WestJet's Brand New 787 Business Class | Calgary to Toronto
So let's say you're about to fly on WestJet's new 787 dreamliner. Where, is the best place to sit well. In the words of a WestJet 787. Pilot. And. You, know what I did, exactly that. Hello. Everyone my name is Alex and welcome back to another very special trip report today, I'm flying from Calgary Alberta to Toronto Ontario on WestJet's Boeing 787-9. Dreamliner but, this time in their brand new lie flat business class pod. If. You're new to the channel you might not have seen that I flew on their inaugural 787. Flight back in February and well. It was a nine across 787. In Economy but, I recently had an opportunity to travel on West jet 787, again and I knew I couldn't pass up the chance to try their business class between. Calgary, and Toronto upgrades are usually, available at check-in $400. From economy, to premium and $300. From economy, to business, in. Calgary's domestic terminal WestJet has a priority check-in desk for passengers traveling in their business or premium cabins but. Just for the sake of time I did it myself through the self-serve kiosks. Business. Class passengers are, also able to use the priority line at security, which sped things up a bit and I was past security in no time. Once. I was through I was able to visit the Chinook lounge in concourse a the. West cheddar at the desk complimented, me on my choice of seat and taught me that WestJet had recently taken over management of the language in 2020. Apparently West it will have their own lounge can't wait to check that out once it's done. I was, also told that they were just switching between breakfast, and lunch so the food selection wasn't as varied as it typically is. Regardless. There was enough food for a good lunch plus lots of seating and an incredible, view of downtown Calgary, and the Rocky Mountains, this. Was actually the first time I've been to a lounge here in Calgary and I really liked it I'm looking forward to seeing West its plans for their new one for. Now let's head to the gate. My. Dreamliners parked at gate a 17, which is right at the end of concourse a here in Calgary. The. Aircraft, I'm flying on today is WestJet second 787, tail nine zero two and registered, as Charlie golf uniform, Romeo Papa. This. Dreamliner was delivered from Boeing in mid-february and had its first revenue, flight on March 11th just a few weeks before I flew so it really is a brand new aircraft. I put. Myself in seat 4d, for this flight since all the windows were occupied and just had to hope that someone would trade waiting, at each seat though is a pillow and blanket. Now. Very fortunately, for me someone was willing to trade and I settled in seat for a. My. First impressions of the seat well the legroom here is beyond, amazing. I'm six foot eight so I can attest there is a lot of space here even, for me and I'm already very comfortable. The. Tray table slides from underneath the in-flight entertainment screen, and folds out to reveal a lot of table space. On, the. Left side of the seat there's some storage space with two compartments, the smaller one has a mirror and the other larger, one has more space and includes, a universal, power outlet, USB, port and triple prong headphone jack, also. In here is a handheld remote for the in-flight entertainment system. And I'll go over that once we're in the air on. The right side is another armrest, that can be raised and lowered for more space. Inside. The armrest is even more storage space including, a water bottle and some headphones. There's. A ton of privacy, as well with this fixed partition in place on the aisle side of the seats. Personally. I really like the little details like the hard edges on the magazine holder and the subtle WestJet Delta's on the seat itself. The, colors throughout the cabin are very West yet but they're also relaxing and not too bright this. Boarding music is also a nice touch. Shortly. After settling in a cabin crew member came around to personally welcome me on board and that's what I'd like for a pre-departure drink he also offered to explain the features of the seat which I gladly accepted.
Hot. Towels are also given out as boarding continued. Will be realized on fermentation. Let's. Take a look at the menu for today's flight which is printed in both English and French. After. Some time to look the menu over they took my order for today's meal service. Here's. A look at the contents of the magazine pocket which is over your shoulder, this. Includes the usual safety card an. Airsickness. Bag the. March issue of the Westin magazine. And. Finally. A pamphlet, on the WestJet rewards program. Before. Pushing back West chest no safety video plays which I've seen some complaints about for some odd reason really. Though it's awesome and it gets the point across. For. Now here's our departure from Calgary starting up taxing, and taking off from runway three five left. Now. That we're airborne let's take a look at the entertainment on today's flight in. Business class once you access the system you'll see your name displayed on the screen since, I traded seats though my name was obviously not there but still a very nice touch, business. Class passengers have this 18 and a half inch touchscreen display, and the, entertainment selection, is the same across all three classes so there is a lot to choose from no matter where you sit. My. Favorite part as usual is the moving map which was very nicely done it's easy to use and there's a lot of different options, the. Remote can also be used to interact with the map as well as for scrolling through the entertainment selection. I have. To say though it's the small details like this and I really like it makes the whole experience not, just a business class flight but a uniquely WestJet one. Hopped. Owls were given out prior to serving meals as well as my post departure drink and some pretzels, shortly. Afterwards the cabin crew member came around with the tablecloth. One, thing I really like is that I can just move the tray table forward and lower the armrest to get in and out of the sea easily even during a meal service. The. Only downside to sitting in row four is that you're served to last so it does take a while for the meals to make their way to you.
