YQMYMM

I’ve always liked the service from WestJet so I started asking myself why I don’t fly them more. I’ll have flown 64 segments with AC by the end of the year but only 12 with WS. I’ve decided to do a vis-a-vis on things that are most important to me as a FF, I hope others can add their opinions to this and hopefully Darren takes notice and maybe change for the better.

Staff (Check-in, GA, FA, Call Centre)
Advantage: WestJet
WestJet wins hands-down on employee attitude and helpfulness.

FF Program (WS Gold vs. AC E50K)
Advantage: Air Canada Elite 50K
Hands-down Air Canada wins this one. Unlimited Star Alliance Lounge visits, 50 eUpgrade points per year (incl. 60 AQS threshold award), Priority Baggage, Priority Contacts trump WestJet’s limited lounge vouchers and limited seat selection vouchers. SDC work in WestJet’s favour, but don’t help me since my departing flight usually leaves at 11:55pm so any later flight would be a different calendar day.

Flight Availability
Advantage: Air Canada
Only one thing matters to me in this category, who will get me from point A to point B quickest. My route is YMM-YQM, departing YMM any time after 7pm. AC gets me home around noon, WS around 5pm. Also for some reason WestJet forces me to take the first YYZ-YOW connection available and won’t let me choose the last available - you might ask why I care? No lounge access in YOW, I’d much rather spend half the day in a lounge at YYZ then in a public area at YOW.

Rewards Booking
Advantage: WestJet
WestJet dollars are much easier to use and offer better clarity than the obfuscated mess that is Aeroplan.

BOB Offering
Advantage: Air Canada
WestJet used to have the advantage here, but Air Canada has upped their game with hot pizza and pasta in addition to the hot meal trays when available. WestJet’s Tapas box just doesn’t compare.


At the end of the day I choose Air Canada because they get me home faster, offer me free upgrades to Business Class and get me unlimited free lounge access in most airports. I also appreciate the better food and priority baggage.
If WestJet were to increase lounge access and offer upgrades to Plus (booked ahead like AC’s eUps - not at-the-gate vouchers like the last one-off package) in addition to having an earlier flight to YQM I’d definitely consider flying with them more.

Shareholder

AC's upgrades aren't really "free" since you're paying a higher fare which is generally comparable to what WS charges for its Plus seat. And if you're on a lower WS fare, you can purchase an upgrade to Plus at the time of OLCI if you don't want to use the certs. AC operates its own lounges and has higher paying premium class customers who off-set part of the cost of operating them. WS has no lounges and has an arrangement with Plaza Premium to provide access to Golds who have passes, or to those who purchase access. PP is a private company and can only afford to operate lounges at airports where the volume of traffic makes it likely they can make a profit.

It's not quite apples and apples when comparing the two airlines, they are not fully comparable, nor does WS pretend to be fully comparable to AC.

YQMYMM

Re: AC eUpgrades - since I book and pay my own flights, I am usually stuck buying a few Flex or higher fares during the year due to poor planning on my part. In recent memory, I had to book Flex on Labor Day weekend last year, High-Flex on an upcoming early January flight and High-Flex on Easter Thursday. I can upgrade these at no additional cost to myself, thus "free" upgrades. AC also offers LMUs so both airlines have this option.

Re: Lounges - as the customer, I don't care what the airline's business model is, whether they own their lounges or contract out. What I care about is whether I get in to a lounge for free.

While it may not be apples to apples, I am offering suggestions to WS to help them compete with AC for the FF market.

CanuckFlyHigh

Just for clarity, if the next available flight is the next day, you are still able to change it. There is a thread about this in the WS forum, and this is confirmed by the WS Rep.

YQMYMM

That's not what I was told on the phone or at the airport. If it is allowed, WestJet needs to pass it down to their agents.

Heffeh41

I disagree, the Tapas box is the best BOB food item available from any Canadian airline.
.

WestJet

Thanks for chiming in, CanuckFlyHigh.

Regarding missed flight re-accommodation, the promise is on our website and reads:
"Re-accommodation for a missed flight is applicable to the next available flight only. A member wishing to travel on a flight other than the next available is required to purchase the new flight at the lowest available fare; funds paid for original flight will be forfeited."

This means you'd need to present yourself at the airport after the flight has departed, in order to be moved to the first flight the following day.

