Crews, especially YVR ones, have always been a bit hit or miss, but on my last few experiences there seems to be a degree of hostility towards passengers.
No niceties or smiles spared, almost appearing unhappy interacting with passengers, but loudly chatting away in the galley seconds later with crew. Especially annoying on the red-eye where most of the cabin was attempting to sleep.
Other observations:
- no greeting during boarding on the first two flights, even appearing to proactively avoid eye contact. Said hello to one and got a wry smile back
- drink order was taken at the start, never any offer of refills. I get this being the case on a red-eye, but on the LAX flight, meal service was completed with more than half of the flight remaining
Service quality in the front cabin has definitely taken a hit. (Back cabin too)
The Platinum acknowledgement/thank-you from the FA in Premium, as I mentioned before, has all but disappeared. (The one time in 2023 that I received it, it was awesome — and it honestly made my day. So kind and so sincere.)
While the FAs are generally nice, a concerning number do seem to just be going through the motions — like they’re just following a checklist of required tasks rather than trying to offer any kind of sincere hospitality.
The crazy thing is that offering “sincere hospitality” rather than just going through the motions costs WestJet absolutely nothing — but would make a massive difference in customer satisfaction and loyalty.
When I complete a flight where I had amazing service or sincere crew interaction — it really stands out, it builds my loyalty, and I tell people about it. I fly a lot, and find that it really doesn't happen often. Everything else on any airline is just a sea-of-sameness — the product and price don’t do much to differentiate.