Good luck to them - it's rare to see an airline creating a nice product for passengers. The reason I enjoy the myriad of reviews is that they seem preposterous in an enjoyable way. Is this your first time in a pod seat? The seatbelt sign was turned on about 20 minutes before landing. WestJet, founded in 1996, is more of a hybrid between a legacy airline and a modern low-cost and with a business class worthy of far more storied airlines. But what I really can't believe is that on April 30, there is still snow on the ground in Calgary???!!! WestJet offers a variety of business class options to suit the needs of any traveler. WestJet is almost like Qatar Airways in terms of their food & drinks. "For example, on my flight they had four small plates, three large planes". How's seat availability? Excellent. As a OW Emerald I feel my status means nothing with Ive flown CX JL TK TG NH OZ AA F class and the WS crew was the best. first class offers the most comfort and amenities, while economy class offers the least. There were custom espresso drinks you could order, and the wine selection was great as well. Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Seldom travelers may not get enough value to warrant the cost. Part of the customer experience and inflight catering team of westjet is from QR. Not once have you mentioned SQ! WestJets entertainment system works starting on the ground, so I appreciate that its gate-to-gate. Hub order is Calgary > Toronto > Vancouver. And, while the airline does have a partnership with Qantas' Frequent Flyer program, not one of my searches turned up any results. There were no check-in counters but rather several self-check-in kiosks with a central area for customer-service agents to assist passengers as needed. Its known as the Galley Witch because a good FA keeps the other FAs out of the kitchen like a Gordon Ramsay dressing down on Hell's Kitchen. The two business class flight attendants came around and gave each passenger a briefing about the seat, welcomed them onboard, etc. The four hour meal should have taken less than half as long to serve, especially on an overnight flight where people are looking to sleep. Seems like a great product. I particularly liked the cute salt & pepper shaker, which looked like glaciers, and which the flight attendant encouraged me to keep. [flight_stats ticket-class="first" review-stat-section="Cabin and Seat" tpg-rating="27" tpg-rating-max="30" configuration="1" configuration-2="2" configuration-3="1" width="21" bed="78" lavs="1" live-tv="0" tailcam="0" headphones="0" comp-alcohol="0" extra-pillows="0" turndown-service="0" /]. Looks like a top notch product! Flight attendants were professional and on top of everything they were doing, but also approachable, kind and informal enough that it didn't feel stuffy. Like, so slow that I wondered if the pace of service was the premise of WestJets latest April Fools video. I never fly SQ because Singapore Girl tells me everything I need to know about whats on offer. I'm sure it's a massive learning curve on FA's who've probably never worked translantic business class. (Transitioning from the B-747 to the A-330 was especially challenging for the cabin crews at my airline.). WestJet is a Canadian low-cost carrier. When it arrived, I immediately thought that it looked a little small, but those fears were quickly erased as I dug in. Now it is QR. Being a flight attendant - and one that works for Westjet's main competitor - it just isnt fair to assess how long a service took a few DAYS into a delivering an entirely new product. @ Anthony -- See this post for all of their current route plans: I remember one story of a JFK-DUB flight, blocked at just over 5 hours, where the dinner service was cleared Years ago I worked at DL when they transitioned from 3 class to 2 class (with a significantly more robust than before J class meal service). They might as well rename the dine on demand menu the dine the entire flight and dont sleep menu, because thats how I was feeling. It was phenomenal. @The nice Paul - "Obviously you are paid to be there, and paid to be nice to me.". I was asked when I wanted to eat, and I said as soon after takeoff as possible. Sounds like they did a great job (other than the big issue you pointed out). Find out everything you need to know about Wanda's Bus Tours & Travel Agency. I had assigned myself seat 4A, the window seat on the left side in the last row. Must keep an eye out for new 787s. I was tired and the cabin crew was very quiet, even the way they walked. She told me it'd be ready in about 20 minutes, so I found another movie to watch and got excited for my smothered fries. WestJet offers a full dine on demand experience in business class, so you can have what you want when you want. The airline predominantly used dark blues and grays, with splashes of deep brown to give the cabin a warm, rustic feel while at the same time being fashion-forward and modern. I started by checking out the moving map for our flight to London. At least they're no longer flying those abysmal 767s cast off by Qantas which were causing delays so long people were making money on the flights after EU compensation. While many airlines use the entire space between doors one and two on the 787-9 for business class, WestJet has 16 business class seats plus 28 premium economy seats in that space. Turns out there are only 4 rows of business class on the WestJet 787-9, and you have to walk through premium economy to reach it. Not counting the setup, they still got the entire meal served to you in 40 minutes, what's wrong with that? At the conclusion of the meal I reclined my seat into bed mode. WestJet, your business class is so close to being one of the best transatlantic business class products out there. Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Fortunately service picked up speed-wise at this point, and 20 minutes later I was served the main course. My advice is travel with layers. Learning a business class service in class will only get you part way. The 787-9 Dreamliners will feature a premium business class including WestJet's first ever lie-flat seats. Well, neither. Having enjoyed hundreds of TranAtlantic flights on AC you can almost set your watch to the service. It is easily possible for 2 crew to manage 16 J pax. Yes it was 'scripted' - but it was appreciated and an individual touch. There are even more places your Platinum Card can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks. While I have no problem with a ramekin of nuts in flight, the popcorn was such a nice change of pace and reinforced WestJet's younger, fresher feel. During my last flight . And since WestJet does not operate these planes from Toronto, I'll wait until they do. I don't know who they're aiming their product at. That was my one criticism in my feedback to the carrier post-flight. Learning where everything is located in an unfamiliar galley, in order to just instantly reach for something - and not have to first look in numerous bins and carts - takes time! WestJets New 787 Business Class: Almost Amazing, But, my full review of WestJets 787-9 business class, WestJet Expands To Asia, With Calgary To Tokyo Route, WestJets Interesting New Calgary To Rome Flight, Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners, My meal order was taken 40min after takeoff, I was served my first drink 1hr25min after takeoff, My appetizer was served 3hr after takeoff, My main was served 3hr20min after takeoff, My dessert was served 3hr40min after takeoff. But Ben, maybe you were starving and eager to eat & drink something. Wow, great to read a review of a brand new business class product. Is this your first time in WestJet business class? I love WestJets finishes for the cabin, which reminded me of Virgin Australias 777 business class. After two years of working almost every single day in the land Continue reading This Life in Trips 2 Shares So I'm more disappointed when a newly delivered plane doesn't have air nozzles, than when an older plane doesn't. Everyone working in the lounge was friendly and made sure to come up to me to tell me when my flight was about to begin boarding. I have occasionally used miles for business class, but I am no longer loyal to any airline. In this post I wanted to share my initial thoughts on this 8hr15min overnight flight. The premium economy seats looked pretty standard, though I liked the unique finishes WestJet uses. Rigatoni pomodoro with herb ricotta. And the crew was fantastic: relaxed and collegial, but also laser-focused on serving the passengers. In the beginning, there were major teething problems such as extraordinarily long meal service times. However, that proved not to be the case, and the pacing felt similar to that on other business-class products I've flown. A full 2hr40min after takeoff my table was set. Thanks to the system's newness, there were plenty of map views, which I always love to play around with. Sounds just like any other service. I hate air nozzles. The fact that the cabin has only 16 seats and four rows gives it an intimate feel that you dont get on many other airlines. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners. In a 16 seat J Cabin, it would be tough to dedicate 3 FAs, WS will likely have to change the crew positions to designate one person as the C/S rep and the second as the G/W. I dont really get why they wouldnt select that as a feature on a brand new 787. Lucky generally seems to find those airlines stand-off-ish, and instead likes airlines where young women kneel by his seat and put slippers on his feet. I agree with Neal S. and don't buy into the learning curve theory. Otherwise, great looking cabin and food. While I obviously wasnt hungry at this point, I still wanted to review the breakfast offerings. To read more about the changes, see this post. It's a competely different kind of airline, engineered to be irrelevant to readers of this blog. I had a feeling I'd be too full for dessert, and I was right. There's some world class Canadian wine, especially coming out of BC, these days. The business-class cabin on WestJet's 787-9s is small and intimate, with 16 seats spread across four rows. Advertised prices, taxes and fees may fluctuate based on exchange rate. Learn more. Schedule is subject to change without notice. I asked for another signature cocktail. I'm based at YVR and prefer flying WS over AC domestically at least. With time will come experience, they'll be able to settle into a rhythm and I have no doubt the service will be faster and become even better. Photos of the plane also show that Premium Economy . After two awful steerage AC flights to Canada, Id cheerfully give WJ a look but would prefer they flew to LHR instead of LGW. I chose a more traditional meal progression, so I asked the flight attendant for a small plate followed by a large plate and that dessert . What makes you think you are in the majority in thinking they matter? Prices displayed above are subject to change and are not guaranteed until payment is made and accepted. Please advise. It's all very well, Westjet isn't bookable on loyalty points. Wow, nice interior! For flight attendants just figuring out where to find things around the galley is sometimes a nightmare. Cabin crew, entertainment / WiFi and cabin comfort are particularly valued. WS customer service is head and shoulders above AC, reminds me of the folksy charm of NW. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Four hours to complete a dinner service (as elegant and personalized as it is) is ridiculous! Long drawn out meals are nice, but people really just want to sleep. It was clear that the crew was proud of their product, and it showed. [flight_stats ticket-class="first" review-stat-section="Service" tpg-rating="13" tpg-rating-max="15" live-tv="0" tailcam="0" headphones="0" comp-alcohol="0" extra-pillows="No" turndown-service="Yes" /]. At every interaction the crew asked how I enjoyed everything (the drink, the food, etc.). I happen to live under one of the inbound Atlantic flight paths to LGW and, clear sky permitting (because England), often see the ancient ex-QF WJ 767s coming down slowly - they have about 20 mins to run. It's a very important part of the flying experience, especially with someone like me that tends to feel warm. Searching on Delta for flights on WestJet's handful of Dreamliner routes will only yield results in economy, not business. 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