Air Canada vs. West Jet WWYD?

[*~PrincessBelle~*]

So a question for my Canadian friends (or those who have travelled Air Canada or West Jet).

Long story short - There have been numerous screw ups with my West Jet reservation to MCO. I've had my flight changed TWICE by them now (although the last change gave me an extra day at Disney, but cost my another night at POP) and I'm just really paranoid about something screwing up on the day I fly. I am very much pro Air Canada and have flown 6 legs with them this summer alone with zero hiccups...Because of a good seat sale I ended up booking the flight TO orlando with West Jet and the flight BACK to Toronto with Air Canada. But now I see that I can book the Air Canada for the same price as the West Jet flight ( now I won't get a refund but I will have a credit that either me or fiancee can use in the future)

WWYD? Would you keep the West Jet flight or go with Air Canada

 

[crashbb]

I've been following the fiasco that it WJ right now. I think that they are on their third apology note on their home page.

In the thread on the Canadian board someone posted that WJ was allowing cancellations (implied for refund) because of the issues - have you looked into this?

I try to avoid WJ as I've had many of my flights have had issues (admittedly, I think I've only taken about 8-10 WJ flights). I also have status on AC (I fly it quite a bit) and have never run into a major problem (which, according to others on the Canadian board means that I'm either a liar or a statistical anomaly).

From what I understand, your flight should be fine - I'd be worried about the check-in lines since all the reservation numbers are messed up (meaning few people will be able to use on-line check-in). It also seems that some/many seat selections have been lost (however, booking on AC at this late date, may mean you aren't left with a lot of seats to choose from there either).

I'm not sure if it is worth the hassle to switch now. I can tell, you however, that I would have booked with AC in the first place. I think I'm fairly unusual on these boards (though there are a few of us) that are willing to pay extra to fly an airline that we like.

ETA - One of my big issues with WJ is their lack of partner airlines. I got a call a couple of weeks ago from my friend. She lives in New Jersey and her aunt was supposed to be coming from Edmonton (or Calgary, I forget) to visit. The flight from Edmonton was canceled, so she had to wait until the next day to fly out (the flight was in the morning). WJ only flies into EWR from YYC (and actually that service ended last month), so there was no other way to get there. Had she been flying AC, I could have gotten her there by routing her via another Canadian city or onto a United/Continental/US Airways flight via an American city or some combination of two airlines. WJ had no options. MCO isn't quite as bad, but still definitely fewer options (and no partner). I know that they "partner" with SW, but they don't codeshare (at least they didn't) and SW won't get you home.

 

[megan_in_pink]

Thank is making me worry alos, we booked west jest b/c we had airmiles, so car we ahve not been able to cheack to on-line stuff and had long wait on the phone. I know may is far away and that this fligth was also free.

The other thing that worrys me is the 2.5 hr lay over in peasron airport. I hope and pray that the U.S. customs are in good mood that moring.

 

[*~PrincessBelle~*]

I've been following the fiasco that it WJ right now. I think that they are on their third apology note on their home page.

In the thread on the Canadian board someone posted that WJ was allowing cancellations (implied for refund) because of the issues - have you looked into this?

I try to avoid WJ as I've had many of my flights have had issues (admittedly, I think I've only taken about 8-10 WJ flights). I also have status on AC (I fly it quite a bit) and have never run into a major problem (which, according to others on the Canadian board means that I'm either a liar or a statistical anomaly).

From what I understand, your flight should be fine - I'd be worried about the check-in lines since all the reservation numbers are messed up (meaning few people will be able to use on-line check-in). It also seems that some/many seat selections have been lost (however, booking on AC at this late date, may mean you aren't left with a lot of seats to choose from there either).

I'm not sure if it is worth the hassle to switch now. I can tell, you however, that I would have booked with AC in the first place. I think I'm fairly unusual on these boards (though there are a few of us) that are willing to pay extra to fly an airline that we like.

