Like many of you, I have been looking forward to the simple things in life post lockdown, including getting a haircut and going to the gym. Unlike many of you, I am not patient enough to wait for my stylist here in Toronto to reopen, so I decided to book an appointment with my Vancouver one. Thus, this is a report of both flying in 2020, and of the most expensive haircut of my life (Unfortunately, I’m joking, as I needed to return home to assist with some family matters).

Disclaimer

A reminder that as of writing, the Canada – US border remains closed to all non-essential travel until the end of July, and that the Government of Canada has issued an Official Global Travel Advisory advising against all non-essential travel outside of Canada. Those who are returning to Canada from outside of its borders must quarantine (self-isolate) for 14 days, regardless of symptoms or lack thereof.

Flight: WestJet 719

Departing: Toronto (YYZ)

Arriving: Vancouver (YVR)

Operated by: B737-800

Cabin: Economy

Check-In

Entering the airport was quite a sight: roads and car parks that were once buzzing with energy were almost completely empty, while the few designated entrances were similarly deserted. As of June 1st, Toronto Pearson has mandated travellers must wear masks in public spaces, except when eating or drinking. Access is also restricted, meaning that family/friends cannot come to see you off, nor are non-essential airport employees, such as our friendly “Meeters and Greeters”, allowed into terminals.

I opted for online check-in and judging by the lack of a lineup at check-in, many others did as well in order to minimize contact. The airline counters were modified to protect the staff from COVID-19, with plastic “shields” separating the crew from customers.

The once-bustling departure board was reduced to a handful of flights, although this was a slight improvement from when there was only once flight a day to most places. As of September 2020, WestJet now has two daily flights to YVR, and Air Canada has up to five direct flights.

Security

Screening was modified to accommodate the substantial decrease in demand, resulting in the decommissioning of the expedited lines for AMEX Platinum, Nexus and other frequent travellers.

One new addition to the security check was a pre-security check x-ray swab for laptops and large electronics, presumably to decrease the probability of high contact secondary carry-on screening. There were also signs advising passengers to stand 2 meters apart from each other, and that crossing international borders with cannabis is unfortunately still illegal.

The actual screening process was little changed, outside of the fact that passengers were asked to scan their own boarding passes, and that most security personnel wore full face masks and remained distant from passengers.

Post Security

Post security, there was a substantial lack of retail and food outlets open, presumably due to a lack of demand. Indeed, I noticed that some outlets had 50% off sales for some of the merchandise they could presumably no longer shift. Unfortunately, all lounges in the airport are understandably closed until further notice, otherwise I would have used the domestic Terminal 3 Plaza Premium Lounge. However, for anyone who was hungry, the Subway, Tim Horton’s and Beehive Brewery were thankfully still open. Seating throughout the airport was blocked to enforce physical distancing.

Boarding

Boarding was a relatively smooth experience: each passenger presented their ID and boarding pass, and was then told to lower their masks for identity checks and finally had their temperature taken by a WestJet employee with a handheld device. In true Canadian fashion, everyone was orderly, lining up and embarking only when their respective zones were called.

Upon entering the aircraft, each person was just given a wet wipe for seat wipe downs, with the flight attendants pronouncing that anyone without a mask needed to speak to a flight attendant. The flight today was around 40% full: WestJet did seat everyone so the middle seat was blocked, and I was fortunate enough to get an entire row to myself. Everyone complied with the mask requirement, and the overall mood was subdued given the circumstances. One of the positive things about the capacity constraints was that there was no shortage of overhead compartment space.

Below is the plane that would be taking me back to Vancouver, although quite a few of its cousins were sitting idle in storage.

Seat

The pitch (legroom) on the plane is between 31-33 inches on the WestJet B737-800, which fit me 5’10 me just fine. As far as I can tell, the seat, armrests and tray table were clean, along with the rest of the plane.

There is also Wi-Fi available on all WestJet planes. Wi-Fi is $10.99 for 90 minutes, $21.99 for the flight and $32.99 for 24 hours. For those of us fortunate enough to have the WestJet World Elite MasterCard (this is not an ad for MasterCard, nor eliteness in general), then you get free, nearly unlimited access if you sign up through Boingo. The internet was sufficient for general web surfing, although I could not get my phone to connect through Boingo as you needed to have pre-downloaded the WestJet app.

Service

I’ve always found WestJet flight attendants to be a bit friendlier and warmer on average, while not compromising on the quality of service (Editors note: Compared to Air Canada, I absolutely agree). This may have something to do with the fact that I saw their CEO, Ed Sims, nonchalantly picking up garbage at the end of the flight I was on. Given their recent buyout by a private equity firm (Editors Note: Covered here by Distant Points), which typically maintains a tight focus on cost optimization, and the pandemic, I was wondering if and how the service onboard would change.

Fortunately, the crew overall maintained a quirky and cheerful atmosphere, with the service manager emphasizing how handsome/beautiful and incredible all the crew were. That being said, service was socially distant and efficient, with the flight attendants remaining at their seats for most of the flight. The safety briefing remained unchanged for the most part, with the addition of reminders on proper flying/mask etiquette, and that in order to use an oxygen mask you need to first remove the mask you were currently wearing (which I am sure was 100% for my benefit).

With that, we began our flight!

The Flight

We pushed off exactly on time, with the Flight attendants informing us that we would arrive at YVR slightly ahead of schedule. After the seatbelt sign was turned off, around 30 minutes into the flight, the attendants distributed bottles of water and Biscoff biscuits and collected the wet wipes we used earlier in the flight. Meal service, along with buy on board, was suspended at this time. (WestJet buy onboard menu was featured in the last review)

I did take a quick peek at the only open bathroom on the plane, which was relatively clean outside of a slightly overflowing trash can.

The rest of the flight passed by uneventfully, with few passengers moving about or using the lavatories. I myself reviewed blogs to gain creative inspiration (Hi Ricky!), worked on some analyst/management research for my next consulting project, and napped on the row I had to myself.

The flight arrived slightly ahead of schedule, and within 15 minutes I was at arrivals and ready to see my family.

The Point

When comparing to our previous review, I will note that 90% of the experience remained the same. Key differences include a more scrutinized, yet socially distant security screening and boarding process, fewer service options, a greater focus on cleanliness and a more sober atmosphere onboard. Concurrently, I noticed that service in premium economy was significantly toned down with no full meal service; given that most economy seats lacked middle seat occupants, those two factors may tip the balance towards flying plain old economy. While WestJet remains a solid option for Canadians traversing the country, it remains to be seen whether WestJet and other airlines can maintain such smooth operations as more and more people resume flying.

— Alex Qu