Air Canada Debuts First Premium Lounge Experience At Québec City Airport (YQB)

For years, frequent flyers and business travelers departing from Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) have faced a quiet but persistent frustration: the lack of a dedicated, permanent premium lounge experience. That major gap in the terminal has officially been resolved.

Air Canada has launched its newest Air Canada Café at YQB, marking the very first dedicated premium lounge experience in the airport's history. Developed in partnership with the Plaza Premium Group, this 3,616-square-foot hybrid space brings world-class amenities, local culinary flair, and productivity-focused design straight to Québec City's departing passengers.

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What Makes the YQB Air Canada Café Unique?

This opening marks a significant milestone for the carrier—it is the seventh Air Canada Café in the network, but the first time Air Canada has extended this highly rated boutique concept beyond its primary megahubs (like Toronto, Montréal, and Vancouver).

While traditional airport lounges can sometimes feel crowded or generic, the Café concept flips the script. It focuses on a calmer atmosphere, artisanal food options, and exceptional barista-made coffee, creating a space that Air Canada executives call "a love letter to Québec City."

1. Locally Inspired Gastronomy

The food and beverage program completely embraces Québec's renowned art de vivre (art of living). Instead of standard buffet fare, travelers can expect highly curated, premium menus featuring local and Indigenous partnerships:

• Signature Breakfast: Fluffy pancakes topped with rich maple butter, fleur de sel, and authentic Sigewigus pumpkin seed spread sourced directly from the Mi'gmaq Nation of Gespeg Indigenous community.


• Fresh Eats: A build-your-own healthy power bowl bar alongside local cheeses, artisanal jams, and plenty of labelled options catering to vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free dietary preferences.


• The Bar: A full-service setup pouring premium specialty coffee from Lavazza, handcrafted cocktails featuring La Distillerie du Fjord, and craft beers from local favorite La Souche brewery.

2. Built for the Modern Business Traveler

With 97 seats meticulously arranged across productivity-oriented zones, the Café is optimized for remote work and pre-flight calls. Most notably, the space features dedicated power outlets at every single seat, including high-wattage USB-C ports specifically designed to fast-charge laptops rather than just mobile phones.

3. A Visual Tribute to Canadian Art

Reflecting Air Canada’s "Glowing Hearted" design philosophy, the space blends natural textures inspired by the local landscape with curated regional charm. The walls boast striking interior aesthetics alongside contemporary pieces from celebrated Canadian and Québécois artists, including Antonietta Grassi and Douglas Coupland.

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🔑 Access & Eligibility: Who Can Get In?

The Air Canada Café at YQB is located post-security in the domestic departures terminal. Eligible travelers include:

• Passengers flying in Business Class on Air Canada or Star Alliance departures.
• Aeroplan Elite 50K, 75K, and Super Elite members.
• Star Alliance Gold members.
• Holders of premium Aeroplan co-brand credit cards (such as American Express, TD, or CIBC VIP cards).

Note: Because this is a specialized Air Canada Café concept, third-party lounge access programs (like Priority Pass or DragonPass) are not officially integrated at this time.

The opening aligns with YQB’s broader terminal upgrades, finally offering premium flyers a sophisticated space to relax, recharge, and work before taking off.

Have you had a chance to check out Air Canada's boutique Café concept yet? Let us know what you think of the new YQB addition in the comments below!

New Flight Between Québec City And Charlotte - A New Direct Connection With The Most Desirable Tourist Markets

Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport Destination Québec cité, and the Port of Québec are very pleased that American Airlines, the world's largest airline, has decided to add Charlotte to its selection of flights from Québec City. From now until November 2nd, 2024, American Airlines will offer one direct flight a week to North Carolina's Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Saturdays, adding to its existing flights from YQB to Philadelphia and Chicago.

As Charlotte is a major U.S. transportation hub, this new connection will help to develop new tourist markets, particularly from the Southeastern United States, California, Texas, and Florida, generating lasting economic benefits for Québec's tourism industry.

