I think I'd sum up my experiences on this flight (Edinburgh to Toronto) by saying that Boeing 737s are simply too small for long-haul, transatlantic flights. The crew were excellent, the food was pretty good and the in-flight Wifi was a bonus. But 7+ hours on a narrow bodied aircraft with a single aisle and no in-built entertainment system, is a tough stretch - queues for the few toilets on board were lengthy at times; plus whilst the crew were doing food/drink service the aisle is blocked. It encourages you to stay in your seat the entire time (not great for those who need to get up and move around regularly) and the legroom is tight anyway. If this was priced as uber-budget, you could perhaps argue that you're getting what you paid for......but it wasn't and the price we paid was pretty standard for such trips (around £500 pp). I'd therefore urge caution and check the aircraft that is being used if booking with Westjet for flights to Canada from smaller regional airports on the Western edge of Europe. They do operate Boeing 787s from London and other major European centres - but it seems that if travelling from Scotland/Ireland the 737 is the aircraft of choice.......
Our itinerary included a 1 hour and 30 minute layover, which should have been sufficient under normal circumstances. However, our original flight was delayed. Before we even deplaned, we were instructed to collect our checked bags from baggage claim, clear immigration and customs, and then recheck our bags for the connecting flight. The airline knew—or should have known—that this was impossible. Checked baggage acceptance closes one hour before departure, meaning there was no realistic way for passengers from the delayed flight to recheck their bags in time. Despite this, the airline gave us misleading instructions instead of informing us that we would likely miss our connection. We completed immigration and customs in approximately 10 minutes, but our checked bags did not arrive at the carousel for more than 30 minutes. After collecting them, we had another 10-minute walk to the baggage drop area, only to find that no airline attendant was present. We then went to another airline counter, where an employee told us this had happened before and that there was nothing they could do because the baggage acceptance window had already closed. At that point, there were still 40 minutes remaining before our flight's departure, yet no one was willing to assist or offer a practical solution. When we asked to be rebooked, we were simply told to call the airline's 800 number ourselves. There was no accountability or customer support at the airport, leaving us stranded in a foreign country with no immediate assistance. After finally reaching an agent on the 800 number, we were rebooked on a flight for the following day. However, we were initially told that the airline would not provide any hotel accommodation and that we would have to arrange and pay for it ourselves. Only after making multiple calls and speaking with several different agents did one representative finally issue a hotel voucher. The entire experience was an exhausting and frustrating ordeal. What should have been a 20-hour journey ultimately became more than 30 hours due to the airline's poor planning, misleading instructions, lack of accountability, and inadequate customer service. The unnecessary delays, confusion, and absence of meaningful assistance caused significant physical exhaustion and severe mental stress. This experience fell far below the level of service passengers should reasonably expect.
Switching flights in Halifax was a nightmare. There was no agent waiting us when we disembarked to provide my mom with gate to gate assistance as we arranged. Our flight was delayed so our window to catch the other flight was very tight. The airport was poorly marked as to where to go. The plane was fairly crowded and space available was cramped.
Good flight. We were all boarded in good time for departure time but baggage loading had barely begun. So left late. No food just snacks and basic drinks for free (food also for purchase). No entertainment as again, unable to connect with wifi on WestJet despite being a rewards member.
I like the idea of a non-overnight flight to Europe.
The food was very good. I was nit expecting a meal on a red eye trip. I was pleasantly surprised! Plus we arrived a few minutes earlier than expected!
There was no food but a singular cookie for a flight that was over 5hours??? Yeah not fun I was starving and again super cramped plane and you guys need to get planes with screens too, WiFi is nice but common we need more
While I appreciated the food (it was unexpected), it was interruptive for sleeping. We paid extra for reserved seats, but when we checked in they gave us different seats. I had to call WestJet arounf 11:30pm the night before our flight to get this fixed. We were give seats in the emengency row to resolve the issue.
In spite of purchasing premium, I felt it was perhaps the most uncomfortable seat I have flown in. The base was either broken or poorly made and had no support. Even placing pillows and blankets on the seat (1D aisle) didn’t help. It made for a long and mostly sleepless six hour flight. Crew also were very loudly talking to each other through the night making it very hard to sleep. It was purchased for the price, so I get the risk, but was not impressed.
There was a medical emergency that the crew handled very well. There was no “entertainment” of any sort-no movie/music/whatever. Food was typical of airlines: mediocre.
1st time using air Canada. We were a little delayed waiting for a new plane that did alter our plans for the evening but it was handled as best as possible. Everyone was pleasant.
Everything was excellent. I had lost my ID card and the flight attendant found it for me.
Because you didn't have the tarmac clear and then had to unboard a plane I missed my connecting flight to CLE. Cost me a day ... a 30 dollar hotel hamburger ... then the next day THAT flight was an hour late to arrive ...
We were delayed from 8am until 5pm. Was not given food vouchers,just left sitting in waiting area.
We were seated in Business class. The seats must have been original to the A319 from 1995! The seat back had ZERO padding/cushion! It felt like I was leaning against a plywood wall (in reality, it was probably some composite material that was as hard as plywood. ) but very uncomfortable.
The old business class seat was fine but screens were disconnected with stickers on them telling pax to use their own devices. Disappointing.
Flight got delayed But satisfied with the pricing of tickets
Excellent flight crew. Very comfortable plane. Entertainment options on air Canada were great!
I cannot think how they could put more seats together but they did. So elbow to elbow leg to leg for these long journeys they should consider leg space at least. Since they did not offer to check people's carry one space was tight and if you did not get on first people used your assigned overhead storage so now your doing these same to another. Cascading inconvenience.
Flight was good .. I dont eat on board so cant comment on the food