ETA - One of my big issues with WJ is their lack of partner airlines. I got a call a couple of weeks ago from my friend. She lives in New Jersey and her aunt was supposed to be coming from Edmonton (or Calgary, I forget) to visit. The flight from Edmonton was canceled, so she had to wait until the next day to fly out (the flight was in the morning). WJ only flies into EWR from YYC (and actually that service ended last month), so there was no other way to get there. Had she been flying AC, I could have gotten her there by routing her via another Canadian city or onto a United/Continental/US Airways flight via an American city or some combination of two airlines. WJ had no options. MCO isn't quite as bad, but still definitely fewer options (and no partner). I know that they "partner" with SW, but they don't codeshare (at least they didn't) and SW won't get you home.

Thanks for the great advice!! I think I might just call an inquire about a refund...the only thing stopping me from canceling and getting a credit is that I probably wouldn't use the credit in the future...I'll have to give them a call tomorrow and see what they can do

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Personally I would keep your WestJet reservation because my family and I have had much better experiences with them compared with Air Canada.

 

[crashbb]

Personally I would keep your WestJet reservation because my family and I have had much better experiences with them compared with Air Canada. Plus we also have found their lines at Pearson Airport are much faster compared to how long the Air Canada lines have been.

How long WJ have been in the past is no indicator of how long they will given the situation.

Heck, there is huge variability at all times.

I've gone from taxi to gate in 15min and up to 60 minutes (always on AC, always transborder). So many variables - the least of which (generally) is which airline you are flying.

 

[bavaria]

AC is one of the highest ranked airlines in the world, on a consistent basis. I know that is the airline that this website loves to hate, but this website also has a fascination with SW which isn't indicative of the reality.

As crashbb pointed out, these are two very different business models and one must determine ones needs when booking. WJ behaves like a LCC in many ways, while AC is a true legacy carrier.

Flexible change fees, transparent fare buckets, choice of seating through surcharges, interlining, and being part of the largest airline alliance in the world make AC very attractive, not to mention the quality of the fleet.

For many of us it is an obvious choice, but for the average DIS reader there are some valid reasons to fly WJ. Choosing them because 'AC is evil' isn't a valid reason; it may be a personal opinion based on a few experiences, but I cannot fathom how anyone dealing with the WJ mess could not discount them as well.

 

[bookbabe626]

We fly both airlines a lot. We did WestJet YYZ to MCO on Friday, and returned via WestJet yesterday. No problems, and even though we had the slowest boarding process I've ever seen (more pre-boards than regular boarding people) we still arrived early. I was impressed.

Others have pointed out some of the more business-related differences between the two airlines. I'm going to list some of the "shallower" but, to me, more important differences I've noticed over the numerous flights with each.

We've consistently had nicer (and/or funnier) flight attendants on WJ than AC, but maybe we just luck into all the cranky flight crew flights on AC? This weekend, we had great crews each way on WJ...very funny, made the flight a pleasure to be on. While stuck with a long taxi coming into YYZ yesterday, one flight attendant even told jokes over the PA to keep us entertained...they went above and beyond to try to make the flight enjoyable.

WJ seems to usually give you either cookies or Bits n Bites, and AC usually seems to just have plain pretzels, if the snack selection matters. The selection of food for purchase is marginally better on AC, IMO, although the prices are high on both airlines.

AC has free movies and shows on demand on most flights, whereas WJ just has live network tv instead. Wasn't a problem Friday night, since there was lots on tv, but it was brutal yesterday afternoon since I'm not a big daytime tv fan.

Both have comparable seats, spacing, etc. Not really much difference there.

AC comes into the newer terminal 1 at Pearson, and WJ comes into terminal 3. While T3 is getting a bit rundown, I've usually found the lines to be shorter for both checkins and US customs, and for Canada customs on arrival.

At MCO, both airlines seem to arrive/depart at gates 1-29, usually in the 20's section. No real difference there.

I've had brutal flight time changes on both airlines, and haven't really noticed one or the other to have consistently better customer service. It seems to be total hit and miss with both, depending on which agent you get when you call, or maybe it's related to whether the moon is full or not...who knows?

If none of those comparisons make a real difference to you, and if the flight departure/arrival times are good, then I'd just go with whichever has the cheaper price.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

but I cannot fathom how anyone dealing with the WJ mess could not discount them as well.

Next month when my family and I fly on WestJet from YYZ - MCO it will be intresting to to see how much of an effect it will have on their lines, if others are still having long wait times on the phone and decided to check-in at Pearson with their old confirmation numbers. Now since we will be able to check-in online when we arrive there we can go right to the self-serve baggage drop to get our checked luggage tagged for our flight to Orlando. Although I am sure there will be some kind of line when we get there, the question is how big will it be?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I am not sure if Air Canada has these at Orlando International Airport but WestJet has their self-serve check-in kiosks located there, so I am not sure how much of a difference that is going to make?
http://www.westjet.com/guest/en/travelInfo/selfServeCheckin/kioskCheckin.shtml

 

[Phil'sFrontier]

In Whitehorse Air Canada can be a dirty word. I know plenty of people who will go out of their way to not fly Air Canada. Up here that is not exactly easy. Having said that, our flight in Jan is Air Canada both ways simply because it is the only way to stay with one airline.

If I were you I would just use the WestJet flight as it would be a lot of hassle to re-book then try to claim your credit at a later date. just my .02¢

 

[redrosesix]

Thank is making me worry alos, we booked west jest b/c we had airmiles, so car we ahve not been able to cheack to on-line stuff and had long wait on the phone. I know may is far away and that this fligth was also free.

The other thing that worrys me is the 2.5 hr lay over in peasron airport. I hope and pray that the U.S. customs are in good mood that moring.

We did the airmiles on Westjet for our trip in Feb. 09 -- you do need 2.5 hours in Pearson airport We wouldn't do it again, only because there are better places to connect for us that would save us travel time.

Personally I would keep your WestJet reservation because my family and I have had much better experiences with them compared with Air Canada.

Me too -- in fact, everything that has ever gone wrong with a flight was on Air Canada for us. And when it was their mistake, they weren't even nice about it. We still fly AC often, but that's only because their prices happened to be better for the days we had to fly.

BTW, so far my favourite airline is United.

 

[crashbb]

double posted

 

[crashbb]

We've consistently had nicer (and/or funnier) flight attendants on WJ than AC, but maybe we just luck into all the cranky flight crew flights on AC? This weekend, we had great crews each way on WJ...very funny, made the flight a pleasure to be on. While stuck with a long taxi coming into YYZ yesterday, one flight attendant even told jokes over the PA to keep us entertained...they went above and beyond to try to make the flight enjoyable.

AC has free movies and shows on demand on most flights, whereas WJ just has live network tv instead. Wasn't a problem Friday night, since there was lots on tv, but it was brutal yesterday afternoon since I'm not a big daytime tv fan.

Both have comparable seats, spacing, etc. Not really much difference there.

The flight crew is actually one of the things I disliked about many of my WJs flights. On one in particular, it felt like the joking around made the pre-depature stuff take much longer than it should. Whether they were covering a delay, or just taking too long, I couldn't tell you. My last flight, although they had their "funny" spiel for the pre-board stuff, I actually found the FA rather rude and surly when "off script". Admittedly, I have had some AC FA's I didn't love, I find most of them to be pleasant and professional. I think, in large part, it is just a matter of what you are looking for in your FA.

I really like AC's new "gate-to-gate" program where you can start watching the videos once you sit down. I'm not sure if WJ has this now as well. I admit, if flying during a good time, the TV can be lots of fun; after a lot of flying in a month, you end watching all the "good" stuff on the AC video.

AC has a very varied fleet (compared to WJ), so planes are very similar to WJ seats, but some of their planes seem quite different to me (and, frankly, some are worse than WJ planes).

I am not sure if Air Canada has these at Orlando International Airport but WestJet has their self-serve check-in kiosks located there, so I am not sure how much of a difference that is going to make?
http://www.westjet.com/guest/en/travelInfo/selfServeCheckin/kioskCheckin.shtml

AC has self-serve kiosks at MCO.

We did the airmiles on Westjet for our trip in Feb. 09 -- you do need 2.5 hours in Pearson airport We wouldn't do it again, only because there are better places to connect for us that would save us travel time.

When flying CAN-US/US-CAN it is generally easier to connect in the US. That way, you do not have to pick-up your luggage and deal with customs/immigration during the connection in either direction.

I'm not sure if/when YYZ will do it, but YVR has streamlined the CAN-US connection (but not the other way) and now you do not have to wait for your luggage. You are shown a picture of your luggage at the US customs pre-clearance and you just have to say if it is yours.

BTW, so far my favourite airline is United.

Another much maligned airline.

