Then there was the business class cabin, which consisted of a total of 16 seats, spread across four rows in a 1-2-1 configuration. New planes, classes of service, and service flows take time to get used to. This is great - you can earn DL miles with them right? (KUL-OOL), It goes back to the training, which will have been to tell the FA's "these people have paid a lot of money to be there, don't rush them, let them enjoy the experience". You can only take off so much clothes. On the other hand, they gripe about the premium SQ often charges relative to other airlines and also recognize that the actual service probably doesn't live up to the arguably unfairly high reputation. Well, neither. WEstjet J is for actual Business travellers, who pay J fares with money. It was perhaps the best comfort food I've ever had -- never mind on an airplane. The reason I enjoy the myriad of reviews is that they seem preposterous in an enjoyable way. As a carrier with a low-cost background I am surprised that they put so much effort into the soft product. Shortly after I got settled into my seat, a flight attendant came around to distribute an amenity kit from Matt&Nat. Review: EgyptAir Lounge Cairo Airport (CAI), Another Year On The Executive Platinum Hamster Wheel. WestJet Baggage Excess Fees. I travel for pleasure only, no business. Duration: 8hr30min That was my one criticism in my feedback to the carrier post-flight. Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ). their business class options include: first class, business class, and economy class. Im going to split up service into two parts, because yes, there is a catch. this is great - looks nice, and this sounds like teething problems. Credit ranges are a variation of FICO Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application. Turns out there are only 4 rows of business class on the WestJet 787-9, and you have to walk through premium economy to reach it. After that, I asked about which lounge I'd be allowed to visit. Similarly, I liked the style of the menu and wine list. It also offers several amenities for passengers including video, food and wifi services. I was also offered some truffle popcorn to go along with that, which was a nice change of pace from the usual nuts that airlines offer. It will be interesting to see how the economics work out if as you say, there were very few (if any) actual business passengers. Arrive: 10:50AM (+1 day) The flavors were outstanding, and it honestly probably would have sufficed as a main course on its own. Now, I want to see more canadian wines onboard. Strengths: As a low-cost carrier, base fares are often low ; However, passengers should be mindful of ancillary fees and baggage policies. @SuperVC10 That would leave Canada with one airline. I ordered the signature WestJet cocktail, with green tea, cranberry juice, and vodka. Enjoy spacious comfort in a pod on our 787 Dreamliner. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. Update: See here for my full review of WestJets 787-9 business class. Excellent. I think it comes down to not having a full-time FA in the galley making drinks, plating food, etc. See terms and conditions. Great product. (Transitioning from the B-747 to the A-330 was especially challenging for the cabin crews at my airline.). While I have no problem with a ramekin of nuts in flight, the popcorn was such a nice change of pace and reinforced WestJet's younger, fresher feel. @Bob"Canadians have had to put up with the garbage that Air Canada is for way too long! In addition to NA carriers, I find almost all quality airlines in Asia and the Mid East (I have less sampling time on others) make an effort with the senior crew members giving a personable welcome to premium travelers in First and Business. Good review and a very important part about service times. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Did Ben notice whether there was a "Galley Witch" (G/W) FA? Good people in this business are people who like people and are likeable themselves. Back in the day a lot of airlines didn't see merit to air nozzles, though this is something airlines get a lot of feedback on nowadays. 1 Seats only available in Business on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. It is! Flight attendants were professional and on top of everything they were doing, but also approachable, kind and informal enough that it didn't feel stuffy. 2) Are these flights bookable with Delta SkyMiles? To eat I ordered fresh fruit and a greek yogurt parfait. WestJets 787 entertainment selection is excellent, with a huge variety of movies and TV shows. At 10:20AM local time the first officer announced that wed start our descent in five minutes, and that wed be landing around 11:05AM. Seats at these fares are limited and may not be available on all flights. TPG values it at $1,600. They had some festivities at both ends. Within the past few days WestJet launched 787-9 service between Calgary and London, which represents an exciting new phase for the airline. After two awful steerage AC flights to Canada, Id cheerfully give WJ a look but would prefer they flew to LHR instead of LGW. That's a lot of Amex points. I mean, how could I not? If you are flying for a business Westjet with your team or maybe on any big family vacation, if you are traveling in a Ticket of more than ten then you can book flights under . I would experience