Before. I get my meal let's take a look at the headphones that West has provided, now. I'm obviously no expert but these headphones were a pretty good quality with. Them on I could still hear things like overhead bins closing, but once I turn something on they were totally fine to. Be fair the 787, is such a quiet aircraft, anyway so it doesn't matter as much. I. Ordered. The shepherd's pie which came with a bread roll and some cheese and crackers as well as a salad of mixed greens and a vanilla bean mousse with a Nanaimo, bar for dessert. The. Shepherd's pie was delicious and, easily, one of the best main courses I've ever had on a plane. Bus. Jet starting transatlantic, services, with the Dreamliner's at the end of April flying from Calgary to London Gatwick followed, by Calgary to Paris in May and Calgary to Dublin in June because. This is still a domestic, flight the experience and the food on these long-haul flights will be different if not even better. The, only thing I didn't care too much for was the salad but the dessert was absolutely, delicious, that. Nanaimo bar was just the perfect way to end a great meal followed, by the small piece of chocolate. Lots. And lots of drinks were provided, all throughout the flight in these specially, branded WestJet, glasses. With, meal service done I think it's about time we take a look at the seats best selling point the live flatbed. The. Controls are just below the storage compartments, on the left side and it takes about 30 seconds for the seat to go fully flat. In. The fully flat position I believe the seat is about 200, centimeters or about six foot seven since. I'm six foot eight times just a bit too tall and foot, room is a bit limited but it's understandable, again. You know these seats are designed with normal. People in mind so I really can't blame anyone. Despite. The bed being a bit of a tight fit for me with a few adjustments like sleeping on my side it's perfect, the. Pillow and blanket that Westnet provides on this domestic flight are both very soft and comfortable. Unfortunately. I don't think I'll be doing any sleepy. I just, have to say I really love the atmosphere of the pod in the flatbed both, the amount of privacy and just how comfortable it is granted. This is coming from someone who's mostly, flown economy his whole life so this whole experience is just fantastic. Before. Descent let's take a look at the laboratory there's, one at the very front for business class and two in the galley between the second set of doors for Premium Economy the. Business class one has these interesting, aromatic, sprays as well as a bit more room. And, like I mentioned the last time I flew there 787, here's the same color gradient on the walls made entirely of WestJet Delphis. One. Final feature that I thought was interesting the, window shades can also be controlled through the remote and both of them operate as one window for lots of light. Sadly. All good flights must come to an end and we started our descent into a very cloudy Toronto landing on runway zero five. Ladies, and gentlemen those attempting to the gate please remain seated with your seatbelts, about seven all carrying a bag of Stoke each of the aircraft is parked at the gate then the seatbelt sign is turned off. So. For my overall thoughts on this flight first, off has a Calgary native I am very proud of West Jeff for taking this big step and rebranding, into a truly full-service, carrier their, business class cabin has been meticulously designed, and, it's very clear that a lot of thought has gone into the whole experience the, seat was comfortable in spacious the meal was delicious the service was fantastic, I'm definitely, running out of adjectives to properly describe this my point is this was probably, the best Calgary to Toronto flight that I've ever had like, I said earlier the Dreamliner's are flying from Calgary to London Paris and Dublin the summer but there will still be one flight a few times a week between Calgary, and Toronto so, if you're flying that route and are willing to spend a bit more at check-in you can just get a pod. Thank. You very much for watching this trip report on WestJet's new 787 business, class be, sure to leave the thumbs up if you enjoyed and subscribe to the channel if you'd like to see more aviation, videos like this one safe, travels and I'll see you in the next trip report.
