canadiancow

LH's equivalent of SE is more like Senator, which do not get access to the FCL. You're thinking of HON Circle, which is a level significantly above SE. More in line with VIP, who I would assume (yes, yes, assumptions) are entitled to SS access.

No, you will not be able to get a special invitation. The space is limited, which is why they've said they restricted access. Recent posts talk about it being crowded/slow, which was speculated upon earlier in the thread when it opened, given the increased summer schedule.

Could you get a special invitation in the winter? Maybe. It would probably depend who you know and how much they like you. However, I've heard of some other requests by SEs being declined so as to keep the experience exclusive to paid J. So if you're dating a C-level, you can probably swing it. Otherwise, I would not get my hopes up, and I would not waste the concierge's time with the request.

FlyerGoldII

I will report to you about my application to visit this lounge by asking a concierge. I will oask at least a month from now (not now).

Rakesh

YEG_SE4Life

Be prepared for a resounding "no".

ChrisA330

Transpacificflyer

Based upon my recent experience; It's nothing spectacular, and is overhyped. It's on par with something you might see at a Holiday Inn Express or Ibis/Mercure. 3* hotel quality with a decent coffee brought to you. Polite and pleasant serving staff, but they really don't need the person standing at the podium in the front. I should have known that some of the talk in here was over excitement because people were ecstatic when Air Canada finally provided some edible food and not the institutional low quality one sees in the MLL. Some FFs would of course be delighted, as it seems that the highlight of their week is eating on an airplane. They also get excited when they get a complimentary alcoholic drink or find a kit kat in the increasingly rare snack basket.

I had a 90 minute connection, which was sufficient time to have breakfast. It was crowded. 75%+ of the tables were occupied. I sat down at a table that could have used a bit of cleaning. I must have come late because a lot of the food was down to the leftover scraps, and this was around 8:30 AM. They eventually replenished, but I was done by that time. I started off with a bit of fruit. There wasn't much available, but it might have been a nice assortment when first provided;



Fruit Plate @ SSL

Then I ordered some eggs as there wasn't much out to select from. i collected the items like potato, sausage and fried mushrooms (despite their description as sauteed, the amount of oil it was doused with, says fried.) I would have been delighted if there were some vegetables like bell pepper or even some lettuce evident. (Many of us pad our travel breakfasts with a bit of roughage for health sake.) That's why you see the bowl. The two defining characteristics were oil, and salt. I mean very salty.



Eggs @ at SSL

It would have been nice to have a croissant, but none were evident. I would have also liked to have had another coffee but I couldn't get anyone's attention. After I was done, I moved over to the waiting room. It was a bit compact and sterile without much pizzazz.

Overall, the SSL is what airline lounges were long ago. It's fine, and a decent place to sit before boarding, but I wouldn't want to spend more than 30 minutes there.It is not worth changing schedules or detouring to use. If one experiences it, fine, otherwise, it is nothing special when compared to a decent hotel or restaurant. However, when compared to the typical MLL breakfast option, then yes, the SSL is a significant improvement and appreciated.
(I took a copy of this for comparison purposes.)



Typical Breakfast at MLL

I have two suggestions; Less oil and significantly less salt please. If guests want salt, let them add it themselves.

james dean

It won't happen on an upgrade period.
Full Business class only! They are adamant at the check-in desk and will confirm your booking status.

FlyerGoldII

Have not some Toronto SEs being given a one-time invitation to go to the lounge (perhaps closer to its opening date) - independent of their status on a flight.
I want to see if I can get a similar invitation.

gabdusch

The invitations you are referring to were for the pre-opening event late last year. No one was flying anywhere, and this was a special, one off event. A lot of YYZ-based SEs also didn't get this invite, so the invitation parameters (MM, etc) were not clear.

In any case, I don't know of anyone that has been granted access to the Suite before a flight without meeting the published criteria.

Good luck.

yyz_atc_qq

Mrs QQ and I were supposed to see the SSL on a paid J ticket to India. Due to AC's error (and although I won't go into super details about the error, I ended up satisfied with the resolution with regards to the non-refundable fare and expenses) we didn't get to go.

Mrs QQ is also a SE100K, and 1 week after the India trip she was flying to the UK on an upgraded Lat ticket. I asked for consideration as a gesture of good will due to the screw up on AC's part, and although the concierges I spoke to were sympathetic, the answer was a flat NO.

I think you have a better chance of winning Lotto Max than getting an exception. They are very strict, and while I felt my exception request was justified, I accept their policy and hope they continue to enforce the policy without exception.

yyznomad

If we here find out that an exception was ever made...

YEG_SE4Life

And voila! The main reason that one never will be made. It would require a policy change.

yyznomad

^

Transpacificflyer

Some of us would laugh. Back in the good old days, comic book back pages advertised a Polaris submarine that could seat 2 kids, fire missiles and had a real periscope. The suckers who purchased it were disappointed to discover that it was just foldable a cardboard box. The SSL is being hyped out as if it is some fine dining experience and a comfortable lounge. It isn't. Those who are denied entry are not missing anything. It's like the cheesy discos of the 70's that made fools in velvet line up to enter in order to create the impression of exclusivity.

skybluesea

FlyerTalker70

Agree 100% here. I suspect AC is banking on kettles and Fotsg who haven't been to the lounges in Europe and Asia. Is the SSL better than the MLL? You bet! Is that a relevant question‽ The lounges over there are easily of similar quality to the SSL and guess what? I don't need to be holding a bloody J revenue ticket on an airline to access them. I can get in with my stingy Y ticket I bought 8 months ago from UA at a discount and my UA Gold card.

Safe Travels,

James