It was my first WestJet flight so I will spend some time to review on the flight for those who have not taken WestJet before.
It was a small plane, 6 seats, 3 on each side. Black leather seats with surprisingly sufficient legroom and overhead cabin. In fact, we thought it was more spacious than the Air Canada flight that we took from Vancouver to Toronto last November.
There was no display TV, so it was a good thing I brought my ipad. We were watching the Korean dramas that I already downloaded from Funshion.
The take off was smooth and the flight crew was friendly. However, the landing was quite an adventure. I am not sure it was because of strong winds in Las Vegas, we experienced quite a roller coaster like drops. It definitely made us wonder if we would take WestJet again.
On the flight back from Las Vegas, we were really lucky to get one of the PLUS seats in the first 3 rows. It had extra long legroom and both the take off and landing were smooth. Thus, on the whole, I would definitely fly by WestJet again.
Showing posts with label WestJet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WestJet. Show all posts
Friday, 28 June 2013
Las Vegas - Day 1: Checking in and clearing US immigration at Vancouver Airport
I am usually a night person but for some reason, both my husband and I were quite tired by 10 pm on Friday evening (a day before the trip). It was the first time that we both decided to sleep and pack the next morning. (Our flight was at 10 am the next day).
It was a good thing that we both woke up @ 6 am before the alarm even rang. We finished packing in 30 mins and even had time to have a leisurely breakfast and surfed the internet before leaving for the airport @ 7:30 am. If only we could this up for the next few days, we would be up bright and early for our drive to Grand Canyon.
We tried to do online check-in from the WestJet website but were unable to complete the transaction. I suspect that it was due to the fact that I was carrying a Singapore passport instead of a Canadian passport and require an ESTA authorization. The WestJet online check-in system was not able to verify if I had a valid ESTA.
Checking in at the Vancouver was easy except that we had a new WestJet staff checking us in and he could not figure out how to check on the ESTA status for me and instead of giving us boarding passes with 2 different names (my husband's and mine), he gave us boarding passes both with my husband's name. Always check the names and flight details on the boarding passes. Of course, we did not check and we were happily dropping off our baggage at the baggage drop off area when the airport staff realized the mistake (fortunately the check-in baggage was tagged to my name and I did not have a boarding pass) and sent us back to the check-in counter to get that corrected.
I was glad that we cleared the US immigration at the Vancouver airport. There was hardly any queue and the immigration officer was extremely friendly. It made us wonder if he was Canadian. He even checked and told us that as a Canadian Permanent Resident, I could apply for NEXUS too. I just assumed that NEXUS was only for Canadian and American Citizens. It would be so much faster to clear the US-Canadian Border to go shopping at Seattle Premium Outlet in the future.
While waiting at the Vancouver airport before we board the flight, we checked out an interesting collection of Disney Characters - Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goody and Pluto.
We were contemplating if we should buy some sandwiches for the flight. After our last surprise on Air Canada last November from Vancouver to Toronto (food was available for purchase on the flight but by the time the flight attendant got to us, there was nothing left), we decided to buy the C$7.99+ Turkey Sandwiches at the airport before we board the flight. It was a good decision as those Turkey sandwiches were surprisingly good. The counter was just in front of the gate for our flight to Las Vegas, so do grab the Turkey sandwich before you board.
It was a good thing that we both woke up @ 6 am before the alarm even rang. We finished packing in 30 mins and even had time to have a leisurely breakfast and surfed the internet before leaving for the airport @ 7:30 am. If only we could this up for the next few days, we would be up bright and early for our drive to Grand Canyon.
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| Donald Duck @ YVR |
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| Mickey Mouse @ YVR |
I was glad that we cleared the US immigration at the Vancouver airport. There was hardly any queue and the immigration officer was extremely friendly. It made us wonder if he was Canadian. He even checked and told us that as a Canadian Permanent Resident, I could apply for NEXUS too. I just assumed that NEXUS was only for Canadian and American Citizens. It would be so much faster to clear the US-Canadian Border to go shopping at Seattle Premium Outlet in the future.
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| Pluto @ YVR |
While waiting at the Vancouver airport before we board the flight, we checked out an interesting collection of Disney Characters - Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goody and Pluto.
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| Goofy @ YVR |
Las Vegas - Trip Preparation - Fly WestJet from Vancouver to Las Vegas - Don't bother driving unless you love driving and road trips!
It was a last minute trip decision. My husband has not taken a break since he started on his new job a year ago and he has always wanted to go to Las Vegas. We were initially thinking of waiting till later part of the summer but when I checked the temperature in Las Vegas in July and August, I was shocked to see that temperatures are in the 40s! (or 100s in Degree F!)
We talked about going to Las Vegas on 19 Jun 2013, booked the air tickets, car rental and accommodation and left for Las Vegas on 22 Jun 2013.
