next week, take some pictures, then offer a full review. But the lounge is sleek and fresh. I look forward to spending more time here.
United Star Gold members only get access if traveling on international itinerary.
Incorrect. I verified this yesterday.
I was excluded a few weeks ago because I wasn’t on an international itinerary. CS did acknowledge the error – good to hear that it seems to be working.
Thanks for your follow up! This is great!
Nice post. Which lounge was this location before the change to the Maple Lounge?
Interestingly, this was not a lounge before…I believe it was just an office.
Thanks so much for the helpful picture of the elevator, so I knew what to look for this morning. I would have totally missed it otherwise.