The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Terminal Two was one of the largest outstation Maple Leaf Lounges in the United States and a far nicer version than it’s New York / New Jersey Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge counter parts. Unfortunately, the lounge had seen better days on our pass through and had suffered from the low rent touches before it transitioned completely over to Los Angeles Terminal Six.

---

This post is one chapter on our trip to South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines AAdvantage & Alaska Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.

---

---

Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, Los Angeles Terminal Two, Los Angeles International Airport, California, United States of America

---

“Air Canada’s attempt at a Maple Leaf Lounge in the USA was eventually eclipsed by nicer offerings at the Star Alliance Business Lounge in the Tom Bradley International Terminal”

This review is for the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Terminal Two at Los Angeles International Airport. This lounge has since relocated to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Terminal Six Los Angeles, in a much smaller footprint. Today, this lounge is the space for the Delta Sky Club Terminal Two.

---

Checking into Qatar Airways Business Class:

For the first time ever, we took a miss on the LAX shuttle bus and walked over underneath the LAX spyder to Terminal 2 for Qatar. There is nothing like being outside and we knew we were about to be confined to a cabin for 15 hours for the next leg our our adventure.

We checked in at the Qatar Airways business class line. The check in at T-180 was almost completely deserted, except for a few families waiting around outside the mazes, presumably not wanting to confine themselves to the tiny terminal of Terminal 2.

This is where the outbound trip started to go a bit “pear shaped”. The Qatar check in agent attempted to “correct” our checked bags destination by cancelling the current checked bag assignment to Doha, and re-checking them through to Cape Town. We had a 13 hour layover and had hoped to have our bags with us, instead of sitting in the Doha airport hold unattended where they could be subjected to tampering or theft of contents.

I asked that they leave the checked bag assignment as is, but the check in agent wouldn’t have any of it. She assured us that they would be on the belt in Cape Town. Thankfully, we had carry on’s as well with a change of clothes for our overnight in Doha. Unfortunately, when she handed back our bag stubs, they were the original bag stubs indicating that the bags were to be checked to Doha. Regrettably, I didn’t realize this until we were on the plane and fully airborne away from LAX. I made the decision that we would check the bag claim belt on our arrival in Doha anyway, in case of any mix up.

Qatar doesn’t participate in TSA Pre-Check so we joined the regular queue for security screening. There wasn’t much of a line with only 3 people ahead of us.

Locating the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge:

The Los Angeles International Airport uses separate terminals for each area. At the time of our visit, the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge was in Terminal Two. It was located on the top floor mid concourse on the left hand side.

Los Angeles Terminal Two is much brighter than it used to be. It’s undergone a slight re-fresh since the last time I passed through here, but it’s not a game changer with the same basic shape with the same plain amenities. There is not much here so there is no need to arrive early if you are leaving from this terminal.

Qatar uses the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in Terminal Two. Air Canada has taken over what was previously the fabulous Air New Zealand Koru Club in the long upstairs space in the Northwest corner. Air New Zealand moved out to the Tom Bradley International Terminal, where they now operate the Star Alliance Business Lounge Tom Bradley International Terminal. The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge was very easy to find and the entrance can be seen from the main concourse.

Accessing the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge:

The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Los Angeles is accessed through a variety of means.

The easiest way to gain access is to purchase an international ticket on any Star Alliance Carrier in Business Class. Air Canada allows access for Transborder passengers so a flight to Canada on Air Canada in Business Class is the easiest way to gain access.

Access is also available for Star Alliance Gold members departing in any class of service on Star Alliance Carriers. Aeroplan Top Tier members at Elite 50K and higher members are also able to access this lounge courtesy of Star Alliance Gold Status. The lounge does not belong to Priority Pass, although you may get an opportunity to purchase a day pass at your point of purchase if purchasing through Air Canada’s ticketing channels for $50 CAD.

Today’s access was based on a voucher for our Qatar Airlines Business Class Los Angeles – Doha flight as One World did not operate a lounge in this part of the terminal.

Inside the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge:

I’m sorry to report that the lounge has gone downhill in a very large way since it’s days as the Air New Zealand Koru Club. This probably used to be the top Star Alliance Lounge in North America when it was run by Air New Zealand. Although the lounge is featuring new furniture, without the past stylish Air NZ white couches, it’s unfortunately downhill in the quality of both food and beverage.

The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge has a long rectangular shape that runs the length of the top floor of Los Angeles Terminal Two. The lounge space offers loungers along side partial windows that offer day light, but only restricted apron views.

Food and Beverage:

Like many other versions of the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, there was a self serve buffet or snacks. The snacks are typical Air Canada Maple Leafe Lounge fare, and offer enough for a quick bite, although not generally enough as a meal substitute.

There were communal tables and chairs with power outlets near the buffet for eating. As this place was often high density with lots of travellers, they did well to design long tables instead of setting up individual tables and chairs which tend to take up more space.

The food is strictly Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge standard fare; couscous, pita chips, small sandwiches. They are okay and can fill out up in terms of a meal, but are nothing to really write home about.

In the lounge’s golden years of being an Air New Zealand Koru Club, these refrigerators used to be packed chock full of wonderful New Zealand Wines, and now they sit mostly empty with only a few tired discounted labels. Air New Zealand staff used to wander around acting as gracious reception hosts, chatting with families travelling. Now there are only a few dis interested cleaning staff that take away dishes.

Furthermore, setting the tone of the dreariness, I got yelled at by the lounge dragon for taking a photograph of the lobby reception area that she happened to be in while seated behind the counter; “You must delete that photograph at once!!!” She didn’t seem to mind photographs of the other areas of the lounge. Again, a sad sign of how hospitable this place has become. I couldn’t get the wifi to connect on my iPhone and I certainly wasn’t about to re-approach the host after that interaction with her.

My Thoughts the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge:

The visit ended with no power plug ins near the chairs, where I enjoyed a short glass of Proprietor’s White No Name wine as we killed time prior to our flight. Unfortunately, I had to conclude that this place has declined as compared what it was before, and most certainly compared to its flagship Star Alliance Business Lounge Los Angeles sister over in the Tom Bradley International Terminal. It seems Air New Zealand has gone onto bigger and better things by assuming operation of the new Star Alliance TBIT lounge, leaving it’s forgotten cousin abandoned on the curb where she found her. . .

Give me the Admirals Club in Terminal 4 any day. 

---

Editors Note:

This Los Angeles Terminal Two lounge is now operating as the Delta Sky Club Terminal Two. The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Los Angeles has relocated and is now situated in Terminal Six

---

If you’ve regularly fly out of Los Angeles International Airport, what is your preferred lounge ?

---