The domestic Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge at Toronto Pearson Airport has reopened to customers after the implementation of a series of biosafety measures were put in place.
The lounge experience has been completely rethought with the safety of customers and employees in mind, including enhanced cleaning measures, socially distanced seating, protective shielding for employees, and a modified food and beverage offering.
Based on the results of the reopening of the Toronto domestic lounge, including feedback from customers, Air Canada will look to progressively reopen some of the other Maple Leaf Lounges across its network, as well as the Air Canada Café in Toronto.
In the reopened lounge, customers will find hand sanitizer dispensers positioned in various areas, customer flow is managed via arrowed floor decals and the lounge is now divided into sections to facilitate cleaning procedures throughout the day, including electrostatic spraying. And as customers leave, each table and chair will be cleaned and sanitized before it can be used again.
Other changes customers will notice include the mandatory wearing of face masks for customers and employees, and the seating capacity has been reduced to 110 people. The lounge will have dedicated washroom attendants, who are responsible for disinfecting and sanitizing the facilities after each use.
Air Canada will also implement contact tracing protocols for all lounge visitors.
The business centre in the lounge will remain closed, but Air Canada will offer complimentary wi-fi and remote printing. All reading material (newspapers and magazines) will now be provided in a digital format via PressReader, which is available as a complimentary download on personal devices. The app provides customers with complimentary access to over 7,000 publications in over 60 languages. For those who may not have a device, a limited number of iPads will be available and they will be sanitized between each use.
Food in the lounge will be served as pre-packaged meals, with the menu varying depending on the time of day. And customers will have the option of ordering their food and have it delivered directly to their seat, simply by scanning a QR code where they are seated and selecting from the menu. A central food pickup location is also available for customers. Just like the seating area, all high-touch areas will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized throughout the day. Air Canada will continue to introduce new biosafety measures, such as touchless access, as these become available.
You learn more about the new lounge experience in this video:
