Lounge Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, Terminal 2 – San Francisco (SFO)

by Adam Stuart | August 7, 2024 | 0 Comments

…this lounge WAY surpasses expectations!!!

When: August 4, 2023

Rating – 8.5 – Very Awesome

Access – United Club Membership, Star Alliance Gold flying a Star Alliance Carrier

Some lounges come with high expectations (e.g., Polaris Lounges, Senator Lounges). Others come as a surprise even after hearing good reviews. Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge in San Francisco is the latter. It’s a stunning lounge that passes expectations. It far surpasses the United Club lounges (excluding the Polaris Lounge) at SFO. The décor rates as some of the finest I have seen in the USA. The lounge features a shower suites, a beautiful bar, an outdoor patio, extensive buffet and private work cubicles. This is nicer than any Maple Leaf Lounge I have visited in Canada.

a room with chairs and a television
a room with white tables and chairs and a glass display
a room with a large painting on the wall
a bar with bottles and glasses

The lounge is upstairs in terminal 2 and is easily walkable from terminal 3 and the international pier where most of the United flights operate. Once I entered the lounge (it was early morning) I was struck by the elegant décor, the patios and a bar with a glass wall behind it that gradually let in the sunlight. The staff was just putting out the breakfast buffet as I was there. I had a lot of work to do, so I availed myself of one of the private work cubicles, a feature that many lounges leave out these days.

By the time I was ready to eat, there were too many people by the buffet to take pictures. I had some scrambled eggs and some hot cereal. As a bonus, there was barista made coffee at the bar. Then I decided to grab a shower in one of the shower suites.

After my shower, I availed myself of the incredible outdoor patio. San Francisco is known for its changeable weather, but when the sun came out, it was extremely comfortable in the sun and even though I was at an airport, a breeze coming in from the Pacific made the air seem extra fresh.

a lounge area with chairs and a glass wall
a black jacket on a white desk in a room
a shower with a shower head
red chairs on a rooftop

If there is a downside – it could be crowding…once eligible United flyers that do not have Polaris lounge access find out about this lounge. The lounge does not feature sleep rooms or a sit down a la carte restaurant…but neither does any non-international lounge in North America (excluding United Polaris Lounges, Delta One Lounges, American Flagship Lounges, or Air Canada Signature Suite Lounges).  The pictures of this lounge really tell the story.

I rate this lounge 8.5/10. Best features: The bar, décor, shower suites, terraces.  Flaws: Potential crowding – but none really.

