Some people are surprised by the lack of free food on board WS transatlantic flights. One says: "There are way too many competitors flying cheap, reliable flights with many more perks," Vance said. "I've flown Air Transat, Air Canada, British Airways."

However WestJet sticks to its model and points to what Norwegian do.

I guess in a while this will only be old news and everyone will know what to expect from each different airlines before reserving a seat.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...d-route-bring-a-sandwich-1.3608928

http://www.news1130.com/2016/05/31/westjet-meals-london/

At least on Norwegian the water is free. But they only changed it because of the Criticism they were getting. I bet WS will have to do the same.

I'd be personally rather worried about the delays we were reading about lately than the food included into the fare.

It clearly says whether you receive a meal or not when reserving your ticket. If you are too dumb to check that then maybe you shouldn't make such a long flight at all, is my opinion. And the fee for the on-board meal is probably less than the fare difference between westjet and a legacy carrier.

Remember tap water on an airplane is NOT potable. That's why they should be forced to provide drinkable water.

http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2008...drinking-airplane-water-read-this/

Quoting WildcatYXU (Reply 2): I'd be personally rather worried about the delays we were reading about lately than the food included into the fare.

Ironically, with all the delays, many passengers may be getting vouchers to eat meals at the airport whilst they wait for their delayed flight.

Perhaps people will then start to complain that because their flight is on time they didn't get a meal ?

This model has been going on for years, it's nothing new. People need to pay attention to what they buy.

"My Nissan Versa doesn't have leather seats and a sunroof like my Murano did!". Tough.

I always found it amazing on AirAsia X how few people pre-order meals, when they are cheap and of relatively good quality. I love the Nasi Lemak. I order that every time on AK or D7.

West Jet provides free beverages including water and a snack on most of its flights.

what's free? either you have increased ticket prices or you buy on board.. nothings free. I want a cheap fare and decide to eat a big lunch before hand, I could go 8 hours without eating and save some $$.. want some food on board, i'll buy when I need to. As long as people know the deal before hand, not sure what the deal is.

Quoting sirdanilot (Reply 3): It clearly says whether you receive a meal or not when reserving your ticket. If you are too dumb to check that then maybe you shouldn't make such a long flight at all, is my opinion. And the fee for the on-board meal is probably less than the fare difference between westjet and a legacy carrier.

I don't think it's always a case of people not being aware that they're not being provided with a complimentary meal - it's more of a case that - in my opinion - I believe that there should be a law that all airlines by all flights over - say - 5-6 hours - should provide complimentary food and drink. For another $20 dollars or so on top of the ticket price, I'd rather do that to save myself the worry of getting food beforehand.

Quoting 8herveg (Reply 9): For another $20 dollars or so on top of the ticket price, I'd rather do that to save myself the worry of getting food beforehand.

Why dont you just buy food on board, it's normally cheaper than $20!

Surely you can order food at the fast-food outlets at the YVR departure level and bring it onboard...

Quoting 8herveg (Reply 9):

And why should there be such a law? Such artifical laws will only artifically raise ticket prices. Many people are perfectly fine with having no food on a 6 hour trip, by bringing their own, or by buying on-board for a small fee. In fact I think the majority is.

Quoting 8herveg (Reply 9): For another $20 dollars or so on top of the ticket price, I'd rather do that to save myself the worry of getting food beforehand

Then go with a competitor who offers that service.

It never ceases to amaze me at seeing people pretend to be shocked at optional extras on low cost airlines. They are just trying to get stuff for free. Like the couples who "have" to sit together but are too cheap to pay for assigned seats.

Quoting enilria (Reply 4):

The water that goes into the tanks is potable and the systems are sanitized on a regularly scheduled basis at most airlines. Do I drink non-boiled "potable" water, never but...it is generally potable (when procedures are followed).

I have flown on a couple of AA long haul domestic flights that have actually run out of food!

My cousin is flying this tomorrow...cost her $270 for a one way ticket including taxes. Can't beat that, regardless of how much food will cost!

The article is just highlighting the fact that WestJet is starting a new trend for those on Trans-Atlantic flights originating from Canada. While no meals are customary on short haul flights and may be common to other nations, this is a new trend for Canadians. I frequently fly to the UK with British Airways, Air Canada and Air Transat where meals are provided and I must admit, I would have assumed that WestJet would operate the same.
To date I haven't booked with WestJet only because I haven't found it to be convenient or a better deal than my preferred choice. I'm not opposed to the concept of paid meals on a Trans-Atlantic flight in may help my sleep on the eastbound route, it's just worth noting that the traditional process is changing.