The U.S. is our leading market internationally, and this new connection will make it easier for our neighbours to the south to discover our beautiful region during the fall. This period is the peak of the cruise season (18 scheduled cruise ship arrivals and departures), and therefore the new flight promises to be highly attractive to U.S. cruise passengers.

The announcement of this new American Airlines flight has been met with great enthusiasm from the local tourism industry:

"We're delighted to add service between Charlotte and Québec City, complementing flights from Philadelphia and Chicago to the beautiful Capitale-Nationale launched earlier this year. Our new weekly flight grants our customers from the U.S. the opportunity to explore the rich culture Québec City has to offer. We look forward to working closely again with our colleagues at Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport as we deliver another successful route for American."

— José Freig, Vice President of International Operations, American Airlines

These Are The Best Value Destinations For 2016

Bagging a good deal on the road can be almost as thrilling as the trip itself, no matter what your travel budget.

Make your hard-earned cash go further with our essential annual hot-list of where to go for wallet-friendly wandering, whether you’re hunting for a bargain or in search of old-school cheapness. Splurgers, look elsewhere.

1. Estonia

Pin this imageThe enchanting forests of the Lahemaa National Park. Image by DEA / W. BUSS / De Agostini / Getty

If you’ve just got off the ferry from Stockholm or Helsinki then Estonia can feel like the promised land. Why? That chunk of change in your pocket you’ve had since last leaving the eurozone will buy you a round of drinks. Upsizing from a hostel to hotel might seem like a good – and affordable – idea. Best of all, what you get in exchange for your hard-earned cash is experiencing a gloriously distinctive slice of Europe, where Eastern and Nordic influences mix together.

Beyond the irresistible capital of Tallinn there are little-known Baltic islands and the seashore and forest delights of Lahemaa National Park, which holds the distinction of being the first national park in the old Soviet Union.

2. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam

Pin this imageA busy street in Ho Chi Minh City. Image by lichtbildfotograf / Lonely Planet

The Price of Travel’s Index (priceoftravel.com), ranking 31 Asian cities by price, confirms what many travellers have known for a while – Vietnam’s cities are tops for budget options. Both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi (third and second in the list respectively) are in that most magical of price brackets for the budget traveller: US$20 per day or less for food, lodging and sights. Finding these prices will take you firmly into the territory of living like a local, which is another vote in favour of making a super-cheap city trip at some point this year.

3. East Africa

Pin this imageEast Africa's Nilo Azul (Blue Nile). Image by Miguel A. Marti / Getty Images

The outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa has, unfortunately for other areas of the continent, had a knock-on effect in terms of bookings for 2015. So listen up: London, Madrid and Paris are hundreds of miles closer to the outbreak in West Africa than East Africa’s tourism heartland. Africa is a massive continent (the United States would fit in the Sahara Desert) so you’ll be doing yourself and tourism in East Africa a favour if you take advantage of the cracking deals on offer to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and the rest of the region. And in the process experience some of the world’s great wonders, from gorilla encounters to Rift Valley scenery to squeaky-sanded beaches.

4. New Mexico

Pin this imageMountain biking in New Mexico. Image by amygdala_imagery / Lonely Planet

Looking for a beautiful, affordable, active, foodie corner of America’s southwest?  Look no further. New Mexico powers your budget further. Dry, sunny weather is a near constant. Albuquerque’s Breaking Bad sights can be explored for the price of a trolley ride and washed down with a cheap eat from a hole-in-the-wall taqueria. Elsewhere, the winter sports are good and cheap and the outdoors is outstanding (and free): hiking in Alpine forests, petroglyph sites to track down and free wild hot springs. Given the richness of attractions all found within one state, New Mexico offers value from a time as well as monetary perspective.

5. Bosnia and Hercegovina

Pin this imageThe iconic Stari Most (Old Bridge) in the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Image by Matej Divizna / Getty Image News / Getty

All it takes to make Europe’s big hitters feel very pricey is for a few currency fluctuations to work against you. Thankfully there are still a few places where regardless of where you come from you’ll feel like you’re getting a good deal. Bosnia and Hercegovina is one of those. Inexpensive accommodation, meals and intercity transport combined with historic cities (Sarajevo and Mostar) and affordable adrenaline pursuits (rafting on the Una River and skiing) reward both the impecunious and those seeking a less well-travelled Europe.

