Is there any known method to ensure I avoid Swoop or Sunwing aircraft?
Oct 6, 2023, 9:28 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 44
Is there any known method to ensure I avoid Swoop or Sunwing aircraft?
I noticed on a recent booking that Google Flights showed 29" of legroom on a Westjet flight. I think that means it's a former Swoop or Sunwing aircraft... but I don't know if Google Flights is trustworthy on that?
Short version is if I am getting ULCC legroom, I'm not paying Westjet's high fares.
Obviously equipment swaps can always happen but that's a risk I'm willing to accept.. versus accepting the crappy aircraft from the outset
Short version is if I am getting ULCC legroom, I'm not paying Westjet's high fares.
Obviously equipment swaps can always happen but that's a risk I'm willing to accept.. versus accepting the crappy aircraft from the outset
Oct 6, 2023, 9:56 am
#2
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: YVR
Programs: WS Nothing, AC Something, AS Gold. Too big for 737Max washrooms
Posts: 893
I noticed on a recent booking that Google Flights showed 29" of legroom on a Westjet flight. I think that means it's a former Swoop or Sunwing aircraft... but I don't know if Google Flights is trustworthy on that?
Short version is if I am getting ULCC legroom, I'm not paying Westjet's high fares.
Obviously equipment swaps can always happen but that's a risk I'm willing to accept.. versus accepting the crappy aircraft from the outset
Short version is if I am getting ULCC legroom, I'm not paying Westjet's high fares.
Obviously equipment swaps can always happen but that's a risk I'm willing to accept.. versus accepting the crappy aircraft from the outset
Oct 6, 2023, 10:13 am
#3
Join Date: Feb 2018
Programs: WestJet Rewards, Aeroplan
Posts: 24
I noticed on a recent booking that Google Flights showed 29" of legroom on a Westjet flight. I think that means it's a former Swoop or Sunwing aircraft... but I don't know if Google Flights is trustworthy on that?
Short version is if I am getting ULCC legroom, I'm not paying Westjet's high fares.
Obviously equipment swaps can always happen but that's a risk I'm willing to accept.. versus accepting the crappy aircraft from the outset
Short version is if I am getting ULCC legroom, I'm not paying Westjet's high fares.
Obviously equipment swaps can always happen but that's a risk I'm willing to accept.. versus accepting the crappy aircraft from the outset
Oct 6, 2023, 10:34 am
#4
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: YYC, Canada
Programs: AC 35k
Posts: 1,898
Pretty certain ex-Swoop and Sunwing aircraft are used on a specific routes, also. So you're going to see these aircraft on sun routes (a la Rouge) and on former Swoop routes. If you're not flying those, I think you're going to be pretty safe, with the exception, as you said, of aircraft swaps due to IRROPS.
Oct 6, 2023, 11:04 am
#5
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Calgary
Posts: 1,444
Over time all 737s will be getting the ULCC seat pitch behind the wing emergency exit rows and several rows in front of the wing. The only way to avoid this completely (besides IROPs) is to pay for extra legroom for a specific seat at booking time. The default in the future is the lowest price will be for a ULCC seat, assuming at that time those seats will be comparable in price to ULCCs such as Flair on that same route.
Oct 6, 2023, 11:31 am
#6
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: YVR
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Plat (earned as Starwood), Canadian Amex Plat & resulting statuses, WestJet Silver
Posts: 663
The only surefire way I can think of is to book a route that's served by 787 and not 737. Planned well, it's possible to fly YYZ - YVR in this way, for example.
Oct 6, 2023, 9:21 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 44
Look up the flight you want to buy on WestJet's website. All-economy aircraft are 737-800s, (which are the ex-Swoop ones) are labelled quite clearly I believe as "all economy aircraft" and it won't be selling premium fares. The aircraft code is 7S8 compared with existing WestJet planes which are 73H. All 7373-700s are WestJet's.
I was naive enough to be excited as I thought Westjet was elevating the market by shutting down 2 crappy carriers. Now I see they are just downgrading to an ULCC altogether
I sure hate that ACA has left the Prairies…
Oct 6, 2023, 9:22 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 44
Oct 7, 2023, 11:54 am
#10
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: YYZ
Posts: 78
It's not all bad, depending on how much value you put into seat selection, it's not that much more to select the extra legroom. On a flight I recently booked it was $26-$29 for a cramped seat (29"?), or $47 for an extra legroom seat (34-36" I think)
Oct 7, 2023, 12:24 pm
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 44
Air Canada shows seat availability when looking at fares, I think with WestJet you can only look by diving deep into the booking process
Oct 13, 2023, 9:52 pm
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Edmonton, AB, Canada
Programs: AC 75K, Hertz President’s Circle, Accor Gold, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 10,069
Lovely, looks like my Dec 22 Westjet YEG to YYZ is on these Swoop planes. I didn’t buy a Swoop flight. My knees don’t fit in regular Swoop seats. Not happy. Hoping Westjet will assign me a seat that works….otherwise I’ll write to Delta after the fact as I used Skymiles. It’s quite a sneaky move and sucks when half the YEG-YYZ are ex Swoop. Don’t think that competes too well with Porter and AC.
Oct 14, 2023, 7:55 am
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Edmonton, AB, Canada
Programs: AC 75K, Hertz President’s Circle, Accor Gold, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 10,069
Oct 14, 2023, 9:37 am
#15
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Calgary
Posts: 1,444
Lovely, looks like my Dec 22 Westjet YEG to YYZ is on these Swoop planes. I didn’t buy a Swoop flight. My knees don’t fit in regular Swoop seats. Not happy. Hoping Westjet will assign me a seat that works….otherwise I’ll write to Delta after the fact as I used Skymiles. It’s quite a sneaky move and sucks when half the YEG-YYZ are ex Swoop. Don’t think that competes too well with Porter and AC.