Another reminder on the importance of arriving at embarkation port more than one day early if at all possible!

[netpj]

From the thread for Queen Elizabeth embarking today, July 11 in Vancouver.

 

"Bit of a nightmare for many of us arriving in Vancouver yesterday. BA managed to leave behind 170+ bags and will not be able to get them here until after the ship as sailed! They say they will deliver the bags either to Sitka or Juneau but I am not sure I have faith! Some people have no bags at all. The gala evenings will be  a bit different!"

 

As an aside, we flew on Westjet from Terminal 3 at Pearson on Saturday, late morning.  No problems at all and we arrived in Vancouver on time and with our luggage.

[loman]

Thanks for the info , i have a 1030 am flight on a Saturday in September .

I hope the situation is similar to yours .

[cdn_tbird]

We're flying out to Vancouver from Toronto mid week at the end of Aug as we were planning on doing 4 days of sightseeing before our Alaska cruise. Listening to all the luggage horror stories really makes me happy that we had planned it out this way.  

[Enzma]

Flew in last week and when we docked in sitka they were loading both luggage and people that missed boarding in vancouver

 

There were several announcements asking people to possibly  leave luggage till next day and offering insentives to do so

Edited July 12, 2022 by Enzma

[DirtyDawg]

The current airline travel and baggage situation absolutely is a reminder of the risks in arriving the day of embarkation (we done it several times over the years but not today).  But it is also reminder to try to avoid checking any baggage if at all possible. We did an Caribbean AI last winter with only carry-on's and it was hugely liberating. There is so much stuff we used to travel with that, it turned out, was totally unnecessary. Now, I highly doubt you could do just carry-ons for an Alaska cruise but i'm certainly going to give it a try when we go next.

[1kaper]

1 hour ago, DirtyDawg said:

The current airline travel and baggage situation absolutely is a reminder of the risks in arriving the day of embarkation (we done it several times over the years but not today).  But it is also reminder to try to avoid checking any baggage if at all possible. We did an Caribbean AI last winter with only carry-on's and it was hugely liberating. There is so much stuff we used to travel with that, it turned out, was totally unnecessary. Now, I highly doubt you could do just carry-ons for an Alaska cruise but i'm certainly going to give it a try when we go next.

I have always packed a couple of outfits in my carry on along with essentials in case my checked bag gets lost.  I have a good credit card that will allow me to buy some things to get by if my checked bag is lost (I'm always excited to get new stuff for free). So I don't really mind by checked bag being delayed.  
But until this mess is cleared up, we will be travelling carry on only.  
We have found that if you end up with a tight connection with a checked bag, they won't put you on the next flight if your bag can't make it.  If you are carry on and can make the flight, you can get on.  At least has been our experience. 
I had a friend who arrived in one gate, her next flight was at the very next gate.  She had time to get off, go to the washroom and arrive for boarding just to be told she is no longer on that flight.  She could get there but her bag couldn't. 

[DirtyDawg]

9 minutes ago, 1kaper said:

I have always packed a couple of outfits in my carry on along with essentials in case my checked bag gets lost.  I have a good credit card that will allow me to buy some things to get by if my checked bag is lost (I'm always excited to get new stuff for free). So I don't really mind by checked bag being delayed.  
But until this mess is cleared up, we will be travelling carry on only.  
We have found that if you end up with a tight connection with a checked bag, they won't put you on the next flight if your bag can't make it.  If you are carry on and can make the flight, you can get on.  At least has been our experience. 
I had a friend who arrived in one gate, her next flight was at the very next gate.  She had time to get off, go to the washroom and arrive for boarding just to be told she is no longer on that flight.  She could get there but her bag couldn't. 

