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Since international flights to Europe are not a hot seller right now, WestJet has repurposed their new 787 Dreamliner to run a domestic route instead – Vancouver (YVR) to Toronto (YYZ).
In 2019, WestJet debuted their new 787 Dreamliner with impressive lay-flat ‘pods’ in business class, very exclusive Premium economy section, and brand spanking new economy class. The planes were ordered to service mostly international routes, including Calgary to London, Dublin, Paris, Rome and Hawaii.
Since international travel is understandably down right now, Westjet will run the 787 Dreamliner five-times weekly between Vancouver and Toronto.
Never before have WestJet passengers had the option of lie-flat business class pods on flights between Vancouver and Toronto.
“We are thrilled to welcome WestJet's newest aircraft, the state-of-the-art 787 Dreamliner, to YVR for the first time,” said Robyn McVicker, Vice-President, Operations & Maintenance, Vancouver Airport Authority. “We greatly value our long-time partner WestJet and the introduction of this signature aircraft at YVR is an example of their ongoing investment in British Columbia.”
The new 787 route will run on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, departing Vancouver at 9:00am on route to Toronto and departing Toronto at 5:15pm, returning back to Vancouver.
WestJet already runs the 787 Dreamliner from Calgary to Toronto, so the new Vancouver-Toronto will be the 2nd domestic route for the aircraft.
“The Dreamliner offers our guests the highest safety and health standards as well as an extremely comfortable inflight experience,” said John Weatherill, WestJet Vice-President Network Planning and Revenue. “We are proud our signature aircraft is now flying non-stop service between two of Canada's major cities and two of our hub airports.”
The 787 Dreamliner is truly an impressive aircraft.
Upfront, there are 16 lie-flat business class seats, and although service is slightly modified now due to Covid, still offers tons of space and comfort.
In the middle of the plane, 28 Premium Economy seats can be found in their own section that resemble a ‘business class’ type section on other aircraft that Canadians are used to flying in.
In the back of the plane, two sections of Economy seats in a 3-3-3 configuration, seating up to 276 guests.
How much?
While flight prices are subject to change based on how many people have booked, we found one-way prices from Vancouver to Toronto, starting around:
$200 for Economy
$850 for Premium Economy
$1000 for Business
WestJet has made some changes to their service during the pandemic, including more health regulations and sanitation protocols.
- All guests over 2 years of age are required to wear a mask
- Temperature checks will be done at most Canadian airports
- Electrostatic fogging will be done on the aircraft for enhanced cleaning
- Disinfecting wipes are given to all passengers, so they can wipe their seats down
- Hospital-grade HEPA filters are used to safely circulate air within the cabin
- For flights over 60 minutes, a bottle of water and a small snack will be at the seats at time of boarding to reduce contact
WestJet has also launched their ‘Book With Confidence’ program that waives fees to change or cancel flights that are booked before December 31.
Read More: See all countries that have reopened for Canadian tourists, and which companies are offering travel insurance that covers covid
Sources: Westjet
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