When it’s not freezing cold, Calgary’s pretty amazing in the winter. Photo: John Jamieson
With only a few weeks left in the year, I decided to use my remaining vacation days for a boys’ weekend in Calgary. It had been a rough few weeks at work and was I looking forward to catching up with a few friends from university for a weekend of clubbing, sleeping in, and just being away from Vancouver. Flights in Canada are some of the most expensive in the world and even after deciding to crash on my friend’s couch, I was still on a tight budget. Searching around for flights a couple weeks before my planned vacation, I happened on a $265 round-trip fare from Vancouver to Calgary. For months flights had been floating around $340 return so I immediately jumped on the fare, even if it meant a layover en-route.
When I was choosing my flights, I noticed that my outward leg would include a segment on WestJet Encore’s Q400 via Kelowna. If I’m honest, I must have been overexcited at the prospect of loading from the tarmac to the point where I accidentally booked my return through Edmonton by mistake. No matter, I had never flown through the Albertan Capital and, as most “AvGeeks” can attest, I was looking forward to the chance to visit a new airport.
Flight 1: WS 3316 Vancouver (YVR)-Kelowna (YLW)
Vancouver: 6:44 AM (PST), November 30th: Immediately after passing through security, you come face to face with the stunning A-B Connector. Completed in 2015, the A-B Connector has significantly improved the feel in the 1960’s era “B” Terminal. Photo: John Jamieson
Taking my chances with public transit, I was up at 4:30 am Pacific Time to make sure that I got to YVR in time to take some pictures before my flight. I arrived at 6:30 am and quickly passed through a fairly quiet security area. I descended down the escalator, turned left and headed through the refurbished A-B Connector. I contemplated lining up for a Starbucks Coffee, however, I weighed the options and ultimately decided to go for the free coffee on-board.
Our flight was one of many scheduled to depart from the re-named Terminal A gates. For many years, this section of the terminal had been closed off after Air Canada Express moved into Canadian Regional’s former terminal in 2001. When WestJet launched Encore in 2014, they re-opened the parking stands and set up temporary facilities to accommodate ground loading. I had never flown out of one of these gates before, and I was eager to see a “new” part of YVR.
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- Taking the stairs from the departure lounge to the tarmac.
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- C-GKWE (Bombardier Q400) at Gate A10 .
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- I was lucky enough to have the entire row to myself.
I was really looking forward to this segment. I’ve always enjoyed flying Bombardier’s Q400 because it usually means loading from the tarmac and flying into smaller, less crowded airports. I also find the flight experience to be more enhanced on turboprops: the whine of the engines is more noticeable, the configuration of the aircraft guarantees either a window or an aisle seat, and you feel more at one with the airframe as it navigates the choppier skies. Our aircraft had been delayed leaving Kelowna and we didn’t end up boarding until 7:30. The time lost meant that we pushed back 5 minutes late at 7:50 am.
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- A break in the clouds was too nice to ignore.
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- Despite the delay leaving, we parked at Gate 7 at Kelowna 7 Minutes ahead of Schedule.
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The flight was rather bumpy and, either due to the short duration or the turbulence, the cabin crew did not perform a full cabin service. I had been looking forward to a cup of coffee to properly wake up (WestJet has recently partnered with McDonald’s McCafe); however, with a flight time of 39 Minutes and Gate to Gate time of 51 Minutes, I didn’t have to wait too long.
Flight 2: WS 188 Kelowna (YLW)-Calgary (YYC)
Kelowna: 8:54 AM, November 30th: A welcome sight to the early morning traveler; Despite being over a thousand feet above sea level, my first “meal service” did not warrant extra photographs.
After a fairly smooth arrival into Kelowna, I had a two-hour layover before my flight to Calgary. I choose to leave the airside departure lounge on the basis that I would be able to grab some food and take some photos of the airport. YLW served over 1.7 Million passengers in 2016 and the check-in facilities seemed sufficient for the number of flights passing through. The airport has a number of pleasant amenities including a sit-down restaurant, rental car facilities, and an indoor viewing area.
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- The departure lounge at YLW was a little overcrowded.
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- My flight to Calgary left from the same gate I had arrived at earlier.
We pushed back a few minutes early at 11:01 am and were in the air 6 minutes later. The boarding process had been a tad haphazard as the lines were not well defined, it was, however, the only negative I found with Kelowna’s Airport and staff. I considered sampling WestJet connect on the 43-minute flight to Calgary, however, I was politely dragged into a long, deep conversation about the state of the world. It was interesting however also mentally draining. We arrived into Calgary at 12:50 pm (MST), moving quickly to the arrivals level after parking and deplaning at one of the new international gates.
Calgary: 1:05 PM, November 30th: I had hoped to get a segment on WestJet’s new MAX 8, however, I would have to put up with the standard 737-800 NG without seat-back IFE.
Flight 3: WS 903 Calgary (YYC)-Edmonton (YEG)
After an action-packed weekend in Calgary, I had almost forgotten that my return flight to Vancouver would be via Edmonton. Taking into consideration the fact that I probably wouldn’t be home until midnight, I inquired about the possibility of taking an earlier flight. The WestJet agent was happy to help me find an earlier flight; however, the fee imposed for moving to an earlier flight was $100. After reminding my self that I deliberately chosen my flights based on price, I opted to continue on my original itinerary.
Calgary: 1:13 PM, November 30th: Unfortunately, on the night of my return, I was only able to take two photos with my camera before the battery drained; neither picture did the terminal justice so I decided to substitute with a picture I’d taken earlier in the week.
I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare and after passing through security, I grabbed a quick bite of food before trekking over to my departure gate. Boarding was scheduled for 7:35 pm. As I had a tight connection in Edmonton, it was important that we left on time. Fortunately, we did not need to de-ice and we pushed back 4 minutes ahead of schedule at 8:11 pm.