It sounds like we have similar lost bag coverage. Years ago on a family vacation in Florida I brought my golf clubs down with me. When we arrived in Florida the golf bag was there but not my checked -in luggage which had my golf shoes and most of my clothing - but all my golf clothing. The checked-in bag did not show up at all that day so early the next morning, prior to my round I went to the pro shop and re-equipped myself. Of course, this pro shop only carried the best in shoes, hats, golf pants, shirts etc. I looked like Payne Steward out on the course that day! Of course I still played like Happy Gilmore..... 🏌️‍♂️ 😁

[1kaper]

Just now, DirtyDawg said:

It sounds like we have similar lost bag coverage. Years ago on a family vacation in Florida I brought my golf clubs down with me. When we arrived in Florida the golf bag was there but not my checked -in luggage which had my golf shoes and most of my clothing - but all my golf clothing. The checked-in bag did not show up at all that day so early the next morning, prior to my round I went to the pro shop and re-equipped myself. Of course, this pro shop only carried the best in shoes, hats, golf pants, shirts etc. I looked like Payne Steward out on the course that day! Of course I still played like Happy Gilmore..... 🏌️‍♂️ 😁

This is my dream!  A few years ago I had my running shoes/clothes packed in my luggage that was delayed.  I didn't realize then I could have bought a new pair/outfit.  Now that I know, I haven't had a delayed bag yet. 

[Oceangoer2]

On 7/11/2022 at 11:41 AM, netpj said:

As an aside, we flew on Westjet from Terminal 3 at Pearson on Saturday, late morning.  No problems at all and we arrived in Vancouver on time and with our luggage.

That's good news....we've never flown WJ before and I had concerns it may have the same baggage and flight delays as AC.

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, Oceangoer2 said:

That's good news....we've never flown WJ before and I had concerns it may have the same baggage and flight delays as AC.

This story this morning from Global shows that flying WestJet can be as frustrating and tiresome as flying with Air Canada.

 

https://globalnews.ca/news/8989442/westjet-major-delay-thursday-canada-travel/ 

[Mikamarii]

We fly exclusively with WestJet. We’ve never experienced delays, cancellations, or lost luggage. Not to say it doesn’t happen with them but we love them. When we used to fly air Canada one leg of the flight (usually a connection in the USA) was always oversold or delayed. 

on a side note the Wj Mastercard is one of the best travel cards on the market imo. Between the 99$ companion flight (in NA) and free checked bags it’s worth it.  Even if you never use the card, simply having it gives you the free checked bags and annual companion flight. For our family of four that saves us 200$ alone in bag fees every trip. If my family comes with us I’ll book their flights on my card when I book mine and they get the free checked bags too (up to eight). Annual fee I think is 120. No I don’t work for WestJet haha. 

[Fouremco]

6 minutes ago, Mikamarii said:

We fly exclusively with WestJet. We’ve never experienced delays, cancellations, or lost luggage. Not to say it doesn’t happen with them but we love them. When we used to fly air Canada one leg of the flight (usually a connection in the USA) was always oversold or delayed. 

on a side note the Wj Mastercard is one of the best travel cards on the market imo. Between the 99$ companion flight (in NA) and free checked bags it’s worth it.  Even if you never use the card, simply having it gives you the free checked bags and annual companion flight. For our family of four that saves us 200$ alone in bag fees every trip. If my family comes with us I’ll book their flights on my card when I book mine and they get the free checked bags too (up to eight). Annual fee I think is 120. No I don’t work for WestJet haha. 

I was one of the very early WJ MasterCard holders and flew almost exclusively with WJ for a number of years. Then I ran into a series of incidents with WJ that resulted in my cancelling the credit card and flying with other lines. In most cases, the incidents weren't terribly serious on an individual basis, but collectively they were an increasing annoyance, particularly when WJ's response was essentially "so what?" For example, on one of our last flights, we had ordered and paid for in-flight meals. The pilot helped himself to my meal, and the cabin crew member's attitude was "tough luck!" Not even an offer of restitution. Shortly after that incident, we needed to fly from Montreal to Boston to embark on a cruise ending in Montreal. As the only flight with WJ was through Pearson with a long delay and  higher cost, we booked a quick, direct flight with AC. It was an excellent flight and the end of our WJ patronage.

 

In the early years, I encouraged my DS and DIL to each get the WF MC, giving them two companion flight, one for each child. They've been very happy with WJ so far, and have never experienced any of the problems we encountered. So even within the same family, people can have widely different experiences. 

[Magicat]

Sounds like @Fouremco and I have had similar experiences with West Jet.  I think I had 6 flight with them and 5 all had issues with giving our business class seats away to travelling employees to changing our selected seats.  And yes, the same response from customer service.  