Cheers,
Darren

Fiordland

The stake with vegetables and potatoes that is sometimes left over from Business Class on the AC Domestic flights has to be the best DOB. Limited quantity and availability.

YQMYMM

My issue with SDC actually relate to changing connections, which I was told I cannot do at check-in because it's a different calendar day. If I'm checking a bag, then it's impossible to change later.
I've discussed it previously in the following thread:
Plus vouchers? New Gold benefits on their way?!

YQMYMM

The Tapas box is quite good but it doesn't compare to hot food for me.

I would rank my favorite meals:
Hot Meal Trays (Leftover J meals) <Air Canada>
Hot Pizza <Air Canada>
Tapas Box <WestJet>
Lite-Bite (Crackers, Cheese & Salami) <WestJet>
Fruit & Cheese Tray <Air Canada>

capebretonboy

Great ratings/summary by the OP and very similar to my thoughts on the two national carriers in Canada.

DrPete

Great, objective comparison! For what its worth I did a similar one comparing AC Rouge to Westjet : http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-c...ir-canada.html

I find the two airlines are now similar enough that convenience in terms of schedule will sway me from one to another, with Air Canada often having better schedules from Ottawa than Westjet.

Lately I find economy prices from them almost identical.

The one other difference that currently does move me towards AC is Business Class - not so important for short flights, but for transcontinental it does make a difference. I notice that Westjet will have something like AC's North American business class on their 767s. Would be nice if they fly them on the longer North American routes.

Shareholder

But WS's Plus fares are generally the same as AC's Flex fares, are lower than Latitude. So you've already paid for your upgrade booking the higher AC fare category.

And you get 10 lounge passes as a WS Gold. More to the point, get the Amex Platinum card and you'll have access to the very same lounges and have guest privileges for "free".

They'll never make a serious crack into the FF market since there are no tie-ins to carriers other than WS. And while other FF programs have been moving to revenue-based models, it's still a very different and more flexible means of earning and spending for flights. WS is not really interested in moving in that direction because they've defined their market and it's a reliable and steady one, doesn't require a lot of $s to create an infrastructure required by a real FF program and the various alliances these have.

WS's move to upgrade Plus has broadened this product to appeal to the middle management level of regular flyer but not much more. It will hardly impact on AC's regular premium business customers. And the main reason it introduced this "cabin" was to keep the interline/codeshare deals it has with CX, BA, AF and AA who demanded this on WS feeder flights for their premium customers.

YQMYMM

Agreed, but there's 2 points I'd like to make.

First, I am sometimes a bit negligent at booking my flights ahead of time, so by the time I book I sometimes have to book Flex as that is the lowest fare available, so I then consider my upgrade "free". When I choose to book Flex when Tango is available, then I consider my upgrade paid.

Second, if AC Flex and WS Plus are the same price and you have AC eUps available, WS Plus or AC J - which would you choose?

10 passes wouldn't last me half the year. AC gives me an unlimited membership, why doesn't WS?

Amex Platinum is $699/year - hardly free.

I agree that WS should never go after AC's Paid J market, that's why I never suggested adding a J cabin. However, as a frequent business traveler, I appreciate certain perks. The suggestions at the end of my first post are hardly expensive for WS to implement.

1) Unlimited Lounge Access - they can move to a Priority Pass Prestige type membership with unlimited visits.

2) Free Upgrades to Plus - they are already working to fill the Plus seats using LMUs and Gate Vouchers. Implement an online portal where you receive x upgrades per year that you can request x days in advance, similar to AC's eUps.

3) Priority Baggage - stick an orange arrow on the bag tag, not complicated nor expensive.

4) Add an earlier flight to YQM - well, I'll admit that one might be expensive so let's change my suggestion to this: Review YQM operations and look at the feasibility of changing the daily 737 YYZ flight to twice-a-day Q400 flights.

5) Hot food - I don't think WS aircraft are equipped with ovens, so this isn't going to happen. Not a deal breaker for me.

I'm also not opposed to them adding another tier to the program with a higher spend for these benefits, maybe around $10k. They spend a bit more, they gain more.

yul36

<<<<<Amex Platinum is $699/year - hardly free.>>>>>>

If you can get the Small Business or a Business version of the AMEX Plat its only 399 a year, you give up the 200 travel credit, but that's about it. All the other benefits, Hotel Programs, insurance, etc stay intact.