I guess one would assume that WestJet would have provided free meals, simply because their LCC competitors (Air Transat and Rouge) do so.

Quoting redcenterflyer (Reply 8): what's free? either you have increased ticket prices or you buy on board..

Of course, but the perception is as such.

Quoting USAirALB (Reply 18): I guess one would assume that WestJet would have provided free meals, simply because their LCC competitors (Air Transat and Rouge) do so.

How many $$ do they add to their fares to cover for it? WHat's the cost of a Y meal?

I searched 10 dates over summer and fall for LON - YYZ and on only 2 dates were the direct westjet flights cheapest. Mostly air transat was cheapest, but on around half full service legacies from LHR were the same or cheaper.

Granted westjet's 767s will be a FAR nicer ride than a 9 abreast A330 (TS still does that, right?).

Quoting sirdanilot (Reply 3): It clearly says whether you receive a meal or not when reserving your ticket. If you are too dumb to check that then maybe you shouldn't make such a long flight at all, is my opinion. And the fee for the on-board meal is probably less than the fare difference between westjet and a legacy carrier.

[quote=CPDC10-30,reply=13]Then go with a competitor who offers that service.


I'm not picking on you two, but rather responding to all who say "it's their own fault", because it is never as simple as you suggest. I consider myself a reasonably seasoned traveler, and yet have had issues with the "food/no food" game on many occasions. examples include:

- transatlantic flights (once on an LCC and once on AC!) where I made a point of asking if there was meal on board, and were told "yes" ... only to find out that that the "meal" was a small "snack "(imagine a bun approximately the size of an egg and a piece of cheese) due to late night departure times.

- "buy on board" flights where food runs out of food quickly (sitting in the wrong part of the aircraft means you are out of luck).

- flights where you can't buy on board, because it is too short a flight (under 3 hours). Exacerbated by the fact that many people buy a through-ticket between two points, without realizing that the flight is many short hops. Once sat with a bunch of oil-workers who flew Fort McMurray-Hamilton- St. John's on WJ.. they were not allowed off at the stops due to tight turn times, and were trapped on board with no food for 6+hours (not happy).

Same thing happened to me (and my kids) on a PD flight from YTZ to YYT - and they advertise that they DO have meals on board... just only on flights that leave at "meal times". Our flight left at 9:20, with stops at YUL and YHZ... we were on board for 7 hours, and yet none of the legs qualified for meals (pretzels didn't quite cut it by the end).

While I can cope without food for a few hours, not all passengers are that lucky (I am thinking children, pregnant women, people with medical conditions). I don't know if this is there, but passenger rights should include something about clarity re meals being offered on board, and also about delivering what was advertised.

No food on long-haul isn't out of the norm, NZ does it on AKL-HNL,DPS,PER all about 8-10hours in length.

Anytime I fly in Y, no matter how long the flight is. I always prepare for the worst and keep extra snacks/food in my carry on.

You should always be prepared for a long delay or diversion type situation where you might get stuck on the tarmac for a few hours.

It also helped me out on a 9 + hour Alitalia MXP-JFK flight that served only one meal, a tiny lasagna that was barely edible. It was free, but I'd have gladly paid for a Buy on Board product that was edible.

Quoting SpaceshipDC10 (Thread starter): Surprise, No Free Food On WestJet Transatlantics

and no free boarding, no free seat, no free toilet, etc ... and just in case, no free evacuation if needed....

[Edited 2016-06-01 15:38:05]

Quoting SpaceshipDC10 (Thread starter): No Free Food On WestJet Transatlantics

Not true at all:

"Complimentary beverages are available on your flight and may include water, soft drinks, juice coffee and tea. Additionally, enjoy your choice of a sweet or salty snack.
If you are flying to London Gatwick on our Boeing 737 aircraft, your inflight menu options are available for viewing underneath the “flights over 2.5 hours” tab,,,

http://www.westjet.com/en-ca/travel-info/inflight/buy-on-board

Quoting Armodeen (Reply 20):

Well, if they aren't pricing competitively then eventually they'll have to drop the route. It's simple as that, it's how capitalism works.

Quote: - transatlantic flights (once on an LCC and once on AC!) where I made a point of asking if there was meal on board, and were told "yes" ... only to find out that that the "meal" was a small "snack "(imagine a bun approximately the size of an egg and a piece of cheese) due to late night departure times.