You.
2019-04-13 13:49
Wow,westjet is expanding with the dream liner boeing 787 I think time for westjet to having south asian flight
Great review again and nice to see that Westjet also follows you :)
Glad you shared your experience. I too, look forward to traveling with west jet's business class one day.
Thanks Alex. I always enjoy watching your videos. Sometime, hopefully in the next 2-3 years my wife and I plan on taking a trip over to Europe. When we do take this trip I will definitely be splurging and getting us a couple of WestJet "pods" for the trip over and the trip back! :) For a longer flight that I could see the extra expense totally being worth it.
Because of this great in depth review, I want to fly in a pod on a Dreamliner with Westjet airlines.
Excellent presentation Alex
Was on the flight that came in to Calgary from Toronto that morning and lets just say Westjet has outdone themselves in all aspects of service on this flight. Westjet you ROCK!!!
Had no idea WestJet’s second 787 was delivered.
They have 3 by now: C-GUDH, C-GURP, C-GUDO.
Great trip report. Loving the switch to voice over.
I have always loved Westjet so much.
Like this trip report... Check out mine on the 737-800.
Another great video! Love this trip report.
You said you paid the $300 upgrade at check-in, so were you originally planning on doing a second economy class trip report after your fairly recent 787 inaugural flight report? Or were you able to upgrade when you booked? What was the economy fare you paid before the upgrade? Considering the free advertising you're giving WestJet, with very few negative comments, I'm surprised they aren't giving you free tickets in exchange for your reports! 16 seats is a very small business class cabin for a 787-9, must be one of the smallest, but I suppose that makes sense for WS since they haven't had any reputation as a business class operator. Air Canada's 787-9 J class has 30 seats, almost twice as many. The WS meal service also looked rather poor for a business class product, with everything served at once rather than in separate courses. Air Canada's business class meal service on a route like that is much better.
Hey Alex. This is yet another one of your excellent flight reviews. Great and well focused photography was evident as you appear to have covered every aspect of the flight. The menu was quite good and even included more Canuck wines than Air Canada does. Full marks to WestJet. The next is not a criticism but only a suggestion. While your voice tone and enunciation are very clear, you tend to speak very quickly which almost exhausted me. Please try to slow down a teeny, tiny bit. That’s it. Thanks again for this review that I enjoyed very much. Cheers, Colin.
Those seats look awesome! You really have a ton of privacy
When I did a flight with WestJet last summer, I went to the same gate at Calgary. My flight was from CYYC to CYUL on a 737-700. I also went to that lounge.
Glad you enjoyed your meal.
My mom designed the interior of this plane and made a lot of the little things for this plane
Another excellent review Alex, Thank You.
Bravo Alex! I enjoyed seeing every minute of this flight-review. I am officially a Calgarian now and also proud of WestJet's products. I have the Pod in my to-fly list. I'm starting to plan my Air Canada video of my coming to Canada from BCN-FRA-YYC. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I was plane spotting in YYC the day you flew, saw this magnificent bird fly over and I saw it at the gate, westjet is a unique airline and I like seeing it, the livery is really nice
Amazing review Alex, truly! These upgrade fees seem really affordable! Were they only for this exact flight or it is quite the same amount for each route? Thanks again!
Wonderful trip report as always! You once again nailed it.
And another great review! Business seat on 787 is definitely a good choice for 3 hours flight.
I wish Air NZ gets these Business Class seats instead of the crappy 'coffins' they are currently using for their Business Class product. Anyway, are you going to product test Westjet's Premium Economy?
Lovely video man
Very good report, Alex!
I have flew Air Canada’s 787-9 and -8 several times in business class, and I have to say, from this trip report, Air Canada’s pod is much nicer in my opinion. Menu is much better, even on domestic flights. The colour scheme is much better as well, but the seat designs are very similar . Great trip report once again, fly safe!
I have to agree on that as I have flown the 787-9 and 777-300ER business class many times but it will be nice to finally have some competition here in Canada. Great review!
For sure, looks like a great product. 10x better than their 767
I think they are both beautiful products in their own ways! That is Westjet first business class ever so be comprehensive. Best regards
Don't the business class of west jet kinda like the same seat on air Canada with a different colour scheme
Same seat model as Air Canada made by the same company.