6. Galicia, Spain

Pin this imageA lighthouse on the Galician coast. Image by Lonely Planet

Spain. Mapped by travellers? Not completely. Galicia in the northwest of the country is arguably Spain’s last frontier. Once you get beyond Santiago de Compostela, this wild region fragments into rocky coastline met by spectacular rías (inlets) and an interior of countless unspoilt villages. The region’s value comes not only from the lower costs compared with more-visited parts of Spain, but also from the quality of seafood and meat found in abundance in tapas bars, meaning tasting the good stuff in small portions costs less. And if you’re keen to save while sleeping over, aim for self-catering properties around the region, especially outside the school holidays.

7. Québec City, Canada

Pin this imageThe skyline of Quebec City, Canada. Image by Wangkun Jia / Lonely Planet

What to do if you live in North America and want to visit Europe, but lack the time and funds? Consider Québec City. Yes, we know it’s not in Europe. But there’s enough of the exotic in this Francophone city to remind you of the Old Continent. In a few days you can tour the beautiful Unesco-listed old town, dine in old-school bistros and get thoroughly lost in the timeless cobblestone streets. With a little more time and your own wheels, Montmorency Forest (foretmontmorency.ca/en) and Jacques-Cartier National Park offer a wilder taste of the province and superb wildlife-viewing opportunities surprisingly close to the city.

8. Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast

Pin this imageHang out with a furry friend at the Sloth Sanctuary in San Jose. Image by Rodrigo Arangua / AFP / Getty

Looking for a Costa Rica that’s more Tico than tourist, but with everything that makes the country such a big draw? Get to the country’s Caribbean coast and you’ll find a still-evolving destination that’s likely to become a big noise over the next few years. Here you’ll find nesting turtles at Tortuguero, rafting on the Río Pacuare and diving in the reefs of Manzanillo. Surfers and fans of laid-back black-sand beaches should aim for the southern coast. For now, this is a land mostly visited by independent travellers and those seeking out birdlife. Not sold? Two words: sloth sanctuary.

9. Timor-Leste

Pin this imageFutucama in Timor-Leste. Image by Lonely Planet

If you’re pondering a little-known and highly affordable destination then Timor-Leste (rather than East Timor, if you please) might just be the budget destination for you. Away from the pricey hotels of the internationally-influenced capital of Dili, you’ll find bargain beach shacks on the beaches of Atauro Island, and welcoming homestays in the misty hill country. Despite ongoing security concerns, travelling round Timor-Leste can be an old-fashioned adventure, complete with bumpy roads and packed local transport. As an added bonus, you will be able to stare down any travel bore with Asia’s newest country added to your roster.

10. Western Australia

Pin this imageThe limestone formations of the Pinnacles in the Australian Outback. Image by Ullstein Bild / Getty

Currency fluctuations mean that the Australian dollar is a better deal for overseas visitors than it has been for a few years, and that Aussies may scale back overseas plans. This puts the dream-like landscapes of Western Australia, out of reach of some travellers thanks to the mining boom of the last few years, firmly back on the map. Beyond cosmopolitan Perth, iconic natural sights abound here, from the rocky coast and winelands of the southwest to the outback treats of the Kimberley, Kununurra and the Pinnacles.

by Tom Hall 

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travel-tips-and-articles/best-value-destinations-for-2016#ixzz3qixkt8Mf

The Bounty Of 'Bistronomie' : Québec City Chefs And Their Quirky, Youthful Spirit Add A Contemporary Contrast To French Tradition.

By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic

POSTED: October 09, 2014

The  mission to Montreal has become required eating over the last decade, its smoked-meat-and-poutine soul inspiring a generation of hipster-handcraft chefs from Brooklyn to Philly.

But the quest for Québec profond requires a deeper drive into the heart of the province - 21/2 hours northeast to Québec City, where you'll find another metropolis in the midst of its own food revolution.