I do agree that there should be some regulations of what constitutes a full in-flight meal service and what constitutes a mere snack. A sandwich, or anything that is not warm, is a snack and not a full meal.

Quote: - "buy on board" flights where food runs out of food quickly (sitting in the wrong part of the aircraft means you are out of luck).

Food can always run out on an aircraft, or the service can always end prematurely due to turbulence or other safety reasons. That's just plain bad luck, and especially the former is bad planning by the airline and could happen on non-pay for food flights as well.

Quote: - flights where you can't buy on board, because it is too short a flight (under 3 hours). Exacerbated by the fact that many people buy a through-ticket between two points, without realizing that the flight is many short hops. Once sat with a bunch of oil-workers who flew Fort McMurray-Hamilton- St. John's on WJ.. they were not allowed off at the stops due to tight turn times, and were trapped on board with no food for 6+hours (not happy).

As for the oil workers, they are probably not the brightest bunch, as they could have seen in their itinerary that the flight would be 6+ hours. As for the short hops, when I book domestic flights in Brazil it shows the amount of stopovers (even stopovers without leaving the aircraft, something which is very normal on brazilian domestic flights), and I highly doubt this is different in a much more civilized country such as canada.

And regardless, 3 hours is plenty of flight time to do meal service on a small aircraft, and 3 hour flights or even shorter flights get meal service all over the world every single day.

Quote: Same thing happened to me (and my kids) on a PD flight from YTZ to YYT - and they advertise that they DO have meals on board... just only on flights that leave at "meal times". Our flight left at 9:20, with stops at YUL and YHZ... we were on board for 7 hours, and yet none of the legs qualified for meals (pretzels didn't quite cut it by the end).

Yes that is cheating. If you advertise meals you've got to deliver meals, even in te middle of the night. The time of day merely determines whether you serve the breakfast-type meal or the lunch/dinner-type meal option.

Quoting SpaceshipDC10 (Thread starter): Some people are surprised by the lack of free food on board WS transatlantic flights

I think a lot more people would've been surprised if WS were to offer free meals on their TATL flights, they're a LCC after all!

Quoting redcenterflyer (Reply 8): what's free? either you have increased ticket prices or you buy on board.. nothings free. I want a cheap fare and decide to eat a big lunch before hand, I could go 8 hours without eating and save some $$..

   I go 16 hours with very little to no food but plenty of water at least 3 days a week with absolutely no problem.

Quoting zkncj (Reply 22): No food on long-haul isn't out of the norm, NZ does it on AKL-HNL,DPS,PER all about 8-10hours in length.

So they offer food on AKL-SYD/MEL/BNE but not AKL-HNL/DPS/PER?!! Interesting.

Quoting debonair (Reply 25): Not true at all:

In hindsight I should probably have written free meal in the title, it would have been more accurate.

Quoting L0VE2FLY (Reply 27): I think a lot more people would've been surprised if WS were to offer free meals on their TATL flights, they're a LCC after all!

I guess you'd find people from North America agreeing with you and perhaps some expecting some sort of free meal, especially when flying from BC. I think people flying from London could be more prone at expecting free meal from WS due to their previous experiences with other Canadian carriers, including TS. However this may change over time if WS keep the serving the UK with such model and also due to what Norwegian is doing too.

Out of the back of my mind, both Skytrain and World Airways transatlantic services to LGW during the first half of the '80s had BOB food.

I think this is really little that we can do concerning LCCs charging for meals.

But I will agree with you all that airlines have an obligation to make it very clear that no complimentary food will be offered. They need to make it very clear on its websites, during the booking process and online check-in. They can easily include that reminder on their "check in reminder" email, and give people last chances to pre-order meals.

For Westjet, it is just a new flight for them, so I am sure that they will make adjustment along the way. Air Transat offers free meals, but 3-3-3 in A330s are not fun either.

That's why I miss the old timetable, when they listed meals to be served on your flight.

Sometimes I actually don't mind pre-ordering food and hopefully they will offer more choices in the future.

Carfield

Quoting 8herveg (Reply 9): I don't think it's always a case of people not being aware that they're not being provided with a complimentary meal - it's more of a case that - in my opinion - I believe that there should be a law that all airlines by all flights over - say - 5-6 hours - should provide complimentary food and drink. For another $20 dollars or so on top of the ticket price, I'd rather do that to save myself the worry of getting food beforehand.

