west Jet to Gatwick
 

Any good or much the same as Transat?? Did I read that the flights are often delayed?? Shall I just cough up the extra and fly with a real airline?

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

We used them last summer, and the flight to LGW was an overnighter (direct from Calgary) so we upgraded for an extra $200. It was perfect.

Free food and drink and sufficient leg room to push back and snore for a a few hours.

No delays, and from Calgary, I'd certainly use them again if the price was right.

The journey home to YYC was regular cattle class and not particularly comfy and you had to pay for everything. Bring your GF sarnies with you ;)

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

So far Im thinking that i'll try them surely they cant be worse than Transat?
I never trust airlines to provide gf food as even when they do they often get it wrong or the combine it with dairy free so you end up with a rice cake and margarine grease to spread on it.

I thought any flights over 5 hours had to provide a meal though?

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

You're right re the GF food availability - I think Daughter Number Two was offered some dry crackers and some hummus - that was it.

Re flights over 5 hours - not really sure. It was clearly stated when we booked the flight that you should book your meal and pay extra for it. We chose not to and raided M&S before boarding! :lol:

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

that sounds a better option. On the way there i prefer to sleep and not bother with being woken for "meals". On the way back, the daytime flight i get the munchies but I'm so aware of being a lard arse that i dont like to eat in public.
So it'll be drinks all the way. Ive found some meal supplements that are only 125mls so Im hoping that security lets me through with them

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

I don't believe airlines are required to provide meals free of charge. I have taken 4-6 hour flights where meals were extra $$, unless up front in first class.

From Westjet website (for 767 service to/from Gatwick.)

"Since our inflight service does not include a complimentary meal, we recommend pre-purchasing your meal a minimum of 48 hours prior to your flight."

Although water, soda, coffee, tea, juice is complimentary.

For 737 service to/from Gatwick:

"We carry a limited amount of market-fresh items and hot meals on board each flight. To guarantee the meal of your choice, we recommend pre-purchasing a meal 48 hours prior to the departure of your flight."

Drinks provided are the same.

https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/travel...t/buy-on-board

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

I know I'm a bit weird but I always quite liked airline meals. Not judged for what you got but the limitations of space and time that they had to work with. Plus the coffee cups were cute and I used to keep one for coffee in my holiday apartment. :lol:

Plus they were free - although no doubt the cost was built in to the fare.

But a small salad for nearly $10 and small pizza/pasta for $17? I'd just as soon take a sandwich. Or maybe they'd provide a microwave and a 99c Michelina would do the job. :lol:

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

well it looks like you are right, as usual! So maybe it's that they go have to provide a meal not a free meal.

Signs of the times.

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

My last flight was Hamilton-Moncton 2007 and last time across the Atlantic was 2004 (making 11 times in about ten months) and prior to that I was flying for two or three trips a year to various European destinations.

I'm so out of practice that should I ever do it again I'll feel like a novice

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

WJ's launch of transatlantic routes has been somewhat problematic due to the elderly nature of the B767 aircraft they use on this route. When mechanical problems occur they have a an impact that they are unable to mitigate quickly. To be clear, I'm not saying the planes are unsafe just that they are older and less reliable. By contrast the 737 service they offered from Ottowa via St John's and now via Gatwick is much more reliable. I flew that several times last year and found it perfectly acceptable. I've never flown Transat but would imagine WJ to be rather better.

Top tip with WJ is to wait takeoff-24 hours and then buy an upgrade to plus seats at a flat fee. $100 or so from Canada to UK, rather more in the other direction due to UK Air Passenger Duty. The Plus seats offer more legroom, free food and booze plus use of an Ipad if you want.

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

Another WJ customer here! We aren't ones for plane food anyway and used the M&S at Gatwick and had an on board M&S picnic (yum!).

Tip: Try and book the first row of economy seats immediately behind the plus section. They were described as 'regular' seats but actually had a bit of extra legroom than the rest.

Just build in some extra time if you have any connections - as others have said they only have a few of these planes on the route so don't have the spare planes to hand if one goes tech.

If you don't have it you could always get the WJ credit card - you get $250 WJ dollars that you can put towards the fare portion of your flights, plus a companion voucher which for the UK means you pay $399 for one of the two fares (applies to both economy and plus fares) plus the taxes. It will also give everyone on the same booking a 'free' suitcase each.

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

Gotta keep in mind how many hands so to speak airline meals go through before they end up on a plane, everyone needs to be paid and the airline needs a profit as well, plus I am sure the cost of the meals includes enough to offset the cost of meals that don't sell and end up in the trash bin.

Back when airline meals were free and airlines over catered and really didn't care, we would be able to get meals for our breaks, find a flight coming in from back east, go to the gate and raid the galley before catering got there.

