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Old 02-06-2013, 09:28 AM   #18
The Big Thirsty
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Join Date: Jan 2013
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I fly a lot, and Westjet is bottom of the barrel. Domestically, if given the choice, I fly Air Canada 10 out of 10 times. The fact that they get someonme the equivalent to a McDonalds worker to smile at me while I board a plane means jack #### to me, and it should mean the same to anyone else. There are 3 important things when you fly: 1) Cost 2) Comfort 3) Reliability

1) Cost - Despite the fact that Westjet still tries to give us the notion that they are a discount air carrier, they are dollar for dollar the same price as Air Canada. Going to a US destination? Go on Expedia, you can get to any major city in the US through Delta/United/Alaskan/etc. or any of the other Star Alliance carriers at 30 to 50% of the cost as the same fair as Westjet.

2) Comfort: Westjet isn't even in Air Canada' class (Unless you go Air Canada Jazz). Smaller seats, less leg room, and the in-flight entertainment of Air Canada blows anything Westjet offers away. In fact, I was just recently on a Westjet flight to Florida, and it was a new plane. The new plane has ZERO entertainment system because apparently their deal with Bell is over, and they are switching over to tablets (which you will have to rent for a cost). The catch is, any newer plane hasn't been equipped with the seat-back tvs because of this, but they are not yet ready to roll out the tablets so you sit there with nothing for 4-5 hours.

3) Reliability: I'm not saying I've never run into problems with other airline, but I honestly can't remember a single time in the past 5 years where Westjet has got me anywhere on time. Consistently late leaving, and consistently late landing. This is a big deal if you are going somewhere for business or have a tight connection (which if you are flying to the Maritimes is the norm out of Toronto). And since the original poster is talking about luggage, if your luggage is lost with Westjet your are hooped. Although I'm unsure if their policy is any different than any other airline (I carry extra insurance on my visa for that), the amount of staff and services they carry are vastly inferior. Outside of Canada, they'll have a couple of part time people at each destination. If you happen to run into a problem when they are not there, it's tough #### for you. Had this problem in Maui last year. My wife's luggage didn't make it Vancouver from Calgary. Despite having a 3 hour layover, Westjet still couldn't get it there on time. We arrive in Maui at 10 pm that, only to be told that it will be arriving on the same flight tommorow (Day 2) at 10 pm, but since they have no staff in Maui or courier available, it wouldn't actually make it to our hotel until about 2 pm on DAY 3 of our trip. The only solution was for me to drive 45 minutes (each way... so 90 min) from Kanaapali to the airport in Kahului and back to pick it up on Day 2. That's what I ended up doing, but man what a waste of time and hastle. Even when I got to the airport and found the Westjet representative, they had no clue what I was talking about. I later found my wife's luggage circling the luggage chute by itself (anyone could have taken it), with zero help from the representative. If you wish to talk to a Westjet representative at the destination airport, good luck with that. Non-existent except for the 5 minutes after the plane lands.

Last edited by The Big Thirsty; 02-06-2013 at 09:42 AM.
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