I wonder what these people would do in the rest of their day if faced with hunger? I'm guessing buy something. Why can't they do that on the plane?

Quoting nighthawk (Reply 10): Why dont you just buy food on board, it's normally cheaper than $20!

Exactly.

-Dave

Quoting PlanesNTrains (Reply 30): Quoting 8herveg (Reply 9):I don't think it's always a case of people not being aware that they're not being provided with a complimentary meal - it's more of a case that - in my opinion - I believe that there should be a law that all airlines by all flights over - say - 5-6 hours - should provide complimentary food and drink. For another $20 dollars or so on top of the ticket price, I'd rather do that to save myself the worry of getting food beforehand. I wonder what these people would do in the rest of their day if faced with hunger? I'm guessing buy something. Why can't they do that on the plane?

No kidding. Plus, it took literally 1 click after selecting an econo fare YYZ-LGW, in the "Booking Summary" area which displays the flight you selected to pull up the fare and baggage rules.

No sympathy for anyone for not bothering to read what they're actually purchasing.


http://www.westjet.com/en-ca/travel-info/fares/our-fares/options

Quoting sirdanilot (Reply 26): As for the oil workers, they are probably not the brightest bunch,

I hope that you meant this as a sarcastic comment.
I'm a so called oil worker but also a university graduate with two degrees.
Ben benieuwd of jij zo slim bent als je voordoet.

Misschien was hij gewoon gek?

-Dave

Quoting sirdanilot (Reply 26): Quote: Same thing happened to me (and my kids) on a PD flight from YTZ to YYT - and they advertise that they DO have meals on board... just only on flights that leave at "meal times". Our flight left at 9:20, with stops at YUL and YHZ... we were on board for 7 hours, and yet none of the legs qualified for meals (pretzels didn't quite cut it by the end). Yes that is cheating. If you advertise meals you've got to deliver meals, even in te middle of the night. The time of day merely determines whether you serve the breakfast-type meal or the lunch/dinner-type meal option.

How long ago was the flight? PD stopped their meal box service a few years ago now. Even when they did, the "meal times" were only a window of an hour or two, like 1130-1330 for lunch or something like that.

Quoting mpsrent (Reply 17): The article is just highlighting the fact that WestJet is starting a new trend for those on Trans-Atlantic flights originating from Canada.

Not sure why the CBC is making an issue about WestJet's buy-on-board policy on transatlantic flights now. They've been doing that since they started transatlantic flights 2 or 3 years ago with their seasonal YYT-DUB and more recent YHZ-GLA 737 flights.

And they're not the first. Icelandair has been buy-on-board in Y class for quite a while. Only soft drinks and coffee/tea are free systemwide.

And for those old enough to remember, Freddie Laker's SkyTrain low-cost U.S-UK service 40 years ago was buy-on-board.

Quoting L0VE2FLY (Reply 27): I think a lot more people would've been surprised if WS were to offer free meals on their TATL flights, they're a LCC after all!

Categorizing Westjet as an LCC (compared to their primary competitor AC) is a marginal truth. If you take out the full business class that AC offers, domestically they are nearly indistinguishable in service and fares.

Quoting robsaw (Reply 36): Quoting L0VE2FLY (Reply 27): I think a lot more people would've been surprised if WS were to offer free meals on their TATL flights, they're a LCC after all! Categorizing Westjet as an LCC (compared to their primary competitor AC) is a marginal truth. If you take out the full business class that AC offers, domestically they are nearly indistinguishable in service and fares.

The "Cost" word in LCC refers to the airline's costs, not the fares paid by the passenger. Very common misconception.

Why? Low cost airline. The flights are a two third cheaper then Air canada and you expect a meal?

Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 37): The "Cost" word in LCC refers to the airline's costs, not the fares paid by the passenger. Very common misconception.

Which is always funny because the inference is "low fares" when it's really "low costs". Frankly, it's almost meaningless to a customer outside of the occasional service differentiation. Often it means "Our fares are about the same as the legacies, and our onboard product is pretty much comparable, but our costs are lower so we make bank."  

-Dave

Quoting PlanesNTrains (Reply 39):

   I rarely find low fares with the so-called LCCs here, few years ago I did many domestic sectors within a short period of time with LCCs & legacies, the cost was about the same with all carriers and the best service I got was from a LCC that's no longer with us. I miss you FL!  

