# West Jet or Air Canada



## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

Not sure if I should put a poll on this just wanted to know people's opnions particularly recent West Jet flyers, I flew West Jet back in 2001 from Calgary to Vancouver, all I can remember is friendly staff but cramped seats. My last two business trips were on Air Canada and I found it pleasant with fairly friendly staff and pretty comfy seats, besides the bad landing by one of the pilots. I'm going to Toronto-New York-Montreal next month and I'm just trying to decide between Air Canada and West Jet. Pricing is the same, $298 to Toronto after taxes etc., but I can save $5 with Air Canada to bring carry on baggage only (easy on my way there, will probably bring quite a bit of stuff back though) and $7 to put on strict cancellation restrictions (also easy for me). It's an overnight flight so I will be spending the whole time sleeping anyway. Oh yes and I'm 184cm. Thanks.


----------



## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

dona83 said:


> Oh yes and I'm 184cm. Thanks.


Is that high or wide? 

Seriously now, since I know nothing of metric height, what is that? 

I assume it to be 6 foot something?


----------



## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

Use your Unit Converter widget!


----------



## DoNotPokeTheScreen (Jun 9, 2005)

I prefer WestJet. I remember two years ago when I booked a round-trip flight from between Toronto and Winnipeg and had to cancel the trip last minute due to family emergency. WestJet refunded every cent! I was very impressed.


----------



## MLeh (Dec 23, 2005)

Despite recent weather delays which caused much headaches (but I think AC was probably just as affected) - I'll still take Westjet over Air Canada any day of the week.

The newer jets have much more leg room than what you might have flown in last time. And leather seats, and adjustable headrests on most.

The biggest difference between the two is the ability to change your flights. Cancellation is the biggest difference. Also Westjet is pretty easy going for getting onto earlier flights the same day ($10.00 charge), and if you need to change to a different day they'll just charge you whatever the difference is between your flight and the cheapest available seat is on the flight you want to go on. (Keep in mind though, that closer to the date, the higher the fare as the seats get fewer in availability.)

If you don't need flexibility - either one will do. If you need or like flexibility, and corny jokes - Westjet.

edit: and if you want extra leg room, ask for the overwing window exit seat


----------



## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

:O I'm vegetarian... leather seats???

Ok Ok i'm not vegetarian anymore lol but if this was last year I would've probably objected to it.

I'm 6'1" for you metrically challenged.


----------



## LaurieR (Feb 9, 2006)

I flew West Jet last year and my experience was good. I agree that it's a little cramped (and I'm only 5' 4"...and a half  ) but the TV in the back of each seat is a sweet little extra. Of course, if you're sleeping, you might not care about whether or not you get your own TV...

I would recommend West Jet. And if you have an Air Miles card, even better.


----------



## Beej (Sep 10, 2005)

I prefer Westjet, but don't often fly with them. I fly Air Canada for the aeroplan miles and better schedules for where I'm going (the main factor).


----------



## PenguinBoy (Aug 16, 2005)

Westjet has better service, and Air Canada has Aeroplan.

Given the choice, I would take Westjet.


----------



## jasonwood (Oct 19, 2003)

LaurieR said:


> but the TV in the back of each seat is a sweet little extra


The thing I don't like about the TV is there are no music-only channels, so if you want to sleep to music, you'd better bring your iPod.


----------



## jicon (Jan 12, 2005)

Did AC from Vancouver to Montreal a few years back, on an Airbus 340 is memory serves correctly... cramped and awkward seats in business class, however, on the upside, it was a direct flight.

In my experience, Westjet has been a three or four stop whenever I fly out east.

I just want to get to whereever I'm going to, and that's the end of it. Don't care about the seats so much, or the awful "meals" they try to sell for an extra few bucks.

I'd suggest the carrier not matter so much, just find a flight direct. Depending on the airplane you fly on, I'm sure there is varying degrees of leg room.


----------



## JAGflyer (Jan 10, 2005)

jicon said:


> In my experience, Westjet has been a three or four stop whenever I fly out east..


2 stops maximum from Victoria to the east. 

I suggest Westjet. It's much better then AC. The TVs in the seats and the better service. Westjet is all 737 variants. Air Canada sends a variety of aircraft on the route. A few widebodies and a few narrowbodies.


----------



## MLeh (Dec 23, 2005)

jicon said:


> I'd suggest the carrier not matter so much, just find a flight direct. Depending on the airplane you fly on, I'm sure there is varying degrees of leg room.


There's a difference between 'direct' and 'non-stop', you know. The magic word is 'Non-stop'.

(Speaking as one with experience of the subtle but important difference 'direct' can make when flights are delayed.)


----------



## Sonal (Oct 2, 2003)

Last month, I flew WestJest from Toronto to Vancouver, and then Air Canada from San Francisco to Toronto.

WestJet. All the way.

