While there are multiple lounges at Calgary International Airport, there is only one – Aspire Lounge – in the part of the terminal where international flights (excluding those to the United States) depart from. I had a chance to briefly stop by on a recent trip before taking a flight to Frankfurt.
Continue reading this review to see what the Aspire Lounge in Calgary Airport’s international departures area was like.
Location & Opening Hours
The Aspire Lounge – International is located in Calgary International Airport’s Concourse D which is used by all international flights out of the airport except for those that depart to the United States. The US-bound flights use a separate transborder terminal which has a separate Aspire Lounge too.
Coming from one of the other concourses, to get to the lounge, I had to walk past Starbucks and turn left ahead of Chilli’s into a hallway at the end of which was an elevator leading to the lounge. The lounge was in the general direction toward gates D80-97.
The lounge is open every day from 6:30AM. The closing time is either 7PM, 8:30PM, or 9PM depending on the day of the week. The opening hours cover most if not all flights departing from Concourse D.
Entry Requirements
Being the only lounge in Concourse D, business class passengers and frequent flyer status holders departing to international destinations other than the United States generally get access to the Aspire Lounge. In fact, while there is both an Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge and a WestJet Elevation Lounge at the airport, the two airlines still provide access to the Aspire Lounge to their international passengers due to its more convenient location.
Like the WestJet Elevation Lounge, both of the Aspire Lounges at Calgary Airport (International and Transborder) also participate in Priority Pass and a couple of similar programs. Lastly, all otherwise ineligible passengers can buy access to the lounge here.
In my case, I accessed the lounge as a Star Alliance Gold status holder traveling in economy class on an Air Canada flight to Frankfurt. Considering that there were no checks on the way to/from Concourse D, you should be able to use this lounge when departing from Concourses A through C as well. Just keep in mind it can be quite a long walk.
Lounge Tour
Entering the lounge, I was welcomed at the reception desk by a friendly agent. It took some time for her to let me in, though, as for some reason my frequent flyer number was not showing in her system.
Past the reception, there was an entryway with a flight information display and some candies.
The Aspire Lounge – International Departures itself wasn’t too large and essentially consisted of one large relatively narrow and long room with a variety of seating.
Right past the entrance on the left side, along the lounge’s windows overlooking the terminal were groups of four sofa chairs around round coffee tables. In the middle was a counter with more than a dozen seats and plenty of power outlets and USB charging ports. Along the right wall were some bar-height tables, each with a couple of chairs.
Entrance to the restrooms could be found there as well.
Further down along the windows were some more sofa chairs.
There were also a couple of small counters facing the terminal.
In the middle of the lounge were some dining tables for two as well as a couple of booths
There was also a buffet area with drinks and food. More about those later, though.
Lastly, in the very back of the lounge were some more sofa chairs with a backdrop of mountains. I found the backdrop nice and, in fact, I liked the lounge’s simple design with a lot of wooden surfaces overall.
While there were showers in the lounge, I didn’t try them. It also appeared that access to showers was not free and instead cost 10 CAD.
Food and Drinks
All of the drinks in the lounge could be found at a counter running along the inner wall. The food was mostly on an island counter in the middle of the lounge with some smaller items available in the drinks area as well. Both the drinks and food selections were decent.
Starting with soft drinks, there was a still and sparkling water dispenser and a soda dispenser with Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, ginger ale, and tonic water. There was also a juice dispenser with apple juice, orange juice, cranberry juice cocktail, and lemonade. Tomato and vegetable juices were available too.
Hot drinks included a selection of coffee and tea.
Alcoholic drinks in the Aspire Lounge at Calgary Airport included a selection of wines and eight different types of liquor. There were also two beers from Big Rock Brewery on tap.
There was even a station with a variety of condiments, etc. where one could make their own cocktail.
In terms of food, there was a selection of cold items including cheese, ham, and salads.
There was also a variety of bread, bagels, etc.
Hot items included cream of cheddar and broccoli soup, vegetable chili, butter chicken curry with basmati rice, and chicken pesto penne, and herb garlic potatoes.
Lastly, there were some whole fruits (apples and oranges), salty snacks (chips and pretzels), and desserts.
Desserts included brownies, banana bread, cut fruits, and granola and yogurt bowls.
During my short stay, I had some butter chicken curry which I enjoyed, as well as a granola and yogurt bowl and a cup of cut fruits.
Aspire Lounge (International) Calgary Summary
Overall, I enjoyed my brief stay in the Aspire Lounge in Calgary Airport’s Concourse D. There was plenty of seating (although a lot of it was taken when I visited around 5PM on a Friday), the food selection and quality were decent, and plenty of drinks were available as well.
That said, if taking a shower indeed costs 10 CAD extra regardless of how you get in, that is unacceptable in my opinion. Especially so if the charge also applies to passengers accessing the lounge using their business class ticket or frequent flyer status.
All in all, while I wouldn’t go out of my way to use this lounge (I liked the WestJet Elevation Lounge more), I wouldn’t hesitate to stop by before catching an international flight out of Calgary Airport.