*GURP*
I’ll be on either WS662 or WS670 on Tuesday!
Lovely video congrats on being the second youtuber to review WS business haha
Life of Nadir “haha” I think someone feels threatened
Well I was right on the cities, just flipped!
Best trip reporter, Best airline, Best seat, Best aircraft. Awesome!!
I hope the food is better than this when they go international. Plastic wrapped Cracker Barrel cheese?
You did an excellent report on this journey ! Hope all your travels go this well.
OK meam but a tray is a tray. Trays belong in economy not business.
Richard Spacer so people that fly in economy should get bad service and be cramped in like cows
Alex did I hear you right that you are 6'8"? if so I am impressed that the seat was Ok for you. I'm 6'5" and I have a huge problem fitting in to places like that.
$300 ? Man dats expensive for a 2 3 hour trip btw nice trip report
Another great Trip Report from you! I love that Aircraft! I flew that aircraft and I liked the Air Canada 787 more! Still a great aircraft!
Thanks for the insight! Im taking my family from Dublin to Calgary for the summer, flying westjet business this June; looking forward to it now!
Nicely done man!
Great job! I can't wait to fly this exact seat in two weeks with a few other trip reporters on the inaugural London-Calgary flight. You should join us!
QFS Aviation can’t wait for a trip report!!
I'd have to get to London first!
I don’t know if this has been said yet. But u are correct that the food will be better and different on transatlantic flights. But what was not said is that the service will not be what u saw. The service you received was premium service. As far as getting served last because of ur seat will not happen. Business device will be an on demand service. So the crew will prepare and serve your meal when u want.
Very Great Report!!! The seats when you entered the plane were they Premium Economie or economie?
Premium Economy!
Thank you Alex!! My God you're freaking tall. Lol. Finally someone reputable to do a WestJet business class trip report. I know others that are going to do the London to Calgary once they start services to and from. They will be on the inaugural flight.
Do you get to keep the headphones ?
Very well done Alex! We might have just missed each other here. Same plane, same gate, same seat (though you got to swap for the window, lucky!) the only difference was that I flew the into Calgary.
Great video
So happy to see Rocky Mountain Soap Company products in the lavatory! They are based in Canmore, Alberta.
Curious how you even approach asking someone who paid for a Business Class window seat to trade for a middle seat? Serious question. It's kind of ballsy.
You know what drives me bonkers? People that have window seats and do one of two things. Have their head in their personal device the whole flight, and/or pull down the window shade and possibly go to sleep. WHY DID YOU ASK FOR A WINDOW SEAT!! Yeesh
I grab window seat to keep people who are constantly up, and down the lane way between the seats from irritating me to death. This excludes the flight attendants only. Why can't people just sit down, take some Gravol; stack some Benadryl on that, then follow up with some Imovane, and sleep the entire flight?
For the rest of the flight when I'm not filming the interior, and the outside glare causes that interior footage to become unusable.
This is a great review!. 6’8”!?!?
Great video! Have flights to and from Calgary/Dublin in August in business class and looking forward to it even more now!
Excellent presentation Alex
For their first time entering the high-end market, I think it was a good start! Definitely interested in seeing what their long-haul meals will be.
Second and third were both delivered to Toronto, would've had a video of them otherwise!
I appreciate the honest feedback! Will work on that
All flights between Calgary and Toronto, yes! Not sure what the upgrade fees will be on transatlantic flights.
westjet737 True. False. False. False. True.
I thought the 787 is far distance flights not short hour flights that an 737/A320,A321 can do.
do any Canadian airlines buy Airbus, or are they forced to buy american?
Great video!!!! The seat looks excellent on this 787.
Why do they fly such a short flight?
Fantastic Trip Report Alex! Also, congrats on 20K subs! Liked
Love these videos!
