Traveling can be an exhilarating experience, but the hustle and bustle of airports can sometimes dampen the excitement. This is specifically the case of Toronto’s Pearson airport which is mired with flight delays and long security lines. An alternative to Pearson, if you are travelling on regional routes to eastern Canada and the US, would be Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport – located conveniently within the downtown area.

Nestled within this airport is perhaps the best Airport lounge in the region. Today, I’ll be sharing my experience at the Aspire Air Canada Cafe located in the domestic departures lounge of this airport.

First Impressions

The Lounge is conveniently located in the domestic departures section of the airport and is pretty easy to find. Given the small area of the airport, the lounge entrance is prominently visible from most of the departure gates. On entrance, the staff was extremely welcoming and greeted us with a smile (very rare in several major airport lounges these days) to get us checked in.

Comfort and Amenities

The lounge has plenty of comfortable seating options with high top tables, a bar, seating booths, and various relaxing couches. Ambient relaxing music also adds on to the soothing feel of the lounge. We were one of the first to be in the lounge at about 6:35 AM, and despite the amount of people in the lounge, the music didn’t make us feel drowsy.

Culinary Delights

Given our time of entry, the breakfast buffet at the Aspire Lounge was impressive. Unlike a standard airport lounge, the buffet had a variety of hot and cold items, coffee and tea, and a separate takeout bar with some fruits and coffee cups.

The highlight for me was definitely the dessert section with the freshly baked brownies and banana loaves. The self-serve coffee machine although not as large as a nespresso machine did pack a punch and brewed some splendid coffee!

Connectivity and Productivity

Connectivity at the Aspire Air Canada Cafe is not an issue. The lounge offers high-speed Wi-Fi that was not just reliable but pretty fast. While we did not speed test the Wi-Fi, the network did a pretty good job at downloading unread e-mails, responding to texts, and even buffering a few high resolution youtube videos. For the average web user, the Wi-Fi speed will not disappoint. For business travellers, there are severalquite spots in the lounge for some quiet work with a dedicated work space for your meetings and confidential conversations. Having lived the strategy consulting life myself, I wouldn’t hesitate to work out of this lounge. Although, should the lounge be a bit more crowded and the work space be occupied, I would not be able to take confidential client calls in this lounge.

Entertainment and Relaxation

Travellers looking to relax and unwind will appreciate the lounge’s entertainment options. There were a couple of flat-screen TVs showing news and sports and a selection of international newspapers and magazines.

The only inconvenience of the lounge is the lack of washrooms within the lounge facility. To access the washrooms, one has to exist the lounge to access the washrooms in the departures area. Although I believe the small size of the airport departures area is a reasonable explanation for the lack of washroom facilities within the lounge. Again, given the size of the lounge, plenty of entertainment and relaxation options available.

Accessing the Aspire Air Canada Lounge

Since this lounge is operated as a partnership between Aspire and Air Canada, several access criteria apply:

• Air Canada Aeroplan Elite Members: Super Elite, 75K, 50K
• Air Canada Premium Cabin Guests: Business Class or Premium Rouge
• Star Alliance Gold Members
• Amex Aeroplan Premium Credit Cards: Amex Aeroplan Reserve (Personal, Business, and Corporate), Amex Platinum
• Aeroplan VISA Premium Credit Cards: TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege, CIBC Aeroplan VISA Infinite Privilege
• Priority Pass, Dragonpass, and Executivelounges.com
• Paid access pass (valid for 3 hours)

Conclusion

Our experience at the Aspire Air Canada Lounge was nothing short of exceptional. It transformed what could have been a stressful layover into a relaxing and productive break. I’ll be reviewing a bunch of airport lounges in Canada given upcoming travels and will post them soon. Having travelled through multiple airport lounges in Canada previously, I can confidently say the Aspire Air Canada Lounge at Billy Bishop Airport is by far my favourite.

Tip: For frequent flyers and even occasional travellers, investing in lounge access via premium credit cards or lounge access programs can greatly enhance the overall travel experience. Next time you find yourself at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, consider stepping into the Aspire Air Canada Lounge. It just might become your new favourite part of the journey out of Toronto!