New planes, classes of service, and service flows take time to get used to. Learning a business class service in class will only get you part way. Canadian low-cost carrier Westjet has unveiled its first-ever business class seat product, which is set to debut on the airline's upcoming Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner . Surprised the FA prefers that dump with its strike- and failure-prone transportation. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Westjet Booking Reservations sales number 850 (828)8003. Fares look not cheap so not yet a bargain hunter option. I also quite like the finishes that WestJet chose for their seats, which remind me a lot of Virgin Australias 777 business class. That meant, where possible for regular punters, remembering their names, welcoming them on board with a smile, remembering their favourite pre-departure drink, asking whether their wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend/dog had recovered from the bout of flu they had last time they were with us. Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. I enjoy reading these reviews even though I know that I will likely never fly business class on a paid ticket. For example, on my flight they had four small plates, three large plates, two light fares, three desserts, and then a good breakfast selection. And a lot of airlines keep cabins really warm. Inclusions. Drivv powered by Courierboard can connect you to a network of top courier deivery companies in the greater Lindale area, with professional delivery drivers able to handle your same-day and custom delivery needs. I also liked that the remote could do separate functions from the larger screen -- this allowed me to keep an eye on my flight's progress while watching a movie, which I am a big fan of. Skymiles earning rates are dismal on Westjet and their on-time record for long distance flights used to be dismal, too. Non-alcoholic beverages include mineral water, juice, soft drinks, tea, and freshly brewed coffee. Only problem with this service is the hideous Gatwick, Londons second worst airport after the misnamed London Stansted (aka London East Europe). The time to book your getaway is now with our new travel ready tips. NICE! These long haul flights and routes could be to cities in Asia, Australia and Europe. https://onemileatatime.com/westjet-787-routes/. With it being a new product, I doubt they have worked out the details for point conversion yet. Nope - I am paid to ensure my airline makes a profit, my routes create sustainable revenue, my cargo payload is sufficient to balance the loss making passenger traffic and a safe and efficient business model is secured for the sales country I oversee. This timeline seems just fine to me. I agree with Neal S. and don't buy into the learning curve theory. Not counting the setup, they still got the entire meal served to you in 40 minutes, what's wrong with that? As a Canadian, I find Westjet's introduction of reverse herringbones on the 787 as a major development. Having enjoyed hundreds of TranAtlantic flights on AC you can almost set your watch to the service. Second, the airline has begun receiving brand-new Boeing 787 Dreamliners, equipped with a very competitive-looking business-class product that it flies between Canada and Europe. My appetizer was served 3hr after takeoff If the two FAs are out serving, who's in the galley warming and unwrapping and plating, and then organizing all the used dishes and trash? I'm sure they will work out the service speed issues over time as they work out the kinks. For dessert there was a spectacular sour cherry pie. (Enrollment required for select benefits.). Lavs. Whoever SQ fanboys here should fly them more frequently. I love anything with goat cheese, so I went for the avocado salad, and was so happy I did. Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ). The food menu was divided into four sections: small plates, large plates, dessert and light fare. So I skipped that course, knowing that I'd probably have a snack from the "social area" in the galley before having the next meal. 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. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. "Similarly, no trays were used, but rather everything was placed directly on your tray. Seems like a great product. {external-icon} Indicates external site which may or may not meet accessibility guidelines and/or be translated. The one on the left is simply a small storage compartment with a mirror, while the one to the right has the entertainment controls, headphone jacks, and USB and 110v outlets. @ Janet -- The beauty of air nozzles is that you don't have to use them if you don't want them. Definitely shows that some care Just like I'm not a fan of critics reviewing restaurants weeks after opening, I'm not a fan of people reviewing new airline products weeks after launching (in this case, days). To read more about the changes, see this post. "Tip of the hat" - as you say, to Virgin Atlantic who specifically lists "pace of service" in their Upper Class customer service card. But everything was just at such a slow pace. 1 Seats only available in Business on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. But I never paid much attention to Canada's other large airline. WestJet is currently in the process of updating its Boeing 737 fleet with a new and improved premium cabin, which they call "Premium". The browser you are using is not supported. Here are the best cards for making your trip more comfortable. This way, I could keep most of that out of sight. Sounds just like any other service. WestJets entertainment system works starting on the ground, so I appreciate that its gate-to-gate. ", The slow service sounds exactly like my experience with QSuites. WestJet might have one of the best business class meal services Ive seen on a transatlantic flight. 