Our initial plan is to DRIVE to Las Vegas since the cheapest direct flight we could find was on Westjet and each ticket would set us back by C$440 + tax! That would be C$900 + just to get there by plane. Why not drive there from Vancouver? Great idea? NO!!!! We checked on google maps and realized that it would take us at least 19.5 hours (NON stop) to drive to Las Vegas from Vancouver. And that is just one way. So, if we drive non-stop there and non stop back, we would have wasted 2 days on driving, not to mention we would be exhausted by the end of the drive.
Next alternative, make 1 stop on the way there and 1 stop on the way back? Still along drive. 10 hours per day, non stop. 2 stops? We started scratching our head on where we could make 2 interesting and meaningful stops along the way but changed our mind since we would have to waste 4 days to get there and back. 4 more nights of accommodation would prob set us back by C$400, not to mention the gas, food and car rental expenses (we didn't want to put all those extra mileage on our own car) and 4 extra days from work.
Our conclusion is that unless you are driving your own car, you are not working and you really love road trips , it is really not worth the extra time and effort to drive to all the way from Vancouver to Las Vegas!
The next alternative is to how about flying from Blaine to Las Vegas instead of Vancouver to Las Vegas since flights within the US are more competitively priced. We checked and the difference in price is about C$100 per pax. Not a bad option if there are 4 of us. Since it is just 2 of us, the savings is only C$200. It is prob not worth crossing the border (since we did not apply for NEXUS) just to save C$200 and leaving our car at the Blaine airport parking for 5 days (prob set us back by another C$100 @ C$20/day).
Among the airlines, Westjet was the cheapest and the timing is the best. The flight leaves @ 10 am from Vancouver and arrives at 12:30 pm in Las Vegas. Our return flight leaves Las Vegas @ 10 pm and arrives in Vancouver @ 12:30 am.
One additional note though, if you are not carrying a Canadian Passport and are from one of the visa-waiver countries like Singapore, you will need have a valid ESTA to fly into the US. It can be done online and for me the approval was immediate and cost $14. $10 will be refunded if the application is rejected. The ESTA is valid for 2 years from the approval date. The US immigration will have it on its system but it is advisable to bring a copy of the receipt in case the airlines. I highly recommend that you apply for ETSA if it is required before you proceed with the booking the rest of the tour. You do not need to put in flight details for the application.
If you are planning a trip from Vancouver to Las Vegas, I highly recommend WestJet. The flight was pleasant, timing was great and you arrive fresh in Las Vegas to start your fun right away!
We talked about going to Las Vegas on 19 Jun 2013, booked the air tickets, car rental and accommodation and left for Las Vegas on 22 Jun 2013.
Our initial plan is to DRIVE to Las Vegas since the cheapest direct flight we could find was on Westjet and each ticket would set us back by C$440 + tax! That would be C$900 + just to get there by plane. Why not drive there from Vancouver? Great idea? NO!!!! We checked on google maps and realized that it would take us at least 19.5 hours (NON stop) to drive to Las Vegas from Vancouver. And that is just one way. So, if we drive non-stop there and non stop back, we would have wasted 2 days on driving, not to mention we would be exhausted by the end of the drive.
Next alternative, make 1 stop on the way there and 1 stop on the way back? Still along drive. 10 hours per day, non stop. 2 stops? We started scratching our head on where we could make 2 interesting and meaningful stops along the way but changed our mind since we would have to waste 4 days to get there and back. 4 more nights of accommodation would prob set us back by C$400, not to mention the gas, food and car rental expenses (we didn't want to put all those extra mileage on our own car) and 4 extra days from work.
Our conclusion is that unless you are driving your own car, you are not working and you really love road trips , it is really not worth the extra time and effort to drive to all the way from Vancouver to Las Vegas!
The next alternative is to how about flying from Blaine to Las Vegas instead of Vancouver to Las Vegas since flights within the US are more competitively priced. We checked and the difference in price is about C$100 per pax. Not a bad option if there are 4 of us. Since it is just 2 of us, the savings is only C$200. It is prob not worth crossing the border (since we did not apply for NEXUS) just to save C$200 and leaving our car at the Blaine airport parking for 5 days (prob set us back by another C$100 @ C$20/day).
Among the airlines, Westjet was the cheapest and the timing is the best. The flight leaves @ 10 am from Vancouver and arrives at 12:30 pm in Las Vegas. Our return flight leaves Las Vegas @ 10 pm and arrives in Vancouver @ 12:30 am.
One additional note though, if you are not carrying a Canadian Passport and are from one of the visa-waiver countries like Singapore, you will need have a valid ESTA to fly into the US. It can be done online and for me the approval was immediate and cost $14. $10 will be refunded if the application is rejected. The ESTA is valid for 2 years from the approval date. The US immigration will have it on its system but it is advisable to bring a copy of the receipt in case the airlines. I highly recommend that you apply for ETSA if it is required before you proceed with the booking the rest of the tour. You do not need to put in flight details for the application.
If you are planning a trip from Vancouver to Las Vegas, I highly recommend WestJet. The flight was pleasant, timing was great and you arrive fresh in Las Vegas to start your fun right away!
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