 

[phunchak]

There's no comparison....WestJet is a much better airline all around than Air Canada.

 

[ccudmore]

I am not sure if Air Canada has these at Orlando International Airport but WestJet has their self-serve check-in kiosks located there, so I am not sure how much of a difference that is going to make?

I flew WestJet last week for the first time and it'll take a lot to get me back on them again. Up until about a year ago I was a very frequent flier (status on several airlines) and used AC a lot.

Here's my gripes about WestJet:
- the screw-up with the reservations was inexcusable. If you're going to change people's flights, let them know about it. And don't make them wait for hours on the phone to fix it. My flights got changed 4 times and not once did they notify me about it. It was only because I checked my online itinerary that I found out.
- The kiosks (mentioned above) do not exist at MCO, despite what I was told by an agent on the phone. Everyone at MCO has to stand in line.
- No power in the seats.
- The live TV was dicey at best. Channels cutting in and out. It not only puts me off of WestJet, it also puts me off of Bell (who provides the TV feeds)
- The staff were trying to be funny, but to me it was borderline obnoxious. It was hard to make out what they were trying to get across with the safety announcements because of all of the fooling around. As well, every flight segment was late. In many cases I could clearly see cases where the staff weren't being efficient in their jobs because they were too busy fooling around, causing boarding delays.

I've been through a lot of bad airline situations (slept on airport floors more times than I care to remember) but never as many put together as I experienced with WestJet. The staff malaise seems to be systemic. It's a "If I tell enough jokes, maybe you won't notice how crappy the service is" attitude.

 

[bavaria]

There's no comparison....WestJet is a much better airline all around than Air Canada.

'Better' is subjective. WJ has a lack of interline agreements, a poor rewards program, lack of international distribution, lack of participation in a major alliance, amongst other major drawbacks. Like most LCCs they are a standalone carrier with little relationship and thus lack of ability to service customers using their networks during irregular ops.

I have only read a little about their reservations disaster online (and most of it not on this site, in order to gain a factual perspective) While something like that can happen to any company using technology, their response time and lack of ability to resolve the issues in a timely fashion certainly reflect on them.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I flew WestJet last week for the first time and it'll take a lot to get me back on them again. Up until about a year ago I was a very frequent flier (status on several airlines) and used AC a lot.

Here's my gripes about WestJet:
- the screw-up with the reservations was inexcusable. If you're going to change people's flights, let them know about it. And don't make them wait for hours on the phone to fix it. My flights got changed 4 times and not once did they notify me about it. It was only because I checked my online itinerary that I found out.
- The kiosks (mentioned above) do not exist at MCO, despite what I was told by an agent on the phone. Everyone at MCO has to stand in line.
- No power in the seats.
- The live TV was dicey at best. Channels cutting in and out. It not only puts me off of WestJet, it also puts me off of Bell (who provides the TV feeds)
- The staff were trying to be funny, but to me it was borderline obnoxious. It was hard to make out what they were trying to get across with the safety announcements because of all of the fooling around. As well, every flight segment was late. In many cases I could clearly see cases where the staff weren't being efficient in their jobs because they were too busy fooling around, causing boarding delays.

I've been through a lot of bad airline situations (slept on airport floors more times than I care to remember) but never as many put together as I experienced with WestJet. The staff malaise seems to be systemic. It's a "If I tell enough jokes, maybe you won't notice how crappy the service is" attitude.

I agree with you about not letting people know if their flight changes since they changed their reservation system. Now I am not trying to make excues for them but if you were able to get trough to them and get a new confirmation, then they should e-mail any more changes if they are to haooen. Although like I said on another thread it's weird that they already had our e-mail on file when they asked if we wanted our information e-mailed to us, so why couldn't they done that from the start? Also in the past before these changes were made whenever our flights were changed they always e-mailed us about that, which is something a lot of other airlines don't even bother doing.

As for the live TV not working well I don't think it's a major issue because that's not the reason we choose to fly them. Plus if you already own headphones then they should work with their live TV, so you don't need to purchase them while on the flight.

Now our main reason for choosing WestJet is being able to purchase a specific seat on their flights. After that mess last year of having to go standby on Air Canada when we thought we had confirmed seats to Orlando, well we decided it's worth the extra cost to pre-pay for our seats.