Review: WestJet Business Class (787-9)

Earlier this year I booked a Mexico trip for myself and a few close friends for a brief week getaway. We had accrued a significant amount of WestJet Dollars thanks to credit card welcome bonuses, and as such, were looking to burn them on a more unique redemption. So I booked all three passengers on a one-way WestJet Business class flight.

While we have touched on Air Canada Signature class and Air Canada Business class in prior reviews, WestJet Business Class is somewhat of a unicorn in that it is much more difficult to redeem miles and points to fly this product.

Let’s take a look at our review of WestJet Business class on the Boeing 787-9 to see if it is worth the redemption.

Booking WestJet Business Class

I booked this flight through the WestJet Rewards program and redeemed a hefty chunk of WestJet Dollars to make the booking possible, resulting in the only cash expense being the taxes and fees. The cash cost was $930 per person including all taxes and fees. The base fare of $775 per person was covered by WestJet Dollars and the remaining $155 in taxes and fees was paid out of pocket.

If you are looking to accrue WestJet Dollars to fly WestJet business class, the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard is your best option as it not only offers a strong welcome bonus but also numerous other perks for use on WestJet flights. RBC Avion also transfers to WestJet Rewards, so the RBC Avion Visa Infinite card is another great option to consider.

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WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard

The WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard earns WestJet dollars and offers cardholders benefits on WestJet flights including an annual companion fare and a first free checked bag.

Check out our WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard review for more details.

BONUS
450 WestJet dollars

MINSPEND
$5,000

NET VALUE
$331+

ANNUAL FEE
$119

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
Jul 31, 2024

The main thing to be aware of when booking WestJet Business class is that while you can redeem WestJet Dollars towards the cost of the booking, you cannot apply a WestJet Companion Voucher towards a business class fare. Companion vouchers can only be applied towards flight bookings that are for WestJet Premium Economy and below.

Cabin Arrangement

WestJet Business Class on the Boeing 787-9 is a relatively small and intimate 16-seat cabin, arranged in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone seating layout with all seats angled away from the aisle.

All seats have direct aisle access and as a result, there isn’t a bad seat to be had in this cabin. The real question is if you prefer a window or middle seat, and this may depend on if you are traveling with a companion. Additionally, there is one bathroom available on the front left side of the business class cabin.

Seat

For this flight, I selected seat 2A which is a window seat. My companions were seated in 2D and 2F, the two middle seats right beside my seat. Each window seat in business class has two available windows.

Upon boarding, a pillow and blanket were already placed on the seat. Since this was a mid-day flight, I wasn’t planning on using them but it was nice to have them available for comfort.

Directly to the left of the seat was a literature pocket.

Directly below the windows are the two main storage compartments. The smaller compartment on the left had a mirror which was a nice touch. The storage compartment on the right is where the entertainment console remote and plugs are located if you are looking to charge your devices in flight.

The touchscreen seat controls were below the storage compartment.

Directly ahead was the entertainment console which was 18.5 inches in size. While it wasn’t comparable to the massive screens on ANA’s The Room business class, the monitor was quite modern and featured vibrant colors.

The tray table was stored below the entertainment console and was easily released and extended for meal service.

The footwell was the standard size for business class seats in a reverse herringbone cabin arrangement.

Finally, there was one last storage compartment in the armrest located next to the aisle. This contained the headset for the entertainment console and a bottle of water.

While my companions were seated in seats 2D and 2F, they were identical to seat 2A. The only difference is that there is a privacy divider that can be opened horizontally if you are flying with a companion.

Overall, the seats were fantastic and it was great to see the WestJet colors highlighted throughout the design of the business cabin.

Bed

While I didn’t sleep during this mid-day flight, the seat transformed into a lie-flat bed with the push of a button.

It was comfortable enough and would suffice to get a few hours of sleep if this was an overnight or red-eye flight. There was enough space to sleep either on your back, stomach, or side.

Amenity Kit

Since this was a short five-hour and fifteen-minute flight within North America, no amenity kit was provided.

Dining

Once I boarded and settled in my seat, the flight attendant came around and offered a pre-departure beverage of orange juice, sparkling wine, or a mimosa. I opted for a mimosa, which was served in nice glassware.

The menu was also provided in advance of take-off. It was similar to what was offered on WestJet Premium Economy, which was to be expected on this shorter daytime flight. The flight attendants took meal choices and beverage choices before departure which was efficient.

I ordered the herb and garlic chicken breast with potatoes. It was also served with a salad, bread, and caramel cheesecake for dessert. The meal was served all on one tray.

I followed up the meal service with a coffee, which was presented with a ceramic carafe of cream.

Dining in WestJet Business class was on par with what I have experienced in WestJet Premium Economy in the past. The menus are more robust if you are flying an international route, but for any North American flight, you can expect something similar to the above.

Entertainment

Entertainment Console

The movie and television show selection was identical to what you can view on the WestJet Connect service when flying any of their WestJet Connect enabled aircrafts. Needless to say, there was a pretty solid selection of current blockbusters and favorites, making it easy to keep entertained during this short flight.

Headphones were provided for the entertainment console in one of the storage units and they were adequate.

The most unique thing about the entertainment console is that since the windows can be dimmed electronically, this can also be done from the entertainment console. It was a neat feature, especially since many business class products still have the traditional physical shades on the windows.

WiFi

In-flight WiFi was offered on this flight and was priced similarly to other WestJet flights. However, the best option for accessing WestJet WiFi for free is to take advantage of the complimentary Boingo WiFi membership offered on many World Elite credit cards, including the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard.

Through Boingo, eligible cardholders can access WiFi on WestJet flights for a 90-minute session up to 12 times per calendar year. While a small benefit, it can add up and is better than paying out of pocket to connect to the internet on your next WestJet flight.

Conclusion

While it was a short five-hour flight, my WestJet Business class experience was excellent thanks to a very strong hard business class product and excellent service by the flight attendants. It definitely felt like an exclusive experience with the smaller cabin, and this would be an enjoyable way to fly internationally. 

While it is hard to redeem miles and points for WestJet Business class, if you can make it happen, it might be a great use of your WestJet Dollars if you are looking to splurge.