Comfier seats, friendlier service, seatback TV is a nice way to pass time (and is much easier to see than those tiny movie screens.)

I'm only 5'6", but proportionally, my leg-length belongs to someone who is 6 feet tall--leg room was somewhat better on WestJet.


----------



## a7mc (Dec 30, 2002)

I'm glad you posted about this. I'm flying to Florida in January and was debating the same thing .Westjet was cheaper, but I was unsure about them. Good to know a lot of people recommend them.



> :O I'm vegetarian... leather seats???
> 
> Ok Ok i'm not vegetarian anymore lol but if this was last year I would've probably objected to it.


You know... you shouldn't eat your seat, vegetarian or not. You don't know where it's been. 

A7


----------



## Beej (Sep 10, 2005)

For tall folks, one specific AC plane I was on had an adjustable headrest. I've only seen it once, so don't buy tickets assuming it, but it does help.


----------



## MLeh (Dec 23, 2005)

For long flights (anything more than 5 hours): save up those Aeroplan miles and fly Executive Class on A/C.


----------



## RevMatt (Sep 10, 2005)

MLeh said:


> For long flights (anything more than 5 hours): save up those Aeroplan miles and fly Executive Class on A/C.


'course, it's hard to GET the aeroplan miles if the short hops are all on WestJet


----------



## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

RevMatt said:


> 'course, it's hard to GET the aeroplan miles if the short hops are all on WestJet


A very astute observation Rev!


----------



## MLeh (Dec 23, 2005)

Bah, you pay for them on your Aeroplan Gold Visa. And book through the website and get Air Miles.


----------



## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

MLeh said:


> Bah, you pay for them on your Aeroplan Gold Visa. And book through the website and get Air Miles.


A very astute observation MLeh!


----------



## jicon (Jan 12, 2005)

JAGflyer said:


> 2 stops maximum from Victoria to the east.


I should maybe clarify "East" to me being Winnipeg these last few years.

Flew to Winnipeg last spring.

one hop to Calgary, another hop to Saskatoon, another hop to Winnipeg.

Coming back, one hop to Saskatoon, one hop to Calgary, one hop to Kelowna, one hop to Victoria.

Agonizing... friends visiting have all gone thru the same torment at one point or another thru Westjet... 3 hour flight now stretches another 90 minutes. AC has only marginally been an improvement.


----------



## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

Both Air Canada and West Jet have direct flights Vancouver to/from Montreal, and both have direct overnight flights to/from Toronto, scheduling's not an issue. How many Aeroplan miles will I get with A/C compared to I think 24 Air Miles I will get from West Jet. They said you get the the miles equal to the amount of miles you flew? So if it's I dunno 2000 miles each way and I upgrade to Tango Plus and get 100% of the miles I fly, then I get 4000 miles? And I only need 15000 miles to fly to Edmonton for free? Seems a lot more attactive than West Jet's 24 Air Miles, though that will be a boost to the 124 Air Miles I have already. I am 3000 Save On More points from getting $100 West Jet gift certificate, and I have enough Shoppers Optimum Points for $75 off... oh the horrors, I'm going to have to think about it lol.


----------



## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

Okay I've succesfully booked my West Jet ticket back to Vancouver on Safari on my Mac. Awesome.

So far I've unsuccessfully booked my Air Canada Ticket to Montreal on both Safari and Air Canada. Tech support for Air Canada told me to get a PC.

I'd love to fly West Jet there but only Air Canada has an overnight flight to Montreal. Bah humbug.


----------



## MLeh (Dec 23, 2005)

Have you considered alternative forms of transportation once you're in the 'east'? 

I had a very enjoyable train journey from Ottawa to Montreal.


----------



## webwiz23 (Dec 10, 2005)

I'd Fly Air Canada, 1. For the points, 2. For the great service and better planes, 3. Great times 4. Class selection, 5. The locations they go to. But sometimes I fly Westjet if I don't have the money to fly air canada.


----------



## macuserforlife (Oct 30, 2004)

Admittedly it's been a couple of years but I found the Westjet experience quite frustrating to Montreal.

Don't get me wrong, the service was quite good and, as previously mentioned, the jokes were corny but Westjet doesn't have a physical presence in Montreal. 

Normally this wouldn't be a problem but when they lacked the competence to deliver the luggage with the passenger it took them three days to get it to me, all the while with their "customer information" line being a voicemail box that was full within the first coule of hours and never got cleared the entire three days. One thing that's vitally important to assuage the concerns of a passenger whose bags you've lost is a live person somewhere as a contact! Westjet doesn't have this in Montreal, or at least they didn't then.

Any time I fly into Montreal in the future it will be with Air Canada. It's just too hard to get anything accomplished on the phone.


----------



## JAGflyer (Jan 10, 2005)

Everything at Trudeau (Montreal airport) is lusy. All kinds of surly French people who don't want to do jack schitt for you unless you speak French. "Oh i am so sorri, I cannot 'elp you I 'ave to go smoke my 10th cigarette of da the morning ah".