Thank-you for sharing your flight with us, Alex. I enjoy your flight reviews, because I am also tall at 6’4”, and I appreciate you doing all the leg work for me (Pun intended – Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.). I am exceptionally impressed with WestJet’s business class with the exception of the canted window seats. I am one of those who keeps glued to the windows, even if there is nothing particularly worthwhile to see, and the canted seating puts me too far from the window. But other than that, I am overwhelmingly impressed with the service the business passengers received, which puts my US flag carriers to shame. Your dining experience was really over the top. The setting even made me feel like I was more than some barnyard animal in transit; it was a very nice touch. At first, I had a lot of misgivings about the shepherd’s pie, since I had never eaten it without meat. But the way it was prepared was absolutely mouthwatering. I agree with you that the salad did look somewhat lame. One other thing I could not overlook was how beautiful Calgary is placed with such a gorgeous backdrop of the mountains. The only other detail on which I finally conducted research was why so many Canadian cities’ airports begin with the letter “Y”. I’m certain you are already aware of the reason, but the answers I uncovered were most informative and interesting. Again sir, thank-you for your post. As always, I look forward to viewing your next work.
I am a flight attendant with AC and this pretty much is the same pod on every North American airline. Great plane....so proud of WS on the growth and looking forward to waving a friendly hello in foreign destinations. Good for you WestJet
Looks exactly the same as Air Canada 777 business class.
how many 787 does westjet have as of now
Have you ever flown air canada 787. If so which is better westjet or air canada
Evan pedvis well I’ve flown 787 and it wasn’t bad
my question is will you ever show your face?
Great
Cuz it’s business class
I tend to agree with you. I am one of those who practically staples his head to the window the entire flight, even if I am over water or the ground is obscured by clouds. Even at night, I keep my eyes peeled for something.
+Edward Schwenk: A window seat for me is a definite must also. I am not bothered if I happen to have an aisle seat, and the person next to me has to excuse himself to get out. What irks the ever loving (fill in the blank with your favorite colorful metaphor) out of me is that everyone who traverses the aisle seems compelled to bump into me. I can understand the occasional collision by accident. But do not act as if I am a fixture.
Thomas Byrne I’m going on the 787 to Dublin in August as well!
+Greg Caesar what you said. Best airline? Hardly.
Saw your Facebook post on YYC Calgary Airport Spotters: Thanks for the video, I thoroughly enjoyed it! You have a new fan, subscribed, thanks!
that's some ghetto business class with economy class quality food lol
Nice
JayJay Aviation my dad was on 670 about a week ago on he way to Newfoundland and Labrador he flew premium eco, and said it ws great
Actually if you would have flown them they are way better then Air Canada when it’s comes to Cosamer sevice,
This guy has no idea what real business class looks like. This is more like economy comfort seat on signapure airlines or Emirates.
Would you think westjet will fly to China, though it might ruin their reputation because you are flying *EAST* instead of *WEST* hence the name westjet
I’d like to do what you look like as well. Why don’t you get yourself in the vids?
Except for the colour scheme it looks just like the AC pods.
+Johnny C Then how do you explain that AC currently flies 80 Airbus and has 50 more Airbus on order?
+Marty McFly I disagree, politics = business.
No airline is forced to buy anything. Air Canada flies lots of Airbus.
No! If you want really nice headphones; buy them privately!
Nikolay Klimchuk how are you verified
3:03 hmm Spirit of Canada? Sounds familiar like Spirit of Australia
That doesn’t look like a low cost airline businesses class
My guy said he is 6ft8!!!! Jesus
Someone who uses the word ghetto, probably has never step foot in business class. Don't fool yourself into thinking you know the difference.
Who cares so long as the food is high quality and delicious. Substance over style. Its actually annoying waiting for the flight attendant to set down and pick up things one by one and it drags the meal service for people who want to go to work or rest quickly.
well, average.
That is very impressive.
I'm willing to bet that these pods are not dissimilar to those in which office staff are trapped from 9-5.
Thats business class? Besides the seats thats the same as AC, the food looks economy. Far far away from the Middle eastern and Asian carriers... how is it absolutely delicious and the best meal on a plane?!
I had no idea that 787s flew from Calgary to Toronto. I thought that was only 737s.
AC does a superior business class program.
Omg I love your vids, please please make a vid about it
I wonder what happens to all the leftover food.
This is one of the most amazing and detailed aircraft / flight reviews I've ever watched. So clear, beautiful video, and great attention to detail.
When is the first 787 flight out of Calgary to LGW?