Now everything has to be accounted for so those days are long gone.

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

We just booked 3 flights to Calgary from Ottawa in July via Westjet. It looks like we are going to get dinged for $25/checked bag per flight so with 1 bag each and 3 people and return flights that adds up to $150. Can we use that Westjet credit card for the $150 in luggage fees and not end up paying for it even after booking and not being members currently of any Westjet reward programmes?

https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/travel...1-item-2-pos-1

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

Used Westjet once July last year YYZ-LGW. I'd do so again if the price was right, but do take your own food. Inflight app for watching movies/tv was good.

I prefer Transat, but won't fault Westjet. We had no delay. It was booked as a roundtrip with LGW-KEF-YYZ being on Icelandair, who I also can't fault despite a 3hr delay in Reykjavik due to a fault after boarding there.

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

We really like Wetsjet and will definitely fly with them anytime. Would fly with them a lot more if they only did a direct flight from either Ottawa or Montreal to London!

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/rewards/index
https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/about-...estjet-rewards

:)

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

Thanks

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

Well I booked with WestJet. Just before the payment page they offered th chance to apply for a credit card and if you used it to pay then you got $50 off. Seems worth it so I applied then at the end it says they will let me know in three days. How does that work then? I paid with my regular card. Grr

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

Did YYZ-LGW last year with the little wheels, I packed a snack bag to carry on for the journey over, same on the way back, I thought the flight was great, and Gatwick is actually preferable to Heathrow for me.

On AC Rouge flights I've started pre-ordering food on the flights. $7.50 gets you one meal choice and one snack choice. Seems worth it.

Also, the "gourmet" beers- goose island and mill st organic- may be a buck more but you get a proper can, not the silly coke can sized canadian/ boors light.

Life Hacks

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

It's about 30 quid more for my return train journey from Gatwick compared to Heathrow. I just do carry on luggage but by the time you add up all the extras the difference between a Heathrow flight and Gatwick isn't that great.

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

As a frequent traveller trans-atlantic, albeit on a shorter flight than most of you , I've pretty much given up on actually eating on the plane. I either buy food at the airport - M&S, EAT, Boots, etc etc to take on board or eat before I get on the plane. At LHR T2 (Air Canada) I recommend the "Gorgeous Kitchen" restaurant for breakfast or lunch. Food's good, reasonably priced and, tucked away in a corner as it is, it's generally an oasis of calm. Not that T2 is particular y busy anyway.

My top tip for Gatwick on WJ is if you have an earlyish flight (the now-cancelled St John's one left at 9.35am for example) and want/need to stay at the airport the night before, stay at the Hampton Inn at the North Terminal. The entrance is actually in the checkin area right next too the WJ counters. For the early flight, I'd stroll out of the hotel, check my bag in, then stroll back & have breakfast (included) before checking out.

At this time of year when there are only two direct connections to LHR on AC a week one has to do the flying the wrong way for many hours thing. On my way back from London last month via Toronto I flew over my house about 4.5hrs into the 7hr flight to Toronto, then got snarled up in weather delays at Toronto so that my connection back to St John's was delayed 6 hrs resulting in me arriving home at 6am Nfld time or 18hrs or so after I left Heathrow.:( I'm doing the same route in reverse on Sunday so I'm hoping for rather better luck with the weather. Which leads me to another top tip - when travelling in the winter, particularly with connecting flights, if you can possibly manage it don't check luggage. Gives you more freedom when missed connections occur. Learned that the hard way some years ago!

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

Really like West Jet. LGW, not so much.

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

I concur. At YVR I check in and then stroll over to the Fairmount and have a naff off steak and bottle of Burgundy. I only ever do short (1 to 3 days) trips anyway so I just wear a suit and take my small leather holdall with all the clothes and stuff I'll need.

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

Well I flew the flights and it was fine. I'd use them again.

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

We were worried. :thumbup:

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

JS, just saw a clip on WJ "paying cabin crew below minimum wage" on The National. The contention was that they are not paid for plane prep time. What seemed a bit of a stretch was that they said crew can spend 4 hours cleaning the plane after the flight?! Thoughts?

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

I find it unlikely flight crew is spending that much time cleaning. They do assist during a turn but that isn't going to be hours....

I don't handle Westjet flights now but I did in the past and never saw a flight attendant spending hours cleaning.

Westjet is having labour issues so have to find the truth in the middle. Westjet is facing turbulent times ahead.

Would be interesting to know Westjets pay vs Air Canada.

Re: west Jet to Gatwick
 

I know you were. Your kind and compassionate nature could hardly do anything but worry. You can relax now.