some of what you described as intrusive and it would make me uncomfortable. The browser you are using is not supported. Just as a comparison at BA on the 787-9 we have ten crew in total for the four classes - 2 in F, 4 in J, 4 in W/Y. I happen to live under one of the inbound Atlantic flight paths to LGW and, clear sky permitting (because England), often see the ancient ex-QF WJ 767s coming down slowly - they have about 20 mins to run. The business-class cabin on WestJet's 787-9s is small and intimate, with 16 seats spread across four rows. Give them some time, they'll iron out the kinks. It lookedexclusive. I hate air nozzles. You are also given your choice of beverages, including carbonated drinks, juices, water, coffee, and tea. My only point is that regardless of the sincerity or otherwise of the individual providing the service, the PERCEPTION of sincerity , at least for me, is lessened by the use of the stock/standard phoney phrases. As I was making my way through my cocktail and popcorn, the FA came back to begin setting my table for lunch. In exchange for the annual fee, you'll unlock access to the Amex Membership Rewards program that let you access airline and hotel transfer partners, along with new lifestyle and travel credits. This card comes with a long list of benefits, including access to Centurion Lounges, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott, at least $500 in assorted annual statement credits and so much more. Overnight, you want the sleep time. Of course the big area for improvement was with speed. If I ever need to fly to Canada from Europe, they will be on my radar. It turns out that they were transitioning to being . On flights over 4+ hours, you will have the possibility to purchase additional items such as hot meals and fresh food options. Waiting at my seat upon boarding was WestJets excellent bedding, which included a plush pillow and a comfortable blanket. Last night I took a flight I was really excited about. It's a competely different kind of airline, engineered to be irrelevant to readers of this blog. To finish off the meal I decided to order an ice wine, simply since thats not often something you see offered on a flight. If youre hot, remove a layer. Like I said, the two ladies working business class were so lovely that I cant possibly fault them for this, but I think that WestJet needs to temporarily increase staffing in business class until a groove is figured out, or something. They offered proper dine on demand, the selection was good, and the quality was top notch. Seems like a great product. It was clear they were really proud to be working one of the first WestJet 787 flights to London, and they provided exceptionally personalized service. What is the advice of those who have travelled in business class? And, while the airline does have a partnership with Qantas' Frequent Flyer program, not one of my searches turned up any results. Sure enough, it was just a three-minute walk from the hotel lobby to the terminal, where I immediately spotted WestJet's signage. She is so wise. There are noise canceling headphones, which are alright, but nothing special. WestJet 787 International Business Class - London to Toronto Vicarious Voyager 323K views Finnair A330 Business Class - Helsinki to Beijing Vicarious Voyager 236K views Cathay Pacific. Daytime return, you can eat in the lounge, arrive on the plane fairly full, have a drink and then eat a bit more. Meal service waaaay to long but worth the wait by the look of it. Looks like a top notch product! Prices will be updated at least every two hours. Promising start: A review of WestJet's business class on the 787-9 from London to Calgary, This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. Lots of service and no real opportunity to use the seat. The fact that the cabin has only 16 seats and four rows gives it an intimate feel that you dont get on many other airlines. Slow pace in a new product is normal, especially premium. Again I have no idea about the market positioning of this product. Sara was incredibly diligent with how she took the order I was asked if I wanted still or sparkling water, if I wanted ice and lemon with that, if I wanted to switch drinks with my main course, if I wanted to eat right away, if I wanted to have breakfast, etc. Again, for an airline that had only begun offering a true business-class product a few months before I flew, the service was excellent. Cannot fault the crew/service concept/quality. Your preoccupation with air nozzles hurts the value of your reviews. @ Janet -- The beauty of air nozzles is that you don't have to use them if you don't want them. It is only J that matters these days, not F. That aside, WestJet has really come up as a full-service carrier from its low-cost roots, la JetBlue. Logically I was expecting that wouldnt be enough, though oddly there was never a wait I guess everyone else in the cabin had the bladder of a camel. Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. Yep. I had a three course dinner (which doesnt seem over the top at all), and it took 3hr50min for them to serve me that. I chose a more traditional meal progression, so I asked the flight attendant for a small plate followed by a large plate and that dessert was still TBD, as I'm usually stuffed after the main course. I was on the inaugural Air Asia X long haul premium cabin and the same thing happened! There just weren't all that many flicks that appealed to me, though I finally was able to find two to watch -- one during the first meal and one after my nap during the second meal. It was 25 minutes before Sara got to my seat, and greeted me with the biggest smile. I am waiting for WestJet do do a 36,000-ft poutine, just for fun. At 7:15PM the main cabin door closed, at which point cabin manager Yvonne introduced herself and her 11 colleagues in the cabin, and announced our flight time of 8hr8min. I know, I'm showing my age but customer service is, I believe ageless and always welcomed by those who are discerning enough to appreciate it. Thats good to note, since im flying the YYC-CDG inaugural. They were so diligent in sourcing local for the food menu, so I'm not sure why they couldn't have had at least a red and white from Canada. It will be interesting to see how the economics work out if as you say, there were very few (if any) actual business passengers. Are Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal on the schedule? Please see our supported browsers. And the dishes are making me hungry. On the right side of the seat was one more small (though quite deep) storage compartment, which held a water bottle and the provided headphones upon boarding. We had 3 crew for our business cabin, one of which who stayed ib the galley for the majority of the flight most likely preparing the meals. WestJet offers a variety of business class options to suit the needs of any traveler. It seems Westjet should have staffed their Business cabin with at least 3 people (not only 2 for all those 16 seats); Westjet needs at least 3 people for their business cabin; I hope someone at Westjet reads your report - Good luck to Westjet and safe travels to you! The one glaring problem is the pace of service. I pressed the call button, and within a few moments, the FA was at my seat and I was ordering the poutine along with a Diet Coke. Review: WestJet Calgary to London Business Class. Position to YYC? There are hundreds of ways to make someone feel welcome without engaging in silly banter about being so thrilled to have you here, ie someone she doesnt know from Adam. Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Pushing back Calgary Airport Im a bit surprised they serve this in plastic cups rather than in proper glassware. The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. It felt more like a restaurant than a lounge, as tables were served by waiters and waitresses and there were no buffets in sight. Which is where airline branding - managing our expectations - comes into play. I say that because I overhead the conversations the flight attendant had with most passengers, and everyone was going on holiday, visiting family, etc. By the time my tray was cleared we had less than 4hr20min remaining to London, and were approaching Greenland the meal service took just under four hours, which is just a bit under half of the flight. Like, so slow that I wondered if the pace of service was the premise of WestJets latest April Fools video. Right, I'll get right on that opportunity. Frequent travelers give the airline an average rating of 7.1/10.. Then to the left of the seat was a literature pocket. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners. . The decor of the cabin looks economy, no PJ to offer? It depends on the schedule offered by WJ and AC and also if you are a Flying Blue member you just stick to WJ i guess. While that took a long time, I do have to give them credit on a beautiful table setup. 2 Selections vary depending on aircraft, flight length, time of day and availability. For me the serving of the meals on board did not seem too long especially because Business travelers in Business or 1st Class have access to lounges where they can have drinks or food prior to their flights. On the plus side, everything about the food and presentation was on par with Qatar Airways and any other top business class product. Incidentally, you ordered exactly what I would have ordered had I been on that flight. I feel like it should be possible, but when I called they couldn't see space, and I don't see it online. Photos of the plane also show that Premium Economy . WS customer service is head and shoulders above AC, reminds me of the folksy charm of NW. Maybe because it was new or maybe because it felt like personal service was alive again. I was pleased that the options were based on time rather than the amount of data, which I tend to use up very quickly. Your preoccupation with air nozzles hurts the value of your reviews. Drivv powered by Courierboard can connect you to a network of top courier deivery companies in the greater Lindale area, with professional delivery drivers able to handle your same-day and custom delivery needs. Westjet Business. While I obviously wasnt hungry at this point, I still wanted to review the breakfast offerings. How did you purchase the ticket? Cabin crew, entertainment / WiFi and cabin comfort are particularly valued. Back in the day, Lufthansa was, for you, The Best Airline In The World. They're planning on launching a custom built lounge next year though. Non . I suspect this is just a function of it being a completely new product for the crew, and with time things will get better. This was one of the best beef dishes Ive ever had on a plane. 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