Review: Air Canada Arrivals Lounge London

After a six and a half hour flight in Air Canada premium economy from Montreal to London, I arrived having not slept a wink. Despite this, I was looking forward to a visit to the Air Canada Arrivals Lounge, where I could enjoy a piping hot shower and a bite to eat before heading into the city.

In fact, this would become my first time visiting an arrivals lounge in an airport. I certainly appreciate having a nice shower before a flight, and I made an educated guess that it would be just as refreshing after a flight.

It turns out that it was, so let’s have a look at the experience.

Air Canada Arrivals Lounge London – Access

Immediately after collecting your baggage from the carousel in Terminal 2, it’s a very quick turn to find the lounge. Right after passing through the arrivals door, look for the signs on the left hand side.

Air Canada and United share the lounge, so technically it could be called the Air Canada and United Airlines Arrivals Lounge. Both airlines’ logos adorn the sign outside.

If you’ve reached the Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge, which wasn’t operational during my stay, you’ve gone too far. The Air Canada Arrivals Lounge is just to the left of it.

I enjoyed access to the lounge through my Super Elite status with Air Canada. Unlike anyone else with Aeroplan Elite Status, Super Elites can access this lounge on a ticket in any class of service, and can bring a guest.

Otherwise, access to the Air Canada Arrivals Lounge is reserved for passengers arriving on an Air Canada business class ticket from Canada to London. Eligible arriving passengers who aren’t Super Elites cannot bring a guest.

If you have an Air Canada business class ticket to London, bring it to the Arrivals Lounge after you pick up your bags.

When I arrived, I was asked to present my boarding pass. Since I used an electronic boarding pass on my cell phone, which had disappeared from the Air Canada app by the time I’d arrived, there was a bit of a kerfuffle at check-in.

The staff were lovely, and after showing them my Super Elite card and giving them my booking reference, they made a quick phone call and processed my entry manually. So, be sure to get a paper boarding pass if you’re flying into London…