WestJet "Passenger Perks" - My 1st trip on Westjet - Trip Report

3 Dec. WS 109 Winnipeg-Ottawa with a stop in Thunder Bay. Since it was Mon am, I took the precaution of allowing about two hours for the formalities. Good decision... Check-in at WS was quick and painless. There were about 15 people ahead of me and the process took less than 10 minutes. The staff were friendly and very welcoming. It was clear that I was their core business and this would be reinforced throughout the trip. You are given a boarding pass ressembling a thermal fax paper. No fuss, simple and the minimum required. Seat selection only at check-in. The agent recommended that I get to the security line ASAP. For those who know the YWG airport, the security line went from the security point, to the south end and around to the west. It took 45 minutes to clear security. A quick breakfast at Second Cup and it was time to board. Again no fuss here. The FA were very welcoming and you had the distinct impression that you were the reason that they were on board. The aircraft, 737-200, was spotless. I checked a few tables and they were clean. You got the impression that grooming the aircraft was a priority. Pushback was on time and a unique experience ensued. The FA are informal and interact with humour with guests as we are called. Service is good. Drinks of water, coffee and juice are passed and seconds are offered. Small snacks are offered. We arrived on time at Thunder Bay and left very quickly to Ottawa. Arrival was 10 minutes early due to tail winds. Throughout the trip, I had the clear impression that this was a team. Pilots and FA interacted as a group to make the trip enjoyable.

4 Dec WS 96 Ottawa- Winnipeg via Hamilton. I arrived again two hours ahead. Security in Ottawa is very thorough. On check-in I was told that the flight was three hours late due to a mechanical failure in Calgary. I was given a voucher for a meal. Throughout the delay, we were kept informed to what was happening. The gate personnel were super and made sure every one was ok. They communicated with people and kept in the loop. We departed as rescheduled and again a repeat of the inbound flight to Ottawa. Spotless aircraft; attentive FA who went through the cabin offering additional beverages. I forgot to mention the seat pitch was not bad...30". I was comfortable. They apologized repeatly for the delay. In fact my seat mate is a Westjet veteran with more than 100 trips in three years. He had not yet experienced a delay until this day.

Here are my observations: WestJet has a clear client centered culture. I am a guest and they sure behaved like this was their creed. Staff are mostly young, engaged and enjoy their work. They care about the airline. I think that they have a winning formula. I was impressed and well served for the price of $370.22. It is no frills but for a short journey, I don't need many of the comforts that I have grown accustomed to . Would I fly with them again? YES without any doubt. In fact, if the share pulls back because of general market conditions, I will buy some. A good investment in a winning formula.

Thanks for the report. Impressive.

I can't help wondering though, was your trip not ruined by the thought of the miles you could be accumulating? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by ACORD (edited 12-05-2001).]

At 50%, probably not. At 35%, even less so.

Thanks for the report airbus...

It really comes down to 3 choices, WestJet, AC or Tango. Seriously, I couldn't tell the difference between the 3 of them if you don't consider the laughable 35% miles.

If anything I'd be more aware of the stop, vs. AC's two non-stops and one one-stop. Well okay, mostly I'd be award of the 30" pitch.

But I agree, AC shows the route as 1050 miles, so that's as little as 725 AP points R/T at 35% next year?

andrew

You'll have a free trip to Ottawa in only 21 round trips...that's of course if the short haul awards stay in place.

Thanks for the report. WS seating is tight compared to AA but not much worse than AS. What sort of snacks were served?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
It really comes down to 3 choices, WestJet, AC or Tango. Seriously, I couldn't tell the difference between the 3 of them if you don't consider the laughable 35% miles.
</font>

There is one B-I-G difference: WS allows same-day (earlier) standby at no charge.

The snacks served: choice of shortbread cookies or flavoured bread pieces. I brought my own meal. I had no expectations of food. There is simply no meal service. Hey, the price was right and the seat pitch seemed no different from the AC 737 in Y.

Sorry duplicate. Since I installed new software, I am having this problem.

[This message has been edited by airbus320 (edited 12-05-2001).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by airbus320:
The snacks served: choice of shortbread cookies or flavoured bread pieces. I brought my own meal. I had no expectations of food. There is simply no meal service. </font>

Thanks. I was intrigued as I was under the impression WS doesn't serve any solid food at all. Looks like what WS serves is what CP Regional used to (biscuits).

Sounds good airbus.

I've always wondered, what would have happened had CP and WS shacked up, with WS running all domestic ops and CP sticking to its international routes. Would have made an interesting scenario... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

FewMiles..

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A few details that I forgot to mention in the trip report. The load factor on both segments was about 80%. Each flight had a number of "suits" male and female toting briefcases. In fact, I even eyed some AC Aeroplan tags; two Elites 2001 version.

[This message has been edited by airbus320 (edited 12-06-2001).]

