Before a flight to the United States out of Calgary, I spent some time in the Aspire Transborder Lounge YYC that left me desiring a little more.

Location of the Aspire Transborder Lounge YYC

The Aspire Transborder Lounge YYC is in Concourse E at Calgary International Airport. This location is dedicated to flights departing Canada for the United States. You’ll find it after clearing customs and immigration at the Preclearance checkpoint and passing through the duty free shops. Hang an immediate left after leaving the shops and you’ll find the entrance in the corner.

Only flights departing for the USA have access to this location. There is a separate Aspire Lounge dedicated to international flights outside the scope of this post.

The good news is that pretty much all gates are easily accessible to this lounge. That means you can maximize your stay in this lounge until your flight ready to board.

Access rules

The lounge is open during the following times:

• 4:30AM to 6PM Tuesday and Wednesday
• 4:30AM to 7:00PM Thursday to Monday

There might be some variance in the hours based on flight schedules.

The following passengers have access to this lounge:

• Air Canada business class customers
• WestJet elites (Gold and up get unlimited access, Silver gets lounge passes)
• American Express Platinum cardholders
• Priority Pass, DreamFolks, and Dragonpass members
• Anyone willing to spend $55 CA per adult or $35 CA per child

There will be times when the lounge is too crowded to accept Priority Pass guests, but crowding didn’t seem too bad compared to other Priority Pass lounge I’ve been to. However, that’s also likely because on the day I was here, airport employees were not letting guests into the US Preclearance facility until two hours before their flight due to the length of the immigration lines.

We would generally advise people against paying to gain admittance to almost any lounge. Your money generally will be better spent at an actual restaurant.

Seating at the Aspire Transborder Lounge YYC

The interior of the Aspire Transborder Lounge YYC isn’t that large, but they do a good job with varying up the seating. There are a few high-top tables by the buffet.

Further in, there are some comfortable seats intended for groups.

And then they have the Garden section, which gives a sense of being outdoors when you’re still indoors. This is the place I preferred to sit (and seemed to be a popular spot for others too).

The buffet

There isn’t a large buffet offering here, with just two hot dishes, some cold cuts, a pancake machine, and some brownies during breakfast service. I wasn’t here for lunch to see how things changed.

I’ll say the quiet part out loud: if you have the chance to eat breakfast elsewhere, you might want to consider it. The eggs are good enough, but I found the flavor a bit lacking.

The sausage patties are fine, but not great quality.

Along the side of the buffet are some cold cuts and cheese. You can also get some fruit and hard-boiled eggs if you’d prefer.

And on the back end are the brownies and bread. Not sure why they have brownies here for breakfast but I guess some people like getting the party started early.

And next to the bread display is the pancake machine. I used to love going to Alaska lounges for their pancake machine, so I naturally had to partake here.

But, uhh, I think they need to adjust the settings on their pancake machine. This is how it came out–very much undercooked and it crumbled as it fell onto the plate. And, no, the taste didn’t make up for its looks.

Drinks

Out in the garden area is a beautiful bar area. But if you’re here for breakfast, there’s just one problem. It’s not open until 11AM daily. That means no mimosa or Bloody Mary for you with your undercooked pancakes. That’s a shame.

Next to the buffet is a juice machine and a fridge with some milks and tomato juice.

Lastly, there is a coffee machine in the corner of the lounge in case you need a caffeine fix.

Showering at the Aspire Transborder Lounge YYC

You might be pleased to know that showers are available at the Aspire Transborder Lounge YYC. But I didn’t use it. That’s because it costs money, as shown on the signage below. While I could have asked about the pricing, I didn’t want to take up the lounge agent’s time given the line behind me.

Recommendation: Don’t dedicate extra time here

There is one thing that’s very good that I can say about this lounge. It’s past customs and immigration, and who knows how long it can take to get through. Sometimes it’s quick to get through the checkpoint, but sometimes it can take a long time. You might budget in some time to clear it, but if you have spare time, this isn’t a bad place to spend it.

The food isn’t great and there are no alcoholic drinks in the morning, but it’s still a peaceful place to hang out and I do like the “outdoor” Garden area. It wasn’t crowded during my visit, which means it’s not a bad experience. I just wouldn’t want to spend more time here than I otherwise needed to.

Have you been to the Aspire Transborder Lounge YYC?

Suggested reading:

• Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge YVR (Transborder / US Flights)
• The Best Options for Airport Lounges for Families
• Is Priority Pass Still Worth The Effort?