Is it really appropriate to be giving passengers a “McCafe” napkin in business class? That doesn’t come near the proper standards for business class service.
kid wants a medal
A plane called... GURP. Nice job, touched all the bases, good info. While I was watching, I got interested in Canadian airport codes (YYC - YYZ). Like, why all the Ys? We picked a letter!
Finally a tall flight reviewer. Something that's worth watching for me
April 28, so just a few days
I can't wait to take the new WestJet Dreamliner to France.
My mom works on that plane
They're the best Canadian airline, but I prefer EVA Air over any others when going international.
I've never seen an airplane window that clean nor scratched into translucent. I wonder how long that will last?
I flew on Westjet round trip alone when I was 14. In 2015. That was an age where I was allowed to fly alone without a company escort. On the 1st leg I asked a group of Air Jamaica Cabin Crew where the front of the security line was, instead, the purser said "come with us!" and legit we skipped the entire line and i got in through the crew security check-in. LOL. They even walked me to my gate. They were so nice. I got to Calgary on time and it was a pleasant flight. On the return flight, I actually missed my flight LOL but instead of making me pay to take the next flight out, THE CHECK IN CLERK GAVE ME A FREE TICKET IN WESTJET PLUS! It was Row 3 Seat Bravo, back when westjet plus still had middle seats. I got to eat a ham and cheese crossaint sandwich with pringles and sprite, while watching on the provided tablets! We landed in Toronto right after a thunderstorm and I had another fun flight! These two flights were so funny and it gave me great appreciation for Westjet. Now that Im older, I know I wont be treated as a little kid anymore (I had a young face for a 14 yearold boy) but I really like WestJet. This comment is true. Im not making it up lol. Cheers! Good video too!!
Wow, Alex, you're taller than I am (6'4")...you're definitely the guy to watch to see if there's enough room on various planes. :)
Does he do that here? What am I missing? Sorry!
You're grounded
Thanks for sharing, I have been looking forward to seeing a review such as this of the WestJet 787 business class. I am excited to be flying in one of those pods in August to London.
While watching this I got an ad for air Canada
How long is this flight from YYC to YYZ?
was a nice landing.
12:45 I see Humboldt on the map
+lmm I have been in the westjet business class and I can confirm it is "ghetto", compared to the Emirates, or many other airline business class. I wouldn't judge people online because of the way they speak. The westjet business class is only good for extra legroom and they typical "airplane" food they serve, overall a terrible seat.
+Reezus Sure you have!!!
I like this video
Bookmarks: 0:44 check in 1:12 concourse A East 2:01 concourse A West
Your candor and enthusiasm is so great and I enjoyed this trip report very much. You seem like a very well educated and rounded young man.
@Hot Lane whatever you say man. I didn't take pictures on my 'signapure' airlines flight; but economy comfort sure as shit isn't a private pod. It's a standard seat. It has more legroom. Don't be retarded.
@JMAC LIVES sure is
That is incorrect
@Reezus Sure you have!!!
@Johnny C Then how do you explain that AC currently flies 80 Airbus and has 50 more Airbus on order?
@Marty McFly I disagree, politics = business.
@Edward Schwenk: A window seat for me is a definite must also. I am not bothered if I happen to have an aisle seat, and the person next to me has to excuse himself to get out. What irks the ever loving (fill in the blank with your favorite colorful metaphor) out of me is that everyone who traverses the aisle seems compelled to bump into me. I can understand the occasional collision by accident. But do not act as if I am a fixture.
@Greg Caesar what you said. Best airline? Hardly.
Alex, really Great review. Especially that you are well over 6 ft and can give a true feeling for the space in seats and during the lay flat feature. Thanks
@Minien what you said. Best airline? Hardly.
I mean that’s not that crazy, maybe they don’t really care about sitting at the window
OMG. That landing sounded so quiet and smooth!
We tallies def need pods!!! Not only is leg room an issue but have BIG feet is too! Not sure what size you wear Alex but mine are bigger than Shaqs so my feet never fit in that small space!!!
I making a video
@Lil Forklift Sure you have!!!
Like the new livery. But WestJet should have left "The Spirit of..." to Qantas. "Distinctly Canadian -- Distinction canadienne" would have done the job.
YWG Planespotter doesn’t take much
I don't think window seats cost more than middle.
Yet another fantastic review ! Really can't wait until my flight to Calgary in "a pod" from Dublin in June