Okay, while you are thinking about WestJet's service - ponder this, how much is WestJet's Daddy (in terms of business model) Southwest's market cap as compared to the other US "full fare" carriers? FlyerAl, you know? The answer may surprise some.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by msn:
how much is Southwest's market cap as compared to the other US "full fare" carriers? </font>

At some point, it used to be greater than the sum of the big 3. Mind you, LUV doesn't have nearly the debt of AMR, UAL and DAL.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by msn:
FlyerAl, you know? The answer may surprise some.</font>

According to the January 2002 issue of Airways Magazine, Southwest Airlines has a market capitalization of USD$11.5 billion - equal to the combined value of all the other US major carriers.

airbus320
West Jet starts their inaugural into YSB on December 12th.I am part of a delegation that will greet and welcome their service into our community.
Many suits have indicated a willingness to drive from Hamilton to Toronto because of
1: Price
2: Dependability of service,or lack thereof by GX,the AC regional player.Too many arbitrary cancellations recently.
3: Jet service as opposed to prop.
If this board would like a report ,I would be pleased to provide this info.

acysb87: As in the medical field, a second opinion is always useful in travel. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

airbus320,

your WJ flights sound similar to the one time I flew with them (this past March). Same-day stand-by was no problem (they even assigned a seat at check-in, but I had to clear at the gate). However, they did make me check-in my legal weight/size carry-on because the flight was almost full.

By the way, did you ever get a full refund of your one-way fare (less taxes) for the return flight? I believe that WJ refunds the fare for delays of over three hours (but maybe the wait is longer - I can't remember).

It's not a refund per se, but rather a credit (i.e. MCO) for the full amount of your fare, to be used within 1 year.

What do you guys think AC management will think when they see one after another wonderful WestJet trip reports here?

"Hmmm... what are we doing wrong? We've already copied every aspect of Canada 3000 & WestJet" http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

The delay was 2:40.The aircraft arrived early. They did not offer a voucher for future travel. In fact, I didn't know such a thing existed. Perhaps, I should ask customer solutions.

[This message has been edited by airbus320 (edited 12-08-2001).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Empress:
What do you guys think AC management will think when they see one after another wonderful WestJet trip reports here?


"Hmmm... what are we doing wrong? We've already copied every aspect of Canada 3000 & WestJet" http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif</font>

Yes they have copied a lot...except the most important aspect. CUSTOMER SERVICE

[QUOTE]Originally by a320:
The aircraft, 737-200, was spotless. I checked a few tables and they were clean. You got the impression that grooming the aircraft was a priority

It is a priority. Even employees and family flying non-rev are expected to stay behind and help out. Do you ever expect that from AC.

[This message has been edited by I'llMissCP (edited 12-08-2001).]

I went to YOW on no notice family business. Outbound I used an AC city pass.

Inbound home, I travelled with a relative and decided not to use the city pass in order to travel with him.. I found an internet special fare on WestJet of $210.44 including tax!

I flew on the NG 737-700 for the first time. The leather seats were quite comfortable. The satellite TV worked flawlessly and I watched a movie on Fox all the way home. One of the fastest trips yet for the entertainment passed the time quite well. Load factor was about 50% and lots of middle seats available. Seat pitch was good and there was room to stretch. I am also happy to report that this was a no corny joke flight. In fact no humour at all was served.

I did however miss access to the MLL and the J cabin. ;)

There is nothing wrong with flying WestJet; service was great. I just missed the MLL access and the wider J class seats.

After all, I am spoiled by the city Pass. :D

Load factor was about 50% and lots of middle seats available. Seat pitch was good and there was room to stretch. I am also happy to report that this was a no corny joke flight. In fact no humour at all was served.
:D

I'm not surprised this was a "No Humour" flight with a 50% load factor. :D Not a lot of profit sharing in that kind of a load factor.

On my recent first-ever WJ round trip, I had one corny and one "straight" crew. I have to admit, the funny safety briefing had everyone's attention. Looking around me, 75% of the pax had their safety cards out and were following along. I have never seen that before.

Had a similar note this week on an AA flight where the IC did the briefing all in rhyme to the "tune" of "Twas the night before Chrsistmas" as in...

"Twas 17 days until Christmas, and all through the flight
Not a passenger was stirring, their seats cinched tight...."

It was VERY clever, and very effective in catching the attention of what I saw was a jaded collection of FFers out of DFW on AA! Atb the end of it, she even got a round of applause!

A bit of humor can be an effective communication tool.

And I have to say, while WJ staff are corny and over familiar, I found them young, perky and happy, and their public announcements sure beats the AC crew saying: "This is Air Canada, and we're not happy until you're UNhappy"

I forgot to mention that I was not comfortable looking out the B737-700 window. The seat is too high and I had to slightly bend my neck to look out. This is the only negative feature that I have to report...but it is in my opinion a major one.