Air Canada Signature Suite Toronto to Close for Expansion, Reopening in December

Air Canada will close its Air Canada Signature Suite at Toronto Pearson (YYZ) on September 30, 2026, expanding into the former Plaza Premium Lounge space, with reopening planned for December and the full expansion targeted for early 2027.

For eligible Air Canada Signature Class passengers this fall, that means trading an à la carte dinner for the international Maple Leaf Lounge or food to take to the gate. The flight stays the same, but the meal before it will look different.

The short version is that Toronto needs a larger suite, and getting there means closing the current room entirely. Air Canada’s arrangements cover the basics, with a return invitation that deserves more attention than the temporary queue.

Why the Suite Is Closing

Beside Gate E77 in Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson, the suite is an à la carte restaurant and bar, and Air Canada’s most exclusive ground product. As our full review of the Toronto Signature Suite illustrates, dining is central to the experience. The room has been full more often than not since reopening after the pandemic, making more space a sensible investment.

Air Canada is taking over the adjacent space previously operated as the Plaza Premium Lounge, which closed for good in January 2026 and building a larger suite. Construction requires a complete closure, so September 29, 2026, is the last day to use the current room.

December’s reopening and completion of the expansion are separate milestones. Air Canada’s stated target for the expanded footprint is early 2027, so the room that welcomes passengers back in December may still be a work in progress.

What Replaces It Until December

During the closure, eligible passengers will have priority access to the international Maple Leaf Lounge in Terminal 1 through a dedicated queue. A temporary grab-and-go space near Gate E85 will also offer food and drinks to take to the gate, closer to where most long-haul departures board than the suite itself.

The dedicated line is the part I’d value most. Maple Leaf Lounges run full on the evening bank more often than not, with a queue forming outside the door, and a Signature Class passenger sent to the lounge on a priority line is spared the wait that everyone else takes on. It doesn’t replace the dinner, but it does keep the substitute from feeling like a downgrade before you even get inside.

Travel Period	Where Eligible Signature Class Passengers Eat
Before September 30	The Signature Suite, with the current room serving passengers through September 29.
September 30 to December	The international Maple Leaf Lounge with a priority queue, or grab-and-go food and drinks near Gate E85 during the closure.
December onward	The Signature Suite is expected to reopen in December, with the full expansion targeted for early 2027.

Eligibility stays the same. Signature Class passengers flying to Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, and New Zealand qualify, whether they paid for the seat or booked an Aeroplan business class flight reward. Signature Class flights to the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean do not qualify.

Star Alliance Gold status alone does not grant suite access. Neither does Maple Leaf Lounge access, including the benefit carried by the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card, so having access to the replacement lounge should not be confused with qualifying for the suite.

Credit where it’s due, Air Canada has handled the gap about as well as it could. A priority queue and food near the departure gates are practical substitutes, and the Maple Leaf Lounge is a fair replacement for everything except the dinner that makes the suite special.

While I’m on the subject, Toronto Pearson deserves more lounge options than it has. For international departures from Terminal 1, the choice has narrowed to the Maple Leaf Lounges now that Plaza Premium’s international room is gone, and that is thin for the busiest airport in the country. A bigger Signature Suite is welcome, but I’d like to see a third option at Pearson, whether that’s an independent operator or a bank-branded room like the Aspire Amex Lounges that Montreal and Calgary now have.

One small consolation if you’d rather sit down for a proper meal is an Amex Offer for dining at Toronto Pearson that runs through December 31, 2026. Add it to a registered card, spend or more in a single bill at a participating restaurant inside the airport, and you get a statement credit, once for the period ending September 30 and once again from October 1 to December 31. Amex Offers are targeted, so it has to show in your account, but if it does, it takes some of the sting out of paying for dinner at the terminal while the suite is dark.

The Return Pass Is the Detail Worth Keeping

Affected passengers will be offered an invitation to return once the expanded suite opens. It will be valid through December 31, 2028, on any Air Canada flight to an international destination, in any class of service, and may be used by the passenger or a guest.

That means a Signature Class ticket that misses the suite this fall can become a visit before an economy flight in 2027 or 2028. Air Canada does not otherwise sell that opportunity at any price, which gives the invitation value beyond a promise to welcome you back.

I’d rather have the dinner on the trip I booked, but an invitation I can use before a future economy flight is a useful way to make up for losing it. The generous validity period also leaves time to put it to use without arranging another trip around a lounge.

Delivery mechanics have not yet been detailed. The invitation should arrive from Air Canada, and it is worth watching for rather than assuming the replacement lounge visit is the end of the arrangement.

Where This Leaves Vancouver and Montreal

Vancouver (YVR) is unaffected, and its Signature Suite stays open throughout Toronto’s closure. In our review of the Vancouver Signature Suite after its reopening, we found it the better of the two rooms on food.

If your long-haul trip can route through Vancouver this fall without adding a connection, the suite is one more reason to choose it. Montreal (YUL) has never had a Signature Suite, and this announcement changes nothing there.

Conclusion

If you’re flying eligible Signature Class out of Toronto this fall, plan on the Maple Leaf Lounge rather than a sit-down dinner. If the meal matters to you, have a proper one before you get to the airport, or count on the meal service onboard once you’re in the air.

Watch for the return invitation from Air Canada and make sure it lands. Its usefulness extends well beyond the closure, especially if your next international trip is in economy.

This is a temporary loss of a good dinner in exchange for more room to serve one, with a future visit that may end up being the most memorable part of the arrangement.