As ex-military I get 4 free bags on WJ but unless they are the only solution I would not fly them.

[Fouremco]

16 minutes ago, Magicat said:

Sounds like @Fouremco and I have had similar experiences with West Jet.  I think I had 6 flight with them and 5 all had issues with giving our business class seats away to travelling employees to changing our selected seats.  And yes, the same response from customer service.  

As ex-military I get 4 free bags on WJ but unless they are the only solution I would not fly them.

If you are a CFOne member, you also get 3 free bags with Air Canada and varying benefits with other airlines.

[1kaper]

1 hour ago, Mikamarii said:

We fly exclusively with WestJet. We’ve never experienced delays, cancellations, or lost luggage. Not to say it doesn’t happen with them but we love them. When we used to fly air Canada one leg of the flight (usually a connection in the USA) was always oversold or delayed. 

on a side note the Wj Mastercard is one of the best travel cards on the market imo. Between the 99$ companion flight (in NA) and free checked bags it’s worth it.  Even if you never use the card, simply having it gives you the free checked bags and annual companion flight. For our family of four that saves us 200$ alone in bag fees every trip. If my family comes with us I’ll book their flights on my card when I book mine and they get the free checked bags too (up to eight). Annual fee I think is 120. No I don’t work for WestJet haha. 

 

 

I used to fly exclusively with WJ.  But when covid hit, we are virtually always having to connect through Toronto, the experience became much more difficult.  Having to leave the secure area and go through security/customs was too much stress.  
With AC, connections have been easy.  
Plus WJ cancelled a number of flights from our local airport.  To fly with them anywhere from here involves a 12+ hour layover somewhere.  

For that reason I've moved away from WJ and started booking with AC.  

I considered the card but given the state of flying with them, it isn't worth it for me.  We had leftover WJ credits from a cancelled early covid trip and it was a nightmare just to find somewhere to go that didn't end up costing a fortune and 24 hours in travel on each end. 

[Mikamarii]

Maybe it's an east coast/west coast thing haha. 

 

We do everything we can to avoid Pearson and if we have no choice we stay the night at the attached hotel. For us westjet offers connections through calgary when going to the eastern states where as AC usually connects through the US (typically denver or utah). Our leg from Canada to the US is always on one of those gawd awful two seater plans. As some who is 6'6 I can't stand them!

[1kaper]

14 minutes ago, Mikamarii said:

Maybe it's an east coast/west coast thing haha. 

 

We do everything we can to avoid Pearson and if we have no choice we stay the night at the attached hotel. For us westjet offers connections through calgary when going to the eastern states where as AC usually connects through the US (typically denver or utah). Our leg from Canada to the US is always on one of those gawd awful two seater plans. As some who is 6'6 I can't stand them!

 

Yes, it seems WJ is focusing more on the West coast at the moment.  

You may have missed my post here where I was travelling in September with my husband and the bid to upgrade on WJ to Toronto was like $30 a person.  I was so excited, I jumped on it.  Then I was checking on something else - I was bringing a bicycle and knew at least one other person on my flight was so I wanted to see how big the plane was - and found out it was  Dash 8.  Literally the exact same seats, just a fancy leather head rest cover.  
We were happy to have booked it in the end though.  The priority luggage and boarding plus mimosas onboard ended up being worth it. 

[ShopperfiendTO]

2 hours ago, Mikamarii said:

We fly exclusively with WestJet. We’ve never experienced delays, cancellations, or lost luggage. Not to say it doesn’t happen with them but we love them. When we used to fly air Canada one leg of the flight (usually a connection in the USA) was always oversold or delayed. 

on a side note the Wj Mastercard is one of the best travel cards on the market imo. Between the 99$ companion flight (in NA) and free checked bags it’s worth it.  Even if you never use the card, simply having it gives you the free checked bags and annual companion flight. For our family of four that saves us 200$ alone in bag fees every trip. If my family comes with us I’ll book their flights on my card when I book mine and they get the free checked bags too (up to eight). Annual fee I think is 120. No I don’t work for WestJet haha. 

