Air Canada partners with PPG on premium lounge in Québec City
Air Canada Café at YQB
Air Canada has opened an Air Canada Café at Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB), introducing the first dedicated premium lounge experience to the airport’s terminal. The new 97-seat Air Canada Café, operated in partnership with Plaza Premium, offers eligible travelers a modern, locally inspired space to relax, work or recharge before their flight, featuring menus that celebrate Québec City’s heritage, culture and renowned art de vivre.
The YQB location marks the seventh Air Canada Café, deepening the airline’s investment in the premium passenger experience in Québec and expanding the café concept as part of its multi-year global lounge modernization program.
“Travelers love Québec City for its food, charm and character,” said Jacqueline Harkness, Managing Director, Product & Services at Air Canada. “With this new Air Canada Café, we have created a space that feels like a love letter to the city – warm, calm and inspired by its rich and unique character. Québec City is one of Canada’s great treasures, and we are proud to bring a little taste of its magic into the travel experience.”
Reflecting Air Canada’s Glowing Hearted design philosophy, the new Air Canada Café blends inspiration from Québec’s natural landscape and the charm and character of the Québec City region to create an atmosphere of calm and comfort. The space is anchored by two significant works from celebrated Québecois and Canadian artists. These include Flow, a vibrant abstraction in acrylic, oil and ink on canvas by the award-winning abstract artist Antonietta Grassi, and 1982, a colourful, geometric acrylic on linen by visual artist and novelist Douglas Coupland.
“The opening of the brand-new Air Canada Café is fully in line with our commitment to offering an ever more welcoming and distinctive experience to travellers who choose to fly from our airport,” said Stéphane Poirier, President and CEO of YQB. “We are proud to partner with Air Canada and Plaza Premium Group in welcoming this popular and unique lounge concept. We are also pleased to count on these valued partners to help us develop a modern, attractive airport that meets our passengers’ expectations.”
“We are immensely proud to debut this space at YQB—a unique hybrid lounge that brings together a premium common-use experience and world-class service,” said Eric Pateman, Senior Vice President, North America at Plaza Premium Group. “This opening celebrates our continued partnership and a shared vision to innovate, collaborate, and truly make travel better.”
Local food and beverage offerings
The Air Canada Café’s menu features locally sourced products and items developed with Québec-based and Indigenous partners, celebrating the city and region’s rich character. Designed as a place to relax before a flight, the Air Canada Café features a full self-service station with hot and cold menu items to be enjoyed on site. The menu also caters to a range of dietary preferences and is supported by comprehensive allergen labelling.
Some of the menu highlights featured include:
- Signature breakfast pancakes with maple butter, fleur de sel, and Sigewigus pumpkin seed spread sourced from the Mi'gmaq Nation of Gespeg Indigenous community
- Fresh, locally sourced ingredients at build-your-own power bowl bar
- Curated selection of local cheeses and artisanal jams
- Menu items designed for dietary preferences and restrictions, including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options
- Full-service bar offering premium specialty coffee from Lavazza, handcrafted cocktails, featuring la distilleries du Fjord and beers from local brewery La Souche
Amenities and space
The lounge features 97 seats across 3,616 square-foot (336-square-metre) premium space. There is productivity-style seating for working and taking calls along with power at every seat, including USB-C ports with wattage to charge a laptop.
Glowing Hearted Design
Inspired by the vast range of Canada’s landscapes and regions, this new Café reflects Air Canada’ new design standard for creating warm, distinctly Canadian spaces that authentically reflect the local culture, character and sense of place. This is the latest expression of Air Canada's “Glowing Hearted” end-to-end customer experience. At the new Air Canada Café at YQB this includes:
- Design inspired by Québec City’s art de vivre, the region’s natural beauty and unique French character
- Works from celebrated Québec and Canadian artists, including Antonietta Grassi and Douglas Coupland
- A design approach that reflects a deliberate investment in timeless quality, balancing refined aesthetics with premium, durable materials that will stand up to daily use
Eligibility for Air Canada Café access
Access to the Air Canada Café at YQB is available to eligible domestic passengers, including Aeroplan Elite members (50K and above), Star Alliance Gold members, Aeroplan premium co-brand cardholders, and Business Class passengers departing on Air Canada and Star Alliance flights from YQB.
Elevating the airport experience
The new Air Canada Café at YQB is the airline’s latest investment in premium airport experiences that are tailored to the communities and markets it serves. Air Canada continues to modernize and expand its lounge network, focusing on passenger care, convenience and comfort.
Last year, the airline added more than 500 lounge seats worldwide, delivering more space and amenities for its passengers. This latest expansion builds on a series of recent lounge upgrades, including a new Air Canada Café and refreshed domestic Maple Leaf Lounge at Montréal-Trudeau, introducing elevated design, modern seating and improved power access to select airport locations across the airline’s global network.