----------



## PenguinBoy (Aug 16, 2005)

webwiz23 said:


> I'd Fly Air Canada, 1. For the points,


I can see the sense in that, especially if you already have a few Aeroplan points.


webwiz23 said:


> 2. For the great service and better planes,


Not sure I agree with that one, I've found Air Canada service to be marginal at times, and their planes on average seem to be old and scruffy compared to Westjet planes.


webwiz23 said:


> 3. Great times


I'm not sure I would consider flying Air Canada to be "Great Times", unless you mean they have a better schedule -- which they may, depending on where and when you are going.


webwiz23 said:


> 4. Class selection,


This isn't a big deal for me, especially on the short haul routes that Westjet flies. The only time I sit up front on a domestic flight is when I have a free Aeroplan upgrade coupon, and while the extra room is nice, it isn't a big deal for a short flight.


webwiz23 said:


> 5. The locations they go to.


This is especially true if you are going overseas - Westjet is limited to Canada and a few US destinations


webwiz23 said:


> But sometimes I fly Westjet if I don't have the money to fly air canada.


Price is often the deciding factor for me - although if the price and schedule were the same I would choose Westjet over Air Canada.


----------



## macuserforlife (Oct 30, 2004)

JAGflyer said:


> Everything at Trudeau (Montreal airport) is lusy. All kinds of surly French people who don't want to do jack schitt for you unless you speak French. "Oh i am so sorri, I cannot 'elp you I 'ave to go smoke my 10th cigarette of da the morning ah".


Oui, c'est vrai


----------



## MLeh (Dec 23, 2005)

PenguinBoy said:


> Not sure I agree with that one, I've found Air Canada service to be marginal at times, and their planes on average seem to be old and scruffy compared to Westjet planes.


I've found the general attitude of the A/C flight attendants is: "We're not happy until you're unhappy." (Sort of an air of suffering superiority.)

I fly both A/C and Westjet a lot - I'll pick Westjet for shorter flights any day of the week. Air Canada is good for places Westjet doesn't go. If the schedule works better, I'll certainly not hesitate to pick the one with the better schedule. And certainly I'll pick non-stop flights over connecting flights any day of the week.

(and really, everyone needs to fly on an american carrier every once in a while to appreciate that neither of them is really THAT bad ...)


----------



## adagio (Aug 23, 2002)

If you REALLY want something to complain about try traveling charter down south on either Cattleservice (Skyservice) or Moosat (Transat). If either one are ontime go buy a lottery ticket. The seating was designed for midgets and if you dare to complain about anything you'll be treated to a rude response.

Westjet flies some charter routes and I'll gladly pay extra for the privilage. Night and day difference in seating and attitude. I'll also choose Westjet over air Canada. At least the attendants don't have the attitude they are doing you a big favour by their presence.


----------



## MLeh (Dec 23, 2005)

I've heard some delightful stories about Zoom too.


----------



## macuserforlife (Oct 30, 2004)

adagio said:


> If you REALLY want something to complain about try traveling charter down south on either Cattleservice (Skyservice) or Moosat (Transat). If either one are ontime go buy a lottery ticket. The seating was designed for midgets and if you dare to complain about anything you'll be treated to a rude response.


Ah yes Skyservice, I had blocked that experience out. Heaven forbid you bring more than 7.9 ounces of luggage, you'll need to donate an organ for each kilogram that you go over. It's not too hard to see that they began as a freight carrier.


----------



## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

Well I decided to go for West Jet instead. <Air Canada Web Support> "Sorry sir, you will have to use Internet Explorer on a Windows XP otherwise it won't work" <Me> "I'm getting a 404 error, what does it matter if I'm using Internet Explorer or Safari or Firefox?" <ACWS> "We do not officially support Mac computers" <Me> "Your website says Mac OS 9 or greater" <ACWS> "Well you're going to have to switch to Windows XP then"

Low and behold I was still getting the 404 error on Windows XP.

So I opted for WestJet even though there was no direct overnight flight.

I've never had any problems with Air Canada before, staff was very friendly and free WiFi in the Air Canada waiting area is certainly a bonus. But I also have no problem not doing business with companies that don't support Macs.


----------



## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

MLeh said:


> and really, everyone needs to fly on an american carrier every once in a while to appreciate that neither of them is really THAT bad ...)


My most comfortable ride was on an American carrier, from Atlanta, Georgia to Orlando, Florida. Nice BIG jet (I assumed it was a 747 or something close to it as it had two aisles) with nice comfy chairs and nice legroom. on the flight to Atlanta I was on some small jet with one aisle and two seats on either side which was cramped.


----------



## MLeh (Dec 23, 2005)

Probably a 767 wide body - seating configuration is with two aisles.


----------