Unless I am in business or first class I bring all of my meals from home. I don't mind having to spend extra inside a terminal to buy drinks I want prior to boarding either.

Quoting L0VE2FLY (Reply 40):

Look harder. LCCs definitely offer cheaper fares than legacy a lot of the time, but indeed, not ALL of the time. Very occasionally, a legacy carrier may even be cheaper than an LCC simply because the latter is (almost) sold-out.

And to be honest the short-haul product of virtually all legacy carriers has been downgraded to that of LCCs. Fly Iberia Express? You'll have less legroom than even RyanAir, and everything is buy-on-board. Fly the other legacies, yes you get a small sandwich and maybe 2 drinks for free, but it's not worth the cost over LCCs generally unless they have other perks (such as actually landing in a nearby airport, or better baggage rules, etc.)

Quoting sirdanilot (Reply 42): Look harder. LCCs definitely offer cheaper fares than legacy a lot of the time, but indeed, not ALL of the time. Very occasionally, a legacy carrier may even be cheaper than an LCC simply because the latter is (almost) sold-out. And to be honest the short-haul product of virtually all legacy carriers has been downgraded to that of LCCs. Fly Iberia Express? You'll have less legroom than even RyanAir, and everything is buy-on-board. Fly the other legacies, yes you get a small sandwich and maybe 2 drinks for free, but it's not worth the cost over LCCs generally unless they have other perks (such as actually landing in a nearby airport, or better baggage rules, etc.)

Exactly.

You could buy a steak dinner at a nice restaurant in Vancouver and still have a significant amount of $$$ left over between the prices WS charges and what some of the full-fare competition charges.

Passenger sense-of-entitlement is going thru the roof. If the person who complained to the CBC had spent a similar amount of time checking out her WS booking, they would easily have been aware of WS BOB food on LGW.

Quoting robsaw (Reply 36): If you take out the full business class that AC offers, domestically they are nearly indistinguishable in service and fares.

Sorry, but on short segments such as YLW-YYC/YVR or YYC-YEG - AC provides full beverage service including purchasing of alcoholic beverages where as WS comes through with a cup of water.

Quoting WildcatYXU (Reply 2): I'd be personally rather worried about the delays we were reading about lately than the food included into the fare.

   The YVR flight was cancelled today, operated by Omni yesterday. I dont think I will be making any bookings until they get their problems ironed out.

Quoting Carfield (Reply 29): Air Transat offers free meals, but 3-3-3 in A330s are not fun either.

The A310 is brutal, but the 330 is not bad at all, certainly no worse than the 10 abreast AC 77W now on the YVR-LHR run. The meals are comparable and I have no complaints about TS, they will continue to get my business.

Quoting sirdanilot (Reply 42): Look harder. LCCs definitely offer cheaper fares than legacy a lot of the time, but indeed, not ALL of the time. Very occasionally, a legacy carrier may even be cheaper than an LCC simply because the latter is (almost) sold-out.

The point is, domestically WS are normally within a few bucks of AC, in fact I have consistently found that by the time taxes and fees are added AC are marginally less. WS are low cost, but certainly not low fare. Unlike when they started out. Many disagree with me, but WS are now happy to maintain the duopoly status quo in Canada and keep fares artificially high, its nothing to do with higher costs in Canada than anywhere else. That they can offer fares ex YVR to LGW cheaper than to YYC is proof of that IMO.

Im wondering if the game plan was to try the same strategy longhaul. With the current goatshow, I guess it will have to wait a bit and keep those low intro fares.

Quoting ACDC8 (Reply 44):

Yeah or just bring a bottle of coke on board.

Really such small things are no incentive for me to pay a whole lot more for my ticket. Though of course if the fares are the same, then yes I would go for the legacy option.

Quoting zkncj (Reply 22): No food on long-haul isn't out of the norm, NZ does it on AKL-HNL,DPS,PER all about 8-10hours in length.

Air New Zealand doesn't serve free food from AKL to HNL?

Canadians are a funny bunch.

On one hand, they demand a la carte pricing on their cable and mobile phone plans, to the point where the Gov't is intervening. The overriding theme is "I only want to pay for services I want!"

When it comes to airfares, that concept is quickly flushed down the loo. "No a la carte pricing! I want all the services and amenities I used to recive when fares cost 30% more"!

The Canadian sense of entitlement is alive and well.

