• Only lounge available at YYT and 3^rd Maple Leaf Lounge unveiled this year, offering premium travellers more comfort
• Just steps from Air Canada's gates in the recently expanded departures area of the terminal building
• Air Canada is the only carrier operating year-round international flights to London-Heathrow from St. John's
• Attention editors: Video tour and photos available at aircanada.com/media 

MONTREAL, Dec. 19, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada today unveiled its newest Maple Leaf Lounge located in St. John's International Airport's (YYT) recently expanded departures area of the terminal building. With a panoramic view of iconic Signal Hill and the ocean, the new Maple Leaf Lounge offers significantly more space, upgraded amenities, including a business centre, and a wider assortment of refreshments than the previous St. John's airport lounge.

"We are excited to welcome Air Canada and Star Alliance eligible customers to our new St. John's Maple Leaf Lounge. This unique space has been created to enhance the overall travel experience of our premium customers," said Andrew Yiu, Vice President, Product at Air Canada. "Showcasing contemporary design and artwork, the lounge features maple wood screen walls, Canadian-made furnishings and we are also proud to hosts local art and crafts that reflect the charm of Newfoundland and Labrador's landscape and people. Customers will be warmly received and enjoy a calm environment in which to work or relax before their Air Canada flight."

"Tourism and visitation depend on high quality experiences, and having this new Maple Leaf Lounge at the recently upgraded St. John's International airport will help advance our goals to attract more visitors and build our province's reputation as a first-class destination," said Dwight Ball, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. "I congratulate Air Canada for establishing this new lounge, and I thank them for their investment, and commitment to our province."

"Congratulations to Air Canada and the Airport Authority on the addition of the new Maple Leaf Lounge, which will enhance the experience of locals and visitors to our province. Business tourism is an area of growth for our city and I look forward to working with all levels of government and businesses as we foster a positive environment for this industry," commented the Mayor of St. John's Danny Breen.

"We are delighted that Air Canada has made such a significant investment at our airport to enhance the experience for many of our passengers. This much-anticipated new Maple Leaf Lounge will offer additional amenities in a beautifully designed space, and will be very well-received by frequent travellers," said Keith Collins, President and CEO, St. John's International Airport.

The space features a self-serve bar, offering a wide selection of beverages, including Canadian wines and Lavazza specialty coffees, a selection of light snacks, a business centre and comfortable seating with a view of the tarmac. Business travellers planning to work on site may also take advantage of a cyber counter equipped with PCs and colour printing, complimentary Wi-Fi and access to more than 7,000 digital newspaper and magazine content via the PressReader app.

As a leading global carrier, Air Canada offers eligible customers access to 23 Maple Leaf Lounges worldwide including 17 at Canadian airports. Customers travelling abroad may also enjoy lounges at New York-LaGuardia, New York-Newark, Los Angeles, London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Paris.  More information about Air Canada's award-winning Maple Leaf Lounges is here.

Air Canada, including its regional partners, operate over 180 weekly non-stop scheduled flights in the summer to seven destinations across Canada and is the only carrier to operate an international flight to London-Heathrow from St. John's. The service to London-Heathrow provides customers with seamless same-terminal connections throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa in close cooperation with Star Alliance partners. It offers up to nine daily non-stop flights to Toronto, five to Halifax, three to Gander, three to Montreal, three to Deer Lake, one to Ottawa and one to Goose Bay. In 2017, the airline served more than 860,000 customers at St. John's International Airport.

About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 200 airports on six continents. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2017 served more than 48 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 63 airports in Canada, 56 in the United States and 98 in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,317 airports in 193 countries. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax. In 2018 Air Canada was voted the Best Airline in North America in the Skytrax World Airline Awards and it was also named the Eco-Airline of the Year by Air Transport World. For more information, please visit: aircanada.com/media, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.