Westjet has received its first Dreamliner back in January 2019 and are planning to operate those on long haul flights between Calgary and London, Paris and Dublin. But because the aircraft is new to WestJet, they currently operate a test run between Toronto and Calgary for the crew to familiarize with the aircraft. For me, that was a great occassion to try out this new aircraft without breaking the bank. Initially I had booked a seat in economy class. But upon check in, I got the offer to upgrade to a business class seat for a really reasonable price. And bear in mind, this is the first ever time that WestJet has a business class. Before they had the Dreamliner, they only had premium on their Boeing 767s.
Westjet Boeing 787 Dreamliner with registration C-GURP taxiing to the gate with an Air Transat Airbus A330 in the front
The plane wasn't at the gate yet when I got there and got taxied to the gate just before boarding started. At that point, the whole WestJet crew was waiting for the aircraft too. They were visibly as excited for this flight as I was. Some of them were even taking pictures while the plane parked at the gate. This specific Dreamliner had been flying for WestJet for just two weeks and I was on the 27th flight since its delivery.
Not long after, boarding started on time. Business class passengers are amongst the first to board the plane. Once you get inside the aircraft, you take a left and walk through the premium cabin towards the business class cabin in the front of the aircraft.
Seat 3A on the brand new Dreamliner
The seats on the Dreamliner are in a reverse herringbone configuration, offering complete privacy. If you are travelling with a partner, you can choose to have 2 centre seats and open the privacy divider between the seats.
Once you sit down, a predeparture drink is offered: apple or orange juice. Another crew member comes to sit down with every passenger in business class to ask if they have ever flown like this before and explains all the features of the seat. They also hand out the breakfast and wine menu. Orders for breakfast and an after departure drink are taken just before take off and they hand out a hot towel.
Orders for breakfast are taken just before departure
Another passenger was nice enough to volunteer some window space for my GoPro so I could record take off and landing.
After take off, the crew came around with the drinks that were ordered earlier. I chose to have a Prosecco: Giusti Rosalia from Italy. And in stead of pouring the beverage in the galley, the crew brings you an empty glass and let's you try a sip first and if you like it, they'l fill up your whole glass. Great job there! Not much later, the breakfast was served. I chose to have the Chocolate banana bread french toast, which came with fresh fruit, Greek yoghurt and a croissant.
Don't forget you're in Canada, you get Maple Syrup with your breakfast!
The seat in this new business class cabin is a full lie-flat pod. The in flight entertainment is shown on a 18.5 inch display and comes with a remote that also has a touch screen on it. These two can work independently from each other, meaning that you can watch a movie on the remote while you watch the moving map on your big screen. The seat also has a port for the noise cancelling headphones (included), USB port and a universal power outlet. There is also a third touch screen in your seat that functions as the controls for your seat.
My seat for this flight: seat 4D
The economy class on the 787 consist of 276 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration. Each seat has its own touch screen for inflight entertainment. Hungry passengers in economy can make use of the buy on board menu.
Those IFE screens are huge!
The premium cabin has a total of 28 seats. The seats are wider than the ones in economy and have more legroom. They're in a 2-4-2 configuration. Premium passengers have food and drinks included on their flight.
If you like looking looking outside, avoid seats 5A and 5F in premium, they're missing a window!
And just before landing, a cup of coffee and a snack was served. These three-and-a-half hours flew by.
The safety card shows the northern light, that can often been seen in Canada
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Verdict
WestJet
9.3/10
Cabin10.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Buy-on-board menu8.5
Toronto - YYZ
8.1/10
Efficiency8.5
Access8.5
Services7.5
Cleanliness8.0
Calgary - YYC
8.3/10
Efficiency8.5
Access8.5
Services7.5
Cleanliness8.5
Conclusion
WestJet has done a lot of research into business class and it seems that they are doing it the right way. The crew was super nice and personal. They remembered my name throughout the whole flight, came for a chat every now and then and never let my glass sit empty. You can say they went the extra mile. Before landing, the crew members went to sit down with all passengers in business again to ask for their feedback, so they can improve even more once they start operating the Dreamliner on transatlantic flights. I definitely want to fly with them again!
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Thanks for this FR. Cabin looks really nice and it sure is a huge leap forward compared to the J cabin on WS 767. My only complaint would be the menu, "small plate and big plate" make me think I gotta choose.
Seems like a huge improvement compared to their 767 and the product looks much better if I compare it to ACA for their J class. Though I wonder what type of service they will offer you on long haul and if westjet FA's can remain as pro active like they were on your flight. Thanks for your report.
Looks like WestJet offers a nice cabin service! I have often wondered what their J class service was all about - and it looks like they offer a pretty good product! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Vuelogs, thanks again for this first look at WestJet's new Dreamliner experience! The livery looks good on the 787 and the cabins look sharp and classy in every cabin. Wow, WestJet sure have come a long way from their Low-cost beginnings!
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46 reviews
8 Comments
Cabin looks really nice and it sure is a huge leap forward compared to the J cabin on WS 767.
My only complaint would be the menu, "small plate and big plate" make me think I gotta choose.
Looking forward to future reports!
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