Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[Bill Bumface]

I flew Porter for the first time last week. After all the "Ultra Basic" crap and everything getting worse - the $4 they spent to serve me a "free beer and snack" and $3 it costs to give me "free wifi" has me easily justifying paying $50 more for a flight with them next time because I actually feel viewed as a human being to some extent.

Also, the Embraers are great - I love me some 2x2.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Yeah, ultrabasic is essentially their ULCC fare. No overhead bin use, last to board, and if you don't pre-buy a seat you'll get a crappy middle seat at the back, easyjet style.

I didn’t see that in the fare comparison. It just said flights to/from Europe or Asia include carry-on bag. Is there somewhere that mentions no use of the overhead bins?

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Flight crew also gets to slap you if they feel like it.

Ha! Got a friend who flies for them and he'd absolutely love it if that was part of the deal!

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by btimbit

WestJet AME's overwhelmingly reject ratification of the new tentative agreement

https://www.amfanational.org/?zone=/...&HomeID=923036

Calling Iggy, but why would membership overwhelmingly reject an agreement that was accepted by the negotiating committee. Presumably there was enough there to satisfy the Union or they would not have brought it to a vote? Would they ever take a tentative agreement to the members while also recommending rejecting it?

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I didn’t see that in the fare comparison. It just said flights to/from Europe or Asia include carry-on bag. Is there somewhere that mentions no use of the overhead bins?

OH maybe transcontinental flights don't include that restriction. That'd be awesome if so. If it says carry-on allowed then that'd be the bin, underseat would just be referred too as a 'personal item'

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Calling Iggy, but why would membership overwhelmingly reject an agreement that was accepted by the negotiating committee. Presumably there was enough there to satisfy the Union or they would not have brought it to a vote? Would they ever take a tentative agreement to the members while also recommending rejecting it?

It just happened with the regional pilots too, rejected an agreement mainly because hidden in the pay raise was a large reduction to their savings plan. (Among other things)

Does seem odd that the negotiating committee itself wouldn't be aware of memberships views of certain aspects, but this was also agreed too at the eleventh hour before a lockout so that may have been a major factor in agreeing as well

[btimbit]

Here we go for what feels like the 69th time this year, 72 hour strike notice for WestJet mechanics after WJ asks for Government arbitration for their negotiations

https://www.amfanational.org/?zone=/...&HomeID=923304

[Lubicon]

And on the other hand Encore pilots just voted to ratify their contract.
Keepings fingers crossed but WestJet has a good track record recently of reaching deals with their unions.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Here we go for what feels like the 69th time this year, 72 hour strike notice for WestJet mechanics after WJ asks for Government arbitration for their negotiations

https://www.amfanational.org/?zone=/...&HomeID=923304

I fly on the 29th, so selfishly, I hope that this gets resolved pretty quickly. It isn't like there are many other options for Western Canada since AC and WJ have effectively ceded territory to each other to stay out of each others way.

[Wormius]

How is getting around Frankfurt for connecting international flights? Between Canada and Italy. Do you just stay in the international terminal or do you have to exit and enter through security / immigration? On their website it suggests you go through passport control.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Wormius

How is getting around Frankfurt for connecting international flights? Between Canada and Italy. Do you just stay in the international terminal or do you have to exit and enter through security / immigration? On their website it suggests you go through passport control.

It's the EU zone so ya, you would go through passport control. Not sure about getting around the rest of the airport.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

It's the EU zone so ya, you would go through passport control. Not sure about getting around the rest of the airport.

Follow up - what is passport control? It wasn’t well-explained on the page. Is that just security again, like as if we were travelling between Canada and US?

[Fuzz]

Ya, it's immigration border control, same as Canada/US. There will be multiple lines, make sure you get the correct one! Probably efficient though, it is Germany....

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

I fly on the 29th, so selfishly, I hope that this gets resolved pretty quickly. It isn't like there are many other options for Western Canada since AC and WJ have effectively ceded territory to each other to stay out of each others way.

I fly on the 25th. I don't' think it is possible to fly now days in north America with out a side of stress. If it isn't threated work stoppage by airlines staff or border guards, it's those damn doors flying off on those Boeing planes.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Wormius

How is getting around Frankfurt for connecting international flights? Between Canada and Italy. Do you just stay in the international terminal or do you have to exit and enter through security / immigration? On their website it suggests you go through passport control.

Who are you flying with to Frankfurt?

we did YYC-FRA-BCN (Barcelona) recently on Discover/Lufthansa. It's a long (very long) walk/train from Discover's gates to where the Shengen flights were departing but you stay within the secure area, just immigration (passport) checks to do. Oddly enough on the return tip home we had to exit the secure and go through security again.

Regardless, it's well signed and simple to do.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Here we go for what feels like the 69th time this year, 72 hour strike notice for WestJet mechanics after WJ asks for Government arbitration for their negotiations

https://www.amfanational.org/?zone=/...&HomeID=923304

Oh good. I fly to the USA at 11 am on the 20th.

Perhaps I can extend my holiday.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Who are you flying with to Frankfurt?

we did YYC-FRA-BCN (Barcelona) recently on Discover/Lufthansa. It's a long (very long) walk/train from Discover's gates to where the Shengen flights were departing but you stay within the secure area, just immigration (passport) checks to do. Oddly enough on the return tip home we had to exit the secure and go through security again.

Regardless, it's well signed and simple to do.

Was it cheaper than the direct from WestJet?

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Who are you flying with to Frankfurt?

we did YYC-FRA-BCN (Barcelona) recently on Discover/Lufthansa. It's a long (very long) walk/train from Discover's gates to where the Shengen flights were departing but you stay within the secure area, just immigration (passport) checks to do. Oddly enough on the return tip home we had to exit the secure and go through security again.

Regardless, it's well signed and simple to do.

Yep, same airlines. YYC-FRA-NAP and then VCE-FRA-YYC. We have 3+ hrs on the way there, but return flight have just over an hour. I don’t know the layout of the airport, but I assume it’s doable if the return leg is scheduled like that.

[Bigtime]

Could be tight on that return leg, my youngest had a 1hr connection in Frankfurt last year and they missed the flight home to YYC. Inbound flight to Frankfurt was on time too (from Marseilles). Oh, and that was connecting via Star Alliance (so relatively close to each other in the terminals), Lufthansa to the then Air Canada flight.

[Wormius]

I am not too worried about missing it, provided we get put on another flight. But I would like an idea whether we need to hustle or what.