My Trip West(Jet) and Photo Collage

WestJet used to be my airline of choice. They were on time, the cabin crews were fun, and their flights offered activities and freebies.

Someone with a better memory than mine will remember when it all changed. Was it after the pandemic, when travel resumed? Was it following their labour disruptions a summer ago? That dented their reputation of being employees who were also owners. The airline seemed to have lost its sense of humour and then along came friendly Porter with expanded service.

I flew Westjet to Calgary last week and returned on Sunday and the two flights were very different experiences.

To Calgary in Steerage

I’m pretty sure they used the first plane. Not the company’s first plane, the first plane to ever take flight! Everything was metal and worn looking and it was cramped. How cramped? Thank you for asking. When the woman ahead of me reclined, I couldn’t reach my bag at my feet. There were a couple of inches of grace. I had a window seat so there was no room to manoeuvre. It was very tight.

All I wanted was to reach my dried pea snap snacks so I could avoid paying for a tiny meal. I tried grabbing the bag with my feet and working it toward me but there simply wasn’t enough room. I could have tapped the woman on the shoulder and asked for her help but I didn’t. Instead, I spent $3.38 on Internet and caught up on messages.

Back Home in Style

The moment the 24-hour check-in period began for my flight home, I changed seats. I chose the only available aisle seat near the back thinking it would offer me some breathing room. Not long before boarding, they put out a call to enter the an auction for the last premium seat. I thought, why not. I bid about one-third of the usual price and what do you know – I won! I got a seat in the first row where there are two generously-sized seats instead of three crammed ones. The plane was delayed about 25 minutes and I didn’t care a whit.

Besides my waiting bottle of water, there were several offers of snacks and a delicious hot dinner. I had vegan kung pao with a goat cheese and beet salad, a fresh multi-grain bun and S’mores cake. I tucked the cake into my bag for Derek. Alcohol flowed freely for others and I had several water refills. It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden in front of the privacy curtain and it was so worth it.

Jeannie, the lead flight attendant, was a bubbly and friendly. She sang a made up Westjet song to the tune of the Brady Bunch theme as we landed. This is the Westjet that I remember! Fun, silly, grateful, helpful.

I watched a movie on the way home (Everything’s Going to be Great) and time flew.

The Fun is Up Front

But it’s nice to know that there are some holdovers from WestJet’s fun era. Jeannie, I’m talking about you. Sister, you made that flight the joy it was. You, and the premium seat I got at a less than premium cost. But that seems to be the only way to experience that good ol’ WestJet enthusiasm. It certainly wasn’t happening in steerage on my flight to Calgary.

I’d also like to know how to avoid booking passage on the Wright Brothers’ original flying machine. I still prefer Porter with its two-seats-per-side aircraft. Now that Westjet is going to start charging more for reclining seats* Porter wins there as well.

A Collage of Relatives

*this is not a joke, it’s for real! An extra charge to recline, coming soon!