More intimate than Montreal, and more deeply influenced by the historic stone-walled ramparts of its French-Canadian charm, Québec City has been energized in recent years by a generation of young chefs who have brought edgy bistro kitchens that take full advantage of the region's considerable artisan food bounty, from "ice ciders" to raw milk cheese, exceptional produce, and wild game.

" 'Everything's cool - no worries,' " says Olivier St. Cyr, 30, interpreting his restaurant's name, L'Affair Est Ketchup, which refers to a peculiar Quebécois expression that St. Cyr says stuck from a Heinz commercial in the 1970s.

It's so cool, in fact, that some diners actually arrived by skateboard the night we were at this funky 26-seat storefront bistro on gentrifying Rue St. Joseph, where two homestyle electric stoves sizzle away in the cluttered open kitchen. But Ketchup's chef and co-owner Francois Jobin, 33, a veteran of fancier addresses in Montreal, turns out anything but home cooking on his surprisingly sophisticated blackboard menus.

His blend of seasonality and bold local flavors typifies the quirk and youthful spirit of the "bistronomie" movement that's now redefining the character of Québec's new flavors.

A ruby-rare steak of local red deer came with mashed potatoes sparked by scallions. Perfectly seared wild scallops from Îles-de-la-Madeleine were sublimely sweet alongside celery-root puree. Half a quail arrived with its claws still on, all the better to grip while I stripped the bird clean and devoured a foresty mound of foraged chanterelles and lobster mushrooms.

With a sweet-tart bottle of "ice cider" from La Face Cachée de la Pomme to wash it down (Québec, is hard-cider heaven), our eating journey beside the St. Lawrence River was off to a stellar start.

As St. Cyr and other chefs note, while their town is awakening to a jolt of contemporary "foodie energy," QC's chefs are still far more influenced by French traditions than the international flavors more prevalent in cosmopolitan Montreal.

You'll find plenty of evidence of that Gallic heritage amid the stone-cobbled streets and Citadelle of scenic Vieux-Québec, whose walled ramparts and steep and narrow streets date to the 17th century. But nowhere is 20th-century French formality still more alive than at elegant Le Continental, where bow-tied waiters are still masters of the booze-ignited flame and the lost art of tableside service.

"This restaurant is really a passion," says owner Mattieu Pettigrew, 35, a longtime waiter who a few years ago bought the 58-year-old restaurant with two other veteran server colleagues. "We aren't just waiters here - we're cooks."

Poof! Fireballs of fragrant flame explode with regularity from tableside carts that quietly trundle throughout the richly paneled dining room, clearly to the delight of our neighbors: "Better than Paris!" the man next to me said with a giggle as he eyed his crepes Suzettes.

The prices are as eye-opening as the pyrotechnics ($70 for a whole Dover sole?!). But few restaurants, even in Paris, still make duck a l'orange for two as good as this one, the crisply roasted bird dismantled, then simmered down in rich Grand Marnier gravy. The Alberta-raised steak au poivre, its 10-ounce sirloin flamed in Cognac, was worth the $44 fee.

There's still a place for that Old World magic in Québec, just as it is still worth visiting Le Chateau Frontenac, if only for a midday snack beside the stained-glass window seats at Bistro Le Sam, where you have a bird's-eye view of the St. Lawrence and a glassed-in cave in the nearby 1608 Bar, with more than 30 varieties of local cheese and charcuterie.

At the other end of the spectrum, but still in tune with local tradition, skip straight to the province's beloved fast-food chain for poutine, Chez Ashton, for a satifying straight-ahead fix of gravy-laced cheese-curd fries.

But the rising bistros of Québec's emerging neighborhoods show a surging and sophisticated dining scene that has embraced some wider contemporary food trends. Lovers of the natural wine movement should flock to Le Moine Échanson ("the monk in charge of drinks"), where the Belgian-born sommelier and owner, Bertrand Mesotten, imports exclusive European organic wines to match with some edgy seasonal plates (ready when you hear the kitchen honking a clown horn in the back). Paired with some excellent salt cod fritters, lamb meatballs and offal over polenta, and a succulent pork belly topped with minced clams, we drank through an obscure lineup of Alicante orange wine (Tinajas de la Mata) and a macabeo white from the Roussillon that were both funky and well-made.