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 and earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Enrollment required. "..Westjet is 22 years old 22 years..what do you mean by "far too long"?..I knew someone would harp in with that silly cliche.. Air Canada is excellent. It depends on the schedule offered by WJ and AC and also if you are a Flying Blue member you just stick to WJ i guess. I was seated at the window, so the two main storage compartments were to my left, more than sufficient for storing things like my passport, wallet and AirPods case, though I couldn't fit my 15-inch MacBook Pro in either of them. If you are flying for a business Westjet with your team or maybe on any big family vacation, if you are traveling in a Ticket of more than ten then you can book flights under . Three hours and fifty minutes. I flew for 30 years and well remember the difficulty of working on a just-introduced aircraft type. Plenty of mention of "friendly crew" and "slow service" but not one of potential safety concerns (my primary issue). But as I dug into the selection, I wasn't impressed. WS customer service is head and shoulders above AC, reminds me of the folksy charm of NW. TPG values it at $1,600. Guess what? Ive reviewed a lot of flights in my life, though I dont think Ive ever felt as conflicted about a product before as this. Dessert was served 20 minutes later. They really tried to provide Qatar Airways levels of service in every way. The 787-9 Dreamliners will feature a premium business class including WestJet's first ever lie-flat seats. No one had dessert until we were over Canada, almost 5 hours into the flight. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. We'll redirect you to the home page of the country/region site you choose. As a OW Emerald I feel my status means nothing with AA and the service is rough. If someone has a different experience, please let me know. Awesome. Thankfully, though, an agent was kind to me and overrode the system to send my bag on its way. The service was slow. Last night I took a flight I was really excited about. They have a dine on demand menu with an extensive selection. Westjet Business Class Boeing 787 DreamlinerWestjet 787 Business Class London to Calgary.Come and fly with me on the Westjet 787-9 Dreamliner in business cla. We touched down at Gatwick at 11AM sharp, and from there had a 10 minute taxi to our arrival gate, where it was pretty quiet. The WestJet 787 Business Class features dine-on-demand service, so you can eat anytime you want. Advertised prices, taxes and fees may fluctuate based on exchange rate. 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. Reminded me of Wardair or Canadian Airlines but better. 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. Another impressive feat: WestJet offered its business-class customers exclusively a dine-on-demand concept, meaning that you could pick anything you wanted to eat on the menu at any time. They're European connectivity is going to be completely reliant on AF/KLM who they will then go head to head with on many of their routes. I am with Ben on air nozzles. We started our taxi to the runway at 7:30PM. You'll find a lot of unique wares on the WestJet 787, like a blue bowl and a cutlery napkin holder made of hammered steel. You can only take off so much clothes. Long drawn out meals are nice, but people really just want to sleep. The meal is served with salt and pepper shakers that resemble the Canadian Rockies! Ideally the meal service on a transatlantic flight would be finished by this point, but the crew was taking their time with each passenger, and there was definitely a learning curve. I travel for pleasure only, no business. (Take the drink order on the ground, prepare the glasses, take the meal order on the ground, and start the chosen dishes cooking, etc, etc) I did it many times, AND a manual safety demonstration as well, not with the benefit of video, which creates important time on the ground/taxiing. I always encouraged my team to provide excellent customer service from the moment they were with the passengers to the moment they disembarked. Schedule is subject to change without notice. It turns out that they were transitioning to being . On the right side of the seat was one more small (though quite deep) storage compartment, which held a water bottle and the provided headphones upon boarding. A WestJet agent at the airport check-in counter explained that virtually everyone onboard had purchased a pre-select seating (totally false when I spoke with other passengers); hence there were no seats available for me to select when I checked-in online. (KUL-OOL), It goes back to the training, which will have been to tell the FA's "these people have paid a lot of money