 

The companion flight fare for continental NA was increased to $119 a while ago.

 

Also, keep in mind that this is just the "fare" part of the price of the ticket.  There are oodles of other charges on top of that so that the actual final amount paid for that companion's ticket ends up being twice that or more. 

 

In some instances (i.e., seat sales), you could actually be paying more if you used the companion fare voucher than if you just bought the sale fare for your companion (in which case you should not use the companion fare for that itinerary). 

 

Note that companion vouchers are not combinable with codes that you usually have to enter when there are seat sales (for example, you can't use a 15% off seat sale code for yourself and a companion voucher to have the $119 fare for your companion).

[Magicat]

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

If you are a CFOne member, you also get 3 free bags with Air Canada and varying benefits with other airlines.

I wonder if I could combine the CFOne with my status on Air Canada?  Although schlepping 2 bags to the airport is a chore I can't imagine lugging 5!  And being part of the working class, I don't have enough vacation time to warrant that much luggage.😂 

 

And as a CFOne member you have no restriction on the amount of luggage on Via Rail.

 

Edited July 14, 2022 by Magicat

[Fouremco]

5 minutes ago, Magicat said:

And as a CFOne member you have no restriction on the amount of luggage on Via Rail.

 

Not to mention a 25% fare discount. Great for getting to YUL.

[bookbabe]

We fly almost exclusively with WJ and usually only with AC or another airline if our destination isn’t served by WJ.  We fly multiple times a month in normal times.  We have had the odd snag with WJ, but they’ve always been resolved to our satisfaction with great service, unlike our experience with AC.  With AC, at the very least we suffer through a flight with cranky flight crews and airport chaos.

 

We flew WJ internationally out of Pearson T3 Sunday morning, and got through security so fast that we ended up with extra time for a lengthy lounge visit.  No issues with the flight, on time, etc.  

 

So experiences definitely vary from day to day and from person to person.

[happytotravel]

Hi All,

My cruise is in September from Montreal to NY with Air Canada.  I'm planning to travel with only a

carry-on this time.  It's enough hoping the flight is on time, as the the cruise is the same day,  without worrying if the luggage shows up. 

 

Yes, I know I should have booked the day before, like other years, but unfortunately I didn't.  I'll just keep my fingers crossed.

happytotravel

[xcell]

16 hours ago, Mikamarii said:

Maybe it's an east coast/west coast thing haha. 

 

We do everything we can to avoid Pearson and if we have no choice we stay the night at the attached hotel. For us westjet offers connections through calgary when going to the eastern states where as AC usually connects through the US (typically denver or utah). Our leg from Canada to the US is always on one of those gawd awful two seater plans. As some who is 6'6 I can't stand them!

 

Funny - I'm in Toronto and we avoid any flight that connects through Montreal. I don't think any airline is perfect, I favored WJ but then had a bad experience, so went to AC< then lost all my aeroplan  and was annoyed with AC, so back to WJ...

 

Currently, I am flying to Miami with AC but they cancelled my flight and DW only wants direct (not through Montreal), so let's see how AC does this time, might be jumping back to WJ.

[gnome12]

8 minutes ago, xcell said:

 

Funny - I'm in Toronto and we avoid any flight that connects through Montreal. I don't think any airline is perfect, I favored WJ but then had a bad experience, so went to AC< then lost all my aeroplan  and was annoyed with AC, so back to WJ...

 

Currently, I am flying to Miami with AC but they cancelled my flight and DW only wants direct (not through Montreal), so let's see how AC does this time, might be jumping back to WJ.

I think the distinction is that we start in Toronto, so anything but a direct flight is something to be avoided. If you have to connect through one or the other (especially now), I would probably avoid Pearson too. 
 

I saw an article about delays by airport from April -June and Pearson was number 1 in North America. Not a commendation!

[NetworkGuy]

When we were booking our NYC - Quebec City, our TA said to start in NYC (we are taking a car service to the port) and flying home from Montreal. She said with the state of the airlines, canceling flights and delays in luggage, it will not matter on the trip home. Worst case, we can spend and extra day in Canada or if our luggage does not make our flight, they can just deliver it to our home.

 

Sounds like it was the right choice to make.