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- A couple people were confused by the 5 zone boarding system.
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- I was hoping for a second segment with Encore”s Q400; instead the flight to YEG was operated by a 737-700 NG.
For the third flight in a row, the cabin service was downsized. A possible correlation with the reduced service was the duration of the flights; all three had been under an hour. Whether this is mandated by the pilots or by WestJet’s management I don’t know.
On this flight, I was finally able to test out WestJet Connect, the carrier’s in-flight entertainment system. Accessible through WestJet’s mobile app, I got through the first half of Caddyshack and was looking forward to completing the film on my flight to Vancouver.
30 minutes after taking off from Calgary we touched down in Edmonton at 8:50 pm. We had to wait a few minutes for our gate to be ready, but we still managed to de-plane well ahead of our scheduled arrival time of 9:07 pm.
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- The Edmonton Airport gave off a sense of sophistication and modernity.
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- The University of Alberta”s self-serve kiosk is one of many retail options available for the in-transit passenger.
Flight 4: WS 337 Edmonton (YEG)-Vancouver (YVR)
After leaving the aircraft, I still had over an hour before my flight to Vancouver. As I’d never flown through YEG before, I tried to explore as much of the terminal as possible. I was very impressed with the modern layout and overall aesthetics. In short, the terminal is built around two main concourses separated by an open concept atrium. Before the new US concourse was completed in 2012, the atrium largely separated the Domestic and International departure gates.
The “old” domestic concourse handles the bulk of WestJet & WS Encore’s operations, Air Canada Express flights, and all other Canadian carriers excluding Air Canada (Flair Airlines, Air North, Canadian North, and Charter Operations). While it does have modern features such as large windows and a children’s play area, it also looks to have retained the original carpeting and gate infrastructure.
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- The children”s play area located in the domestic concourse.
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- The central atrium features a sit down restaurant, a Starbucks coffee shop, and a bookstore.
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- A nice informational piece on the Phillip J. Currie dinosaur museum located near Edmonton.
On the opposite side, Gates 50 -74 handle Air Canada’s mainline operations and Edmonton’s International flights. This side of the Atrium is noticeably more modern from an infrastructure point of view giving off a professional, yet sterile, impression. I did not have a chance to check out the new US concourse, however, I have heard good things about the layout and amenities.
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- On the international side, you can grab a quick pint at the Heineken Bar or the Belgian Beer Cafe.
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- The living wall enhances the modern atmosphere in the international concourse.
My flight to Vancouver was scheduled to board at 9:35 pm (MST), however, we had to wait a few minutes for our pilots to arrive on their inbound flight. Despite their delayed arrival, we pushed back on time at 10:14 pm (MST) and taxied out to the end of runway 20 for a Southwesterly departure.
Unfortunately, because WestJet’s 737-600s have not been fitted with WestJet Connect, I was unable to watch the rest of Caddyshack. However, because this flight was over an hour, we did receive a full cabin service and I was able to enjoy a nice McCafe and WestJet’s Biscoff cookies. The flight was relatively uneventful; I spent the duration of the flight listening to my iPod and reading WestJet’s in-flight magazine. After a 1 Hour and 9-minute flight, we touched down on runway 26L in Vancouver and arrived at the gate 20 minutes ahead of schedule.
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- It took me until my 4th flight to capture a photo of the in-flight snack service.
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- It had been a great weekend, however I was happy to be back in Vancouver.
Summary:
All four of my flights arrived on time and there were no major issues which affected my on-ground or in-flight experience. When I studied at the University of Calgary, I used to alternate between WestJet and Air Canada without any frequent flier loyalty. Both carriers offer comparable economy products, however, I have always found the cabin crew on WestJet flights to be more friendly and down to earth. I’d love the chance to sample more of WestJet’s cabin products, however, at the moment, I don’t have any trips planned.
This story was written by John Jamieson for AirlineReporter.
The WestJet 737 MAX 8 currently operates on Toronto-Calgary, and Toronto-Vancouver. You should try it as they’re so much better than the NG! And the legroom is the biggest I’ve seen in any airline’s economy class!
Hi Herb, thanks for the comment. I’m hoping to try and do some collaborative work with WestJet in 2018. In a perfect world that might lead to a flight on one of their MAX 8’s. Fingers crossed!
JJ
Not sure how you can say they offer comparable economy products (AC and WestJet) when WestJet no longer has personal TVs. Whether you use them or not, that’s a significant differentiator for two carriers that fly across. the continent regularly. And yes, I know about the AA-esque ‘everyone brings tablet’s nowadays / we’re cheap’ entertainment options on WestJet. Not the same.
Fair enough. I’ll concede that WestJet’s integration of WestJet Connect is incomplete and that it shouldn’t be classified as a true IFE product because it requires the APP. For my comment that the two products are comparable, on the flights I have experienced, I’ve never been dissatisfied by seat comfort, cabin crew professionalism, or the complimentary food and beverage on either carrier. Additionally, they enforce similar checked baggage fees, price match on shared routes, and offer similar check-in products (i.e. paperless boarding passes, online check-in, self-serve kiosks, seat selection, etc).
While flying between Vancouver and Calgary while at university, the bulk of my flights with AC and WestJet were less than 2 hours in duration and operated at a time when both carriers offered some level of IFE. I could find little to separate the carriers and I usually alternated airlines just to fly on different aircraft.
In one of my Blog posts, where I discuss the target market of WestJet’s new subsidiary Swoop, I make reference to the fact that WestJet’s longer-range economy product is inferior to AC and more comparable to Rouge.
I should have explained my position better when it came to my conclusion that the “products are comparable”, and for that, I apologize. I hope this satisfies your query.