to be there, don't rush them, let them enjoy the experience". Flight interruptions and passenger rights, Private pods with lie-flat seats and direct aisle access, Custom-designed pillows and blankets availableon transatlantic flights and on demand on domestic flights, We are the only airline in Canada with fully extendable privacy screens, Extra space to work or relax with a seat pitch of 46 inches and a seat width of 22 inches, Refresh with a bottle of water upon boarding, and a welcome beverage served prior to take off. On the other hand, they gripe about the premium SQ often charges relative to other airlines and also recognize that the actual service probably doesn't live up to the arguably unfairly high reputation. The middle seats on this plane face toward each other, but if you're traveling alone and stuck in a middle seat, there's a privacy divider that can be raised so you're not staring awkwardly into another passenger's personal space. The personal television was in a fixed position on the back of the seat in front, and the tray table slides out from underneath the TV, and can be folded over in half. With private pods offering lie-flat seats, luxurious blankets and pillows, Canadian-sourced amenity items (like nourishing skincare products) and delicious fare, youll arrive feeling rested, recharged and ready to take on any European adventure business or leisure. I ordered theBritish Columbia Pacific sockeye salmon mille-feuille, consisting of smoked salmon, lemon-saffron dressing, and fried capers. 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. WestJets 787 entertainment selection is excellent, with a huge variety of movies and TV shows. 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). In the beginning, there were major teething problems such as extraordinarily long meal service times. [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" /]. Your preoccupation with air nozzles hurts the value of your reviews. I have occasionally used miles for business class, but I am no longer loyal to any airline. 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 mean WS only have one lounge, the Chinook which they recently took over at YYC. If I ever need to fly to Canada from Europe, they will be on my radar. 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. Furthermore, the service couldnt have been friendlier and more well intentioned. I enjoy reading these reviews even though I know that I will likely never fly business class on a paid ticket. WestJet business class pre-departure drink. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. I suggested they needed one more body in the galley as each setup was prepared individually by the 2 crew members working the cabin. The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. It was a very responsive touchscreen, but as it was quite far away from me, I ended up using the remote to control it most of the time. Promising start: A review of WestJet's business class on the 787-9 from London to Calgary, This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. . Depart: 7:20PM Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. WS Rewards elites get Plaza @John This was one of the best beef dishes Ive ever had on a plane. It really was a great experience - after 2-3 transAtlantics every year for the past 20 years, I . Within the past few days WestJet launched 787-9 service between Calgary and London, which represents an exciting new phase for the airline. Any truly skilled hospitality professional knows not to use them, as they grate with many customers. Great product. @The nice Paul - "Obviously you are paid to be there, and paid to be nice to me.". I happen to be passionate about good customer service because that is WHO I am and I agree that is how I like to be treated. Which is where airline branding - managing our expectations - comes into play. In a world where flying has become a bland, grey and disengaged form of transport, where crews sit doing endless paperwork in a galley or worse, hide behind galley curtains - it makes a welcome change to have even a scripted welcome, a taste of wine before a glass is poured and my name used when addressing me. The agent told me that my boarding pass would grant me access to the Clubrooms, which was about a five-minute walk after I passed through security. My dessert was served 3hr40min after takeoff. It's tough to achieve. Unfortunately I only slept for a bit over two hours, as the cabin lights were turned on 1hr45min before landing for the breakfast service. Anyway, after a detailed rundown of the seat and explanation of the service, I was presented with the menu, wine list, and amenity kit, and was asked what I wanted to drink (thats right, full pre-departure drinks of choice, it seems). 