Adam Stuart

Avid traveler/lounge aficionado, who looks to maximize the fun while traveling. The journey can be as fun as the destination!
Also on BoardingArea
One Mile at a Time
Exciting: Icelandair Launching Miami Flights With Airbus A321LR
Nearly a year ago, Icelandair announced that it would finally add service to my home airport, which I’m excited about. This route is finally launching tomorrow, so I want to provide an update, as the carrier has actually extended the season for this route, compared to what was initially planned.
TravelUpdate
Your complete guide to the latest $150 American Express credit
American Express is out with a brand new benefit on one of their credit cards and you can earn up to $150 in statement credits each year!
View from the Wing
Delta’s New José Andrés Meals Are Everything That’s Wrong With The Airline (Even If The Food Is Good) [Roundup]
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips. Continue reading Delta’s New José Andrés Meals Are Everything That’s Wrong With The Airline (Even If The Food Is...
Live and Let’s Fly
Alaska Airlines Expands West Coast Network With 13 New Routes, Two New Cities, And More Hawaii Flights
Alaska Airlines is growing again, this time with focus on San Diego, Portland, and Hawaii. Alaska Airlines Expands With 13 New Routes, Two New Cities, And More Hawaii Flights Alaska Airlines has announced 13 new routes set to begin in 2026, including service to two new destinations, Tulsa, Oklahoma and...
The Alviator
New Series: How To Use Airline Miles And Transferrable Points Currencies
I'm writing a new series on best uses of certain miles and points, as well as how to use transferrable miles currencies. The post New Series: How To Use Airline Miles And Transferrable Points Currencies appeared first on The Alviator.
The Bulkhead Seat
Airports Accept Food Donations as US Government Shutdown Leaves Workers Without Pay
The federal government entered a shutdown at the beginning of October after lawmakers failed… The post Airports Accept Food Donations as US Government Shutdown Leaves Workers Without Pay appeared first on The Bulkhead Seat.
Economy Class & Beyond
The Heathrow Bears are back!
For those who love the Heathrow Bears, they’ve returned in the latest advert for Heathrow Airport. Let’s go straight to the video. There are a few points that Heathrow Airport are going through in the video, including: Parking The bears are travelling using the Pod Parking at Terminal 5. Heathrow...
Frequent Miler
Parlaying status with JetBlue’s Match to Mosaic
Over the summer, JetBlue offered a short-term opportunity to match all the way to Mosaic 4 status for certain elites, but that opportunity expired on June 30, 2025. However, it is still possible to “Match to Mosaic”, and my wife recently parlayed one promotion into another to get us Mosaic...
One Mile at a Time
Did Some Airlines Sabotage The Airbus A380 To Weaken Emirates?
This week, The Air Show Podcast (which is worth listening to — Brett, Brian, and Jon, are definitely smart and sort of funny guys) had Emirates President Tim Clark as a guest. Clark is one of the brightest guys in the industry, and he also has an incredibly depth of...
You Are Travel
Absolute Brawl Ensues Mid-Flight on What’s Said to be Frontier Airlines [VIDEO]
tl;dr – A rather disturbing incident involving several passengers onboard what’s believed to be Frontier Airlines. A rather… The post Absolute Brawl Ensues Mid-Flight on What’s Said to be Frontier Airlines [VIDEO] appeared first on You Are Travel.
Economy Class & Beyond
Lumo completes seating refresh
For those who travel with Lumo between London, the North East of England and Edinburgh, there’s good news as the train operator has completed its seating refresh. Lumo’s Seat Refresh – Image, Lumo.  The refresh involves 1,930 seats across the five Hitachi-built five-carriage trainsets, with around 400 seats per train...
Monkey Miles
Capital One Venture X Rewards $300 annual travel credit
Everything you need to know about $300 Capital One Venture X travel credit The post Capital One Venture X Rewards $300 annual travel credit appeared first on Monkey Miles.
You Are Travel
World’s 50 Best Drops Best North American Restaurants List: Any Surprises? 
tl;dr – The 50 ‘Best’ Restaurants in North America.  The organization behind the World’s 50 Best List has… The post World’s 50 Best Drops Best North American Restaurants List: Any Surprises?  appeared first on You Are Travel.
One Mile at a Time
Citi Strata Elite Card $300 Annual Hotel Credit: How Hard Is It To Use?
Link: Learn more about the Citi Strata Elite Card
One Mile at a Time
The Secret Air France-KLM Flying Blue Award Calendar: How To Find It
For a long time, the Flying Blue program has had a useful, ”secret” calendar that lets you see award availability across a variety of dates. However, the ways to access this calendar have changed over time. In this post, I’d like to go over the details of how this currently...
2PAXfly
Western Sydney International Airport: Ramps up testing ahead of 2026 Opening
Sydney’s long-awaited $6 billion second airport is officially entering its final approach. With about a year until opening, Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, or WSI, is deep into its operational readiness program. This phase is designed to test every system. Operation staff and procedures are flight-ready ahead of the...
The Bulkhead Seat
Alaska Airlines Grounds All Flights Nationwide Following Major IT Outage
Alaska Airlines grounded all flights nationwide today after experiencing a significant IT outage that… The post Alaska Airlines Grounds All Flights Nationwide Following Major IT Outage appeared first on The Bulkhead Seat.
Travel Points Playbook
Review: Brand New Southwest 787-MAX8 With New Interior
Yesterday I flew a 7-day old 737-MAX8 plane from St Lous to Las Vegas and got to check… The post Review: Brand New Southwest 787-MAX8 With New Interior appeared first on Travel Points Playbook.
TravelUpdate
Bidvest Domestic lounge in Johannesburg
Bidvest Premier Lounge: I have written about how much I enjoyed the Bidvest International lounge at OR Tambo…
Points With a Crew
Amex Delta Gold vs. Delta Platinum – which is better? (Higher Offers Ending Soon!)
Several Amex Delta credit cards currently have all-time high signup bonuses. Looking at the Delta Gold vs. Delta Platinum cards - how can you decide which is better?
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Google Flights Finally Can Filter Out Basic Economy — But…
One annoying aspect pertaining to searching for the lowest prices for airline tickets is that they are usually significantly restrictive basic economy fares, with which selection of seats and the privilege to carry a bag aboard the airplane are only two of many items that will cost extra and add...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Surprise Business Rewards Double Status Credits promotion
This is almost guaranteed to be the last opportunity to boost your status in the final weeks of 2025. With 10 weeks left until Christmas, Qantas has launched a surprising Double Status Credits (DSC) promotion, but only for members of its Business Rewards Program (QBR). How to qualify First up,...
You Are Travel
Starlink Rival on the Way? – Airbus Part of New European Satellite and Space Joint-Venture
tl;dr – Aerospace and defense companies, Airbus, Leonardo, and Thales are teaming up for an ambitious project.  A… The post Starlink Rival on the Way? – Airbus Part of New European Satellite and Space Joint-Venture appeared first on You Are Travel.
Frequent Miler
United and JetBlue reciprical earning and redeeming is live, but the pricing is dead on arrival
Back in May, United and JetBlue announced a new partnership that they’re calling “Blue Sky.” The benefits that customers of both airlines were promised included perks like: reciprocal mileage redemption and earning, reciprocal elite benefits, and cross-channel booking (Book JetBlue flights via United and vice-versa). Additionally, starting in 2027, United...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

Recent Stories

Reviews

Read the latest reviews for road warriors and frequent flyers.
  • Running with Miles
    by Charlie
    Running with Miles
    by Charlie
    The perfect combination of running and travel that results in the ability to run more races in more places for less.
    Visit Blog Contact
  • God Save The Points
    by Gilbert
    God Save The Points
    by Gilbert
    God Save The Points is the home of modern travel.
    Visit Blog Contact
  • TravelUpdate
    by Various
    TravelUpdate
    by Various
    Travel Update is a collective blog of expert frequent flyers who write about the topics, experiences, advice and adventures of travel from around the US, Europe and the world. #flymore
    Visit Blog Contact
  • One Mile at a Time
    by Ben
    One Mile at a Time
    by Ben
    Earn miles. Fly first class. Stay in luxury hotels. Maximize elite status. Save points. Find travel deals. Repeat. One mile at a time.
    Visit Blog Contact

Our Bloggers