One quick correction - Elevation lounge access is included for Business (J) but not Premium (W). However, it is easy to get access to with frequent status matches and/or premium pass which are easy to find on credit cards.

Having flown a lot of WS premium, the hard product is roughly the same, discounting the IFE (which frankly, I don't know why everyone get so worked up about as it's never guaranteed to work - if you want to not be disappointed, bring your own entertainment). However, service and catering are way better on AC. I have yet to fly WS J so I can't compare. The comparison is likely the same in J now on TATL/TPAC - the soft product used to be better when they launched the 789s, but I think our good friend Alexis has since watered it down.

If you're at an AC hub, there's no need to ever fly WS. But being a YYC-based flier, I can't beat the convenience. Time matters a lot for me, so a direct vs. a stop makes a big difference.

There's still a fair bit of connectivity ex-YVR and ex-YYZ, especially to leisure markets. But other than that, they are basically nowhere in the east, except for east-west transcons.