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. American Express has expanded The Centurion Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. I am amazed you didn't get it, Lucky! While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. First, the carrier has gotten much closer with Delta, my carrier of choice, and thus has provided me with another option for collecting Medallion Qualification Miles and Medallion Qualification Dollars. The dinner service started with truffle popcorn and drinks. (Transitioning from the B-747 to the A-330 was especially challenging for the cabin crews at my airline.). Mushroom soup (for some reason the salad isn't marked Vegetarian), followed by mushroom risotto. Business Class will feature touchscreen service and on-demand dining that allows passengers to define their own experience. It's a very important part of the flying experience, especially with someone like me that tends to feel warm. The J class cabin on the 787-9 runs from door 1 to door 2, has a total of 3 washrooms (some shared with Premium Economy) and has never disappointed me. Are you serious - after drinking all that you drank and eating all that food? Now it is QR. What the heck! This is great - you can earn DL miles with them right? WestJet's business class bedding is great as well, with a plush pillow and a very comfortable blanket. Of course the big area for improvement was with speed. Canada, Flights, UK January 2, 2020. Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card. business class is a good How did you purchase the ticket? Stay connected with the latest travel, aviation, and credit card news. Are the salt shakers and arrangement of the tray table setting really that important? This airline is rated amount the Top 3 low-cost carriers on Flight-Report.. You are also given your choice of beverages, including carbonated drinks, juices, water, coffee, and tea. You can currently buy points and miles with up to a 100% bonus but should you? Herb Ricotta rigatoni. Or perhaps they can make it work with the leisure Wow, nice interior! Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Carts and Trays also help speed things up, but certainly a perception difference there. WestJet. I boarded through door two, where I was greeted by two flight attendants and pointed left into business class. This card comes with a long list of benefits, including access to Centurion Lounges, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott, at least $500 in assorted annual statement credits and so much more. It lookedexclusive. Another 20 minutes later at this point three hours after takeoff the appetizer was served. See more about our ethics policies here. I was served my (excellent) meal in row 4, 45 mins after 1A got theirs. If cold, add one. Like, just less than half the flight. I rather have the KLM experience. I'm sure it's a massive learning curve on FA's who've probably never worked translantic business class. I think its Virgin has English meat pies on some menus. WestJet 787 Business Class dining service Small dish: Salmon Mille-feuille Small dish: Italian Antipasto Main Course: Alberta Beef Short Ribs with a glass of ice wine from Ontario Main Course: Scampi Ravioli Dessert: Pie Junkie Sour Cherry Pie Salt and Pepper shaker resembling the shape of three sisters of Rocky Mountain Travelling as couple and want to sit together. @Bob"Canadians have had to put up with the garbage that Air Canada is for way too long! Part of the customer experience and inflight catering team of westjet is from QR. I once forfeited the business class meal and slept the entire time. 4hrs30 before the lights went out! Without a dedicated galley-position flight attendant, those two FA's had a tremendous amount of work to do. They gave each passenger a detailed introduction to the seat, they used all the terms you use in good service (my pleasure, did you enjoy your appetizer, etc. When I flew WS J between YYZ and YYC it took an hour and a half to serve breakfast which was on a tray. Yep, we had the same issue on Monday for LGW-YYC. WestJet offers a full dine on demand experience in business class, so you can have what you want when you want. ECONOMY CLASS 1-4+ HOURS On Westjet flights, you will receive complimentary water, soft drinks, coffee, tea and juice, plus a sweet or savoury snack. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. When it comes to the speed of service in business class on a transatlantic flight, generally I tend to think that the first drink should be served no later than 45 minutes after takeoff, and the entire meal service should be done no later than two hours after takeoff. Similarly, I liked the style of the menu and wine list. its extra complicated. Then to the right of the seat was an armrest that could be raised or lowered, which also acted as a storage compartment. Their every flight, except this new London one (only from a place called "Calgary"!) Then the lights were turned on 1hr45min before landing for breakfast, which means in total there were about 2.5 hours between when I finished dinner and when breakfast started. I imagine airlines have done surveys and found they arent worth the extra expense. Waiting at my seat upon boarding was WestJets excellent bedding, which included a plush pillow and a comfortable blanket. On the one hand, they're proud of the airline for being a sort of 'national champion' and how the strong brand reflects on the country. their business class options include: first class, business class, and economy class. ;) Air nozzles is one of the many factors I mention this 2,500+ word post, so if you think mentioning that "hurts the value of [my] reviews" then I'm sorry. She is so wise. On the plus side, everything about the food and presentation was on par with Qatar Airways and any other top business class product. Even design elements like the literature holder