I'm not trying to up Westjet, and my apologies for the AC is a not a private firm image, was just trying to point out that i feel the government needs to do more to enhance Canadian domestic/international travel competition, maybe by privatizing airports or giving incentives to upgrade fleets to be more environmentally and internationally competitive. I know is not the most popular comparison, but if you want to fly NYC-LHR, you have over 6 airlines to choose from, we are limited to to a 2-3. 2 of which have major limitations, and as you can see operational issues with one. It shouldn't cost 300 bucks round trip to fly between Ottawa-Toronto, sometimes to LHR/LGW costs 900-1200 plus.
With regards to part availability, i've worked in that industry for a bit, and trust me in a AOG or emergency situation, the competition was always slow or unfair selling the required part, which meant we had to look to other options internationally, which takes time and lots of money.
This is indeed Westjet's doing and i agree with the other poster, they have to upgrade their experience and service, to match AC at least. Not sure how long they can go with the 767 in the long run but i feel they will improve.
I also cant stand people who think Westjet is still "your neighbourhood airline"....the fares, operations and service are that of a normal airline. AC at least has a good track record of being 4 stars plus, WJ put their domestic product, internationally! No one wants to fly to London (Gatwick) with a stop in St.John's, especially on 767, might as well take Rouge - direct.
I've flown both AC and WJ numerous times and i found that AC offered a better product domestically, wont compare internationally cause there is no comparison right now. AC made a great move separating mainline with Rouge, now you have 2 options, both AC based, to choose from. When i flew Rouge it wasn't the best experience, but i got what i payed for, and the fare was cheaper than WJ. I think it's time to stop treating WJ like a newcomer. Although i enjoy their product, they have become very cost-based, and not offering more unless you pay significantly. They have also removed inflight entertainment and limited their service, which is really telling to what they are trying to accomplish....
Room for improvement is there, but they are not even close to providing seamless international travel using wide-bodies. I also feel their domestic product will continue to deteriorate especially with the new C-Series/733 coming to AC.
Last edited by striker26; 12th Jul 2016 at 14:15.