As for fares to London, even the most obtuse observer will recognize that year over year fares in all cabins, at all stages of the booking curve, are way way down compared to this time last year and that trend began the day WS announced their WB TATL service last Sept.

No one should be surprised that WS's lower fares have been matched by all participants in the market and that any of the Canadian carriers operating to LHR or LGW could have the lowest fare on any given day. That situation has occurred everywhere WS has ever launched new service over its 20 year history.

It isn't the fare that matters. Cutting fares requires a few easy keystrokes on a computer in any Revenue management department. It's the cost of operating the service that matters.

The issue becomes one of who is profitable at these fares? WS has been entering new markets and disrupting incumbent yields for a couple of decades now. During that period, they reported one year with a net loss, and that was the year they decided to retire and write down the entire 737-200 fleet about 5 years earlier compared to the previous planned retirement schedule and took a huge one-time depreciation charge to do so.

WS has a long and easily verifiable history of knowing how to make money in the airline business, be it regional, domestic,
trans-border, sun or during the early days of TATL to DUB and GLA.

It is huge stretch of the imagination and the product of wishful thinking by some to think that they'd throw 20 years of experience out the window to go blow their brains out operating WB TATL to, far and away the largest and likely most lucrative international market available to them.

Remember also that S16 is the first summer since S99 that a 2nd Cdn domiciled airline has operated TATL with the benefit of a full feed network, in this case about 140 tails.

I'd bet FRA, whilst lower volume, probably has higher margins due to LH/AC joint venture agreements that have restrained capacity and keep fares artificially high. Any guesses where WS TATL will go next?

TATL yields to London are off in the mid teens percentage wise year over year. It's not difficult to find r/t fares from LHR for +/- $800 leaving in a week. Those fares were closer to $1,200 this time last year. LGW one way fares are as much as 75% below LHR one way fares, and not just from Canadian gateway cities. The declines extend to secondary and tertiary Canadian markets WS operates from, as well as from WS transborder and sun destinations too. WS can sell LAX-YVR-LGW, or PHX-YYZ-LGW or KIN-YYZ-LGW as easily as anyone else.

All this doesn't sound like much, but when you're a high cost legacy carrier who relies on some highly profitable jewels to underwrite the margin dragging dogs to come up with an overall 8% operating margins, (and near break-even performance in the winter months), in a year dominated by the price of fuel dropping about 40%, watching your largest international route's profitability swing from solid black to well into the red overnight must be an unsettling, yet all too familiar experience.

The ability to cut fares but make it up, or exceed it on volume is one of the airline businesses biggest loads of cods wallop. If that's the way it works then fares would have been cut long ago in all routes, not just the ones with LCC competition. Besides, where does one cram the increased volume of passengers when routes are already running at 85% using the highest density iron in the fleet?

Add to that the impact of cheap discounted fares to LHR and LGW undermining the fare structures to virtually all European destinations, and the public's obvious willingness to use the transparency of the Internet to source together these dramatically cheaper options, (bringing us back to the original discussion of how airline customers love low fares), and it must be a terrifying situation for the incumbent airlines.

Not that they'd ever acknowledge that publicly, though.....

[Edited 2016-06-03 08:48:12]

[Edited 2016-06-03 08:51:03]

[Edited 2016-06-03 08:54:38]

WestJet is only a low-cost carrier in the way it controls its own costs, not what it charges its passengers. In many instances, they are the same price if not more than Air Canada. I travelled on the inaugural YVR-LGW flight and my fare was the same as Air Canada mainline and Air Transat. However, because I flew WestJet, my ticket ended up costing more because I had to pay extra for meals, checked luggage, and in-flight entertainment.

Norwegian actually charges less than the legacy carriers operating the same routes. In addition, they are flying modern Boeing 787 aircraft as opposed to 20+ year old ex-Qantas birds. I have no problem with WestJet pioneering a new model for Trans-Atlantic service IF there is a perceived benefit and value to the passenger. Although yields are now lower across the board due to the enhanced competition, what we are seeing is WestJet is charging the same as their competitors but offering less to passengers.

If I saved $100 or $200 by flying WestJet, I have no problem paying $15 for a meal. But I do have a problem when I have paid the same cost for a ticket as flying Air Canada and I have paid $15 extra for a meal and received a product below the standard of the complimentary meal I would have received on a competing carrier. I flew on the inaugural YVR to LGW service. Here is my Trip Report: http://www.jetbc.com/2016/06/westjet-lo ... eview.html