• The first airline lounge to open at LaGuardia's new Terminal B Eastern Concourse – the first part of the reimagined terminal to open – conveniently located post-security, steps from Air Canada gates
• Air Canada customers travelling at LaGuardia to benefit from new terminal's enhanced amenities including free Wi-Fi, a family play area, and retail and restaurant shops
• Second of three Maple Leaf Lounges to open in 2018 and 23rd across Air Canada's international network, offering premium travellers more comfort
• Attention editors: Video tour and photos available at aircanada.com/Laguardia

NEW YORK, Dec. 4, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada today unveiled its newest Maple Leaf Lounge at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. The new lounge, conveniently located after security near Air Canada's gates, is the first airline lounge to open in the new Terminal B Eastern Concourse. It features popular amenities, including refreshments and a business centre, so eligible customers can relax or make the most of their workday before their flight.

"We are excited to welcome Air Canada and Star Alliance eligible customers to our new LaGuardia Airport Maple Leaf Lounge, which has been created to enhance the overall travel experience for our premium customers," said Andrew Yiu, Vice President, Product at Air Canada. "Showcasing contemporary design and artwork, the lounge is decorated with maple wood screen walls, Canadian-made furnishings, yet it also reflects the unique character that is New York City. Customers will be warmly received and enjoy a calm environment in which to work or relax before their Air Canada flight."

With capacity for up to 126 customers in an elegant space that overlooks the concourse, the new LaGuardia Maple Leaf Lounge combines Canadian design and art with metropolitan modern style. The 7,015-square-foot lounge features a self-serve bar, offering a wide selection of beverages, including Canadian wines and Lavazza specialty coffees, 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.

The LaGuardia Maple Leaf Lounge will operate seven days a week, and is conveniently located in the departure gate area, on Level 2 of Terminal B Eastern Concourse, steps away from Air Canada's departure gates 49, 50 and 51.

"Today's opening of the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in the brand new Terminal B concourse is a testament to our vision to provide a world-class guest experience to travellers flying through LaGuardia's Terminal B," said Stewart Steeves, Chief Executive Officer of LaGuardia Gateway Partners, the operator and developer of Terminal B. "We're proud to partner with Air Canada to realize this vision, and we're ecstatic that Air Canada is one of the first tenants in the new concourse."

As a leading global carrier, Air Canada offers eligible customers access to 23 Maple Leaf Lounges worldwide including 17 at Canadian airports, plus lounges at New York-Newark, Los Angeles, London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Paris as well as San Francisco planned to open in 2019.  More information about Air Canada's award-winning Maple Leaf Lounges, including eligibility, is here.

Air Canada customers travelling at New York-LaGuardia to benefit from new terminal's enhanced Amenities

Air Canada customers travelling at New York-LaGuardia will also benefit from the new terminal's enhancements, following the first phase of the $5.1 billion (USD), 1.3-million-square-foot redevelopment project of Terminal B, of which the Eastern Concourse began operation on December 1, 2018. 

The thirteen new shops, restaurants and services in the new Eastern Concourse are inspired by the best of New York. Other new features include an airport themed children's play area and a more efficient airport experience.

Full airport details enclosed on LaGuardia's web site: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/77a043_5be2c82aca94445b8e8be53285f3f9ab.pdf.

Travelling Via Air Canada's Hubs onwards to an international destination

Air Canada's three hubs, Toronto (YYZ), its global hub, Montreal (YUL), the gateway to French international markets, and Vancouver (YVR), the airline's premier gateway to Asia, offer Air Canada customers smooth connections. When travelling from the U.S. through any of these hubs and onwards to international destinations, customers experience a seamless connection process in a single terminal. Expedited customs and baggage processes mean most customers can simply walk to the next departure gate without needing to pick up and re-check their baggage.

Air Canada and its regional partners operate over 135 weekly non-stop scheduled flights between LaGuardia and two of Air Canada's major hubs. It offers up to 2,500 daily seats departing the city, with up to 13 daily non-stop flights to Toronto and eight to Montreal. From Air Canada's hubs, travellers can conveniently connect on to more than 200 Canadian or international destinations.

Eligible customers connecting at Toronto-Pearson (YYZ) to Air Canada Signature Class, the lie-flat premium cabin offered on many International flights, also have access to the exclusive Air Canada Signature Suite. Among its many amenities it offers à la carte restaurant dining from a menu created by celebrated Canadian chef David Hawksworth.

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 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.

About LaGuardia Gateway Partners

LaGuardia Gateway Partners was selected by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to deliver an extensive capital redevelopment project at LaGuardia Airport's Terminal B that will provide world class terminal facilities and operations for passengers and airlines. LaGuardia Gateway Partners is composed of Vantage Airport Group, Skanska, Meridiam, and JLC Infrastructure for development and equity investment; Skanska Walsh as the design build joint venture; HOK and WSP for design; and Vantage Airport Group for management of the terminal operations. LaGuardia Gateway Partners' members have worked on more than 350 aviation and transportation projects globally and domestically, including international airports in New York (John F. Kennedy), Chicago, Doha, Delhi, Los Angeles, Santiago, and Nassau. For more information, visit www.laguardiaB.com.

SOURCE Air Canada