at each seat seemingly paid homage to the carrier's Calgary headquarters with a geometric design that made me think of that area's mountainous landscape. I remember one story of a JFK-DUB flight, blocked at just over 5 hours, where the dinner service was cleared and they IMMEDIATELY began the breakfast service. I took this opportunity to play around with the entertainment system. Oh well, it is truly West Jet. WestJet Boeing 787 9 Dreamliner C GUDH Aircraft Fleet on new livery colors Spirit of Canada Photos Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner WestJet Aircraft Fleet Data and Registration Number You're still right, one can fly Westjet and Skyteam, earn FB points, use them to fly Westjet J You're still right, one can fly Westjet and Skyteam, earn FB points, use them to fly Westjet J from Calgary to Gatwick. Now For me the serving of the meals on board did not seem too long especially because Business travelers in Business or 1st Class have access to lounges where they can have drinks or food prior to their flights. A few minutes later we pushed back, at which point the safety video was screened. Westjet crew are used to one style of service. @ Anthony -- See this post for all of their current route plans: Only a fool would imagine that what we Obviously you are paid to be there, and paid to be nice to me. Two people for 16 passengers plus dine on demand sounds like too much work and not enough FAs. @ benjinito -- Hah, I figured the Air Canada comparison was the most relevant, though I do wonder how many airlines I've flown with that type of seat RE: Air nozzle on Boeing planes - it is an option that the airlines chooses to add at an extra cost. If cold, add one. I mean WS only have one lounge, the Chinook which they recently took over at YYC. [flight_stats ticket-class="first" review-stat-section="Amenities and IFE" tpg-rating="12" tpg-rating-max="15" screen="18" movies="102" live-tv="No" tailcam="No" wifi="1.48" wifi-2="0.73" headphones="0" comp-alcohol="0" extra-pillows="0" turndown-service="0" /]. [flight_stats ticket-class="first" review-stat-section="Food and Beverage" tpg-rating="18" tpg-rating-max="20" live-tv="0" tailcam="0" headphones="0" meals="2" champagne="Lanson Black Label Brut" dine-on-demand="Yes" comp-alcohol="0" extra-pillows="0" turndown-service="0" /]. Flights from SIN-LHR, AMS,FRA and SIN-NRT,LAX,SFO. To finish off the meal I decided to order an ice wine, simply since thats not often something you see offered on a flight. 619 were here. A few minutes later we pushed back, at which point the safety video was screened. They aren't part of an alliance. Good review and a very important part about service times. Duration: 8hr30min WestJets business class soft product is spectacular. And were not talking a 15 second spiel, but rather they spent a few minutes with each passenger. Are Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal on the schedule? Wow, nice interior! Thousands of dollars oneway to Gatwick? Hello from London! Were so glad to have you here today They have ten working in economy? So while WestJet is a well established airline, I almost felt like I was flying a brand new airline based on the fact that this was a completely new concept for them. Most important was the hard product was insanely wonderful. Overnight, you want the sleep time. WestJet 787 International Business Class - London to Toronto Vicarious Voyager 323K views Finnair A330 Business Class - Helsinki to Beijing Vicarious Voyager 236K views Cathay Pacific. @Mark. My advice is travel with layers. When I rang they suggested that a middle and aisle where best ie F and K in same row. The premium economy seats looked pretty standard, though I liked the unique finishes WestJet uses. Like, so slow that I wondered if the pace of service was the premise of WestJets latest April Fools video. Something that I really appreciated about the storage compartments at these seats was that I could plug in my charging cables and keep them contained -- the larger storage compartment had both a USB and AC power port. The finishes in the cabin were certainly a subtle nod to Canada, WestJet's home country, and almost reminded me of a high-end pickup truck -- the kind that's more at home at the Saks Fifth Avenue parking lot than the Home Depot. Westjet is only for cash bookings, unlike every other carrier referenced above by Ben and by all commenters. "For example, on my flight they had four small plates, three large planes". Or pay with 140,000 points + CAD$1,479. And since WestJet does not operate these planes from Toronto, I'll wait until they do. Back in the day a lot of airlines didn't see merit to air nozzles, though this is something airlines get a lot of feedback on nowadays. Heather Yourex-West reports - May 13, 2019 The proposed $3.5-billion bid by Onex Crop. It was clear that the crew was proud of their product, and it showed. I had a feeling I'd be too full for dessert, and I was right. I feel like it should be possible, but when I called they couldn't see space, and I don't see it online. The annual airline fee statement credit can be complicated to take advantage of compared to the broader travel credits offered by competing premium cards. Food was wonderful and served to me around 90 mins after take-off.
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