The focus is more clearly on the local wines and ingredients at Le Clocher Penché ("the leaning steeple"), a sunny corner bistro where chef and co-owner Mathieu Brisson, another fine-dining refugee from Montreal (Toqué!) who has embraced Québec's "bistronomie," turned out some truly gorgeous plates: pristine salmon tartare with pink grapefruit; organic local Wagyu oxtails braised into a beefy mash over toast; tempura-crisped squash blossom over noodle-thin ribbons of zucchini twirled over creamy vinaigrette scented with chocolate mint.

But the best plate of our meal, and possibly the entire trip, was the "cocotte du moment" for two that brought a whole Cornish hen, soy-glazed and crispy from three days in the making, served over an earthen casserole brimming with heirloom carrots, brussels sprouts, and duck fat-poached potatoes with bacon and mustard.

   For a taste of the kind of ingredients that inspire Québec's chefs, a short day trip to L'Île d'Orléans, three miles east of Québec City in the St. Lawrence River, and just beyond the majestic Montmorency Falls, shows a sense of the sheer beauty this landscape lends its produce.   The windy and sunny southern shore, though, is strawberry paradise. And that is where you'll find "jam tender" Vincent Paris and Catherine Trudel, who returned two years ago to their native island to launch Confiturerie Tigidou. Ensconced on a hill in an artfully rehabbed farmhouse, they produce dreamy jams from organic local fruit at maximum ripeness (with no thickening pectin), often with savory touches like basil in the strawberries, or a whiff of coffee for the blueberries, delicious melted into the finishing sauce of a roast: "Jam for dinner!" says Vincent, a former graphic designer. "This farmhouse found us.

"The foodies and hipsters have just come to Québec now, too, which is why it's so fantastic we're here, surrounded by the holy land of fruit."

It's little wonder, then, that they chose another nugget of optimistic local slang for their name, Tigidou, which is 1920s Franglish for "It's perfect."

So in other words, if you're wondering how the food is near Québec City: Tigidou. . .l'affair est ketchup!

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IF YOU GO

Restaurants in Québec City:

L'Affaire Est Ketchup, 46 Rue St.-Joseph Est, 418-529-9020; on Facebook

Le Continental, 26 Rue St. Louis, 418-694-9995; restaurantlecontinental.com

Le Moine Échanson, 585 Rue St.-Jean, 418-524-7832; lemoineechanson.com

Le Clocher Penché Bistrot, 203 Rue St.-Joseph Est, 418-640-0597; clocherpenche.ca

Bistro Le Sam and 1608 Wine & Cheese Bar, Le Château Frontenac, 1 Rue des Carrières, 418-692-3861;fairmont.com/frontenac-quebec/.

Chez Ashton: The fast- food poutine chain has 26 locations.

Retail:

J.A. Moisan, 695 Rue St.-Jean, Quebec, 418-522-0685; jamoisan.com.

Highlights inside the Marché du Vieux Port de Québec, 160, quai St.-André, 418-692-2517; marchevieuxport.com:

Les Cochons Tout Ronds: Excellent charcuterie.

Le Comptoir du Terroir, 418-571-6566: Local ciders and jams.

La Fromagère du Marché: More than 100 Québécois cheeses.

On L'Île d'Orléans:

Confiturerie Tigidou, 175 Chemin Royal, St.-Jean Ile d'Orléans, 418-353-2488; tigidou.ca.

Les Fromages de L'Îsle d'Orléans, 4696 Chemin Royal, Sainte-Famille, 418-829-0177; fromagesdeliledorleans.com.

Érablière Richard Boily, 4739 Chemin Royal, Sainte-Famille, Île d'Orléans, 418-829-2874;  erabliereiledorleans.qc.ca .

Cassis Monna & Filles, 721 Royal Ch., St.-Pierre, 418-828-2525; cassismonna.com.

Le Moulin de St. Laurent, 754 Chemin Royal, St.-Laurent-d-l'Île-d'Orléans, 418-829-3888; moulinstlaurent.qc.ca.

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claban@phillynews.com

@CraigLaBan

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