Maverick Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Not gonna lie, pretty excited about this! WestJet's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner takes flight from Everett, Washington EVERETT, Wash. – WestJet's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner took to the skies for the first time Saturday, successfully completing its initial test flight with more scheduled. The airplane is the first of 10 787s on firm order for the Canadian low-cost carrier. WestJet expects to take delivery of the 787 in the coming weeks, with an eye to launch trans-Atlantic flights between Calgary, Canada, and London Gatwick starting April 28. The airline will add Dreamliner service between Calgary and Paris Charles de Gaulle on May 17 and between Calgary and Dublin, Ireland, on June 1. The cabin on WestJet's 787s will be arranged in a three-class configuration, seating 304 total. The airline is using the opportunity to unveil a swank new business class cabin that will feature on-demand dining and turndown service for the 16-passenger section. The seat appears to be the popular lie-flat B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seat that's also used by national rival Air Canada. TODAY IN THE SKY: Delta partner WestJet adds Atlanta flights A small premium-economy cabin will seat 28, with a product that looks similar to a typical first-class seat seen in domestic flights within Canada and the United States. The remaining 260 passengers in economy will sit in a 3-3-3 configuration. The airline says each seat will have TVs and power. The first Boeing 787 due to Canadian low-cost airline WestJet lands at Boeing's factory in Everett, Washington, after its first flight on Jan. 5, 2019. (Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, special to USA TODAY) https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2019/01/06/westjet-airlines-first-boeing-787-dreamliner-takes-flight-everett/2495398002/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blues deville Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Looks very nice. Lose the graphically challenged tail logo and it’s perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thor Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 80 Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 I still have a very bad feeling about this endeavor, a lot of things have to line-up perfectly for the 787s to earn their keep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Do they come with an automatic ETOPs or will they have to be flown for awhile between points in Canada to build up the experience time? If so Domestic passengers will def. enjoy the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 17 minutes ago, Malcolm said: Do they come with an automatic ETOPs or will they have to be flown for awhile between points in Canada to build up the experience time? If so Domestic passengers will def. enjoy the experience. I hate to keep reminding you Malcolm...NOT passengers ..........................GUESTS !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 39 minutes ago, Kip Powick said: I hate to keep reminding you Malcolm...NOT passengers ..........................GUESTS !! Naughty Kip, no trolling allowed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.O. Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 2 hours ago, Malcolm said: Do they come with an automatic ETOPs or will they have to be flown for awhile between points in Canada to build up the experience time? If so Domestic passengers will def. enjoy the experience. WestJet has an approved ETOPS program for the 767 so the addition of the 787 should be a fairly straightforward endeavour after some domestic proving runs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 59 minutes ago, J.O. said: WestJet has an approved ETOPS program for the 767 so the addition of the 787 should be a fairly straightforward endeavour after some domestic proving runs. good to hear. It will be interesting to follow it's introduction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick Posted January 8, 2019 Author Share Posted January 8, 2019 8 hours ago, Super 80 said: I still have a very bad feeling about this endeavor, a lot of things have to line-up perfectly for the 787s to earn their keep. Unsurprisingly "internet" agreed with you. That being said, I have some concerns but the same whinging went on when WJ started Hawai'i and that turned out okay. Yes, the 787 is expensive but I like the feed system and I also like that WJ has always been very willing to change if something doesn't work. I like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blues deville Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 The 787 has had its share of issues since its introduction by Boeing and Japan’s ANA. I think at one point ANA were ready to return all of their planes to Seattle due to electrical and engine problems. I don’t think the battery fire defect was ever completely resolved. Boeing just put the whole unit in a container that is vented to the outside. Hopefully Westjet can have a good start up without any mechanical delays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
internet Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 11 hours ago, Maverick said: Unsurprisingly "internet" agreed with you. That being said, I have some concerns but the same whinging went on when WJ started Hawai'i and that turned out okay. Yes, the 787 is expensive but I like the feed system and I also like that WJ has always been very willing to change if something doesn't work. I like this. Sorry to make your day - it’s a really ugly livery on a massively expensive airplane with far more capabilities than required. See the next 4 AC A330’s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 80 Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 12 hours ago, Maverick said: Unsurprisingly "internet" agreed with you. That being said, I have some concerns but the same whinging went on when WJ started Hawai'i and that turned out okay. Yes, the 787 is expensive but I like the feed system and I also like that WJ has always been very willing to change if something doesn't work. I like this. Hawaii was nowhere near as ambitious or as risky. The 787 endeavor requires a lot more than just ETOPS and 130 people who want to go to Maui. WestJet has to execute flawlessly and the stars have to align perfectly where the economy, alliances and slots at international destinations are concerned for the 787 to be a success. If WestJet announced instead that they were buying more 767-300ER or 777-200s or A330s I wouldn't have any real concerns about their further international expansion, but WestJet appears to be embarking on this in just about the most expensive way possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.O. Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 WestJet loyalty members just received an email with the following 787 startup schedule: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudder Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 Imagine making your primary 787 departure hub Calgary, AB. Smaller city. Small catchment area. Weak economy. Great choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 16 minutes ago, rudder said: Imagine making your primary 787 departure hub Calgary, AB. Smaller city. Small catchment area. Weak economy. Great choice. wise decision considering the limited number of aircraft to start and of course the mtce available at YYC. One thing though, it appears that the aircraft arrives in LGW at 11am and returns to YYC at 1300 or will there be 2 aircraft as of April 28th. If not is a 2 hour turn for a 787 realistic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 80 Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 53 minutes ago, rudder said: Imagine making your primary 787 departure hub Calgary, AB. Smaller city. Small catchment area. Weak economy. Great choice. How many widebodies can WestJet realistically operate from Terminal 3? What was the outcome of the Infield Terminal pilot project? (not WestJet) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpy Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 Charlotte NC is a huge hub for American. They move 25 million people through there a year. From a city smaller than Calgary with a population of 800,000. Sometimes it’s not about the city itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 80 Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 Huh? There are more than three million people in the Charlotte metropolitan area if you include Richland County in South Carolina which has little service locally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conehead Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 19 hours ago, Malcolm said: ...is a 2 hour turn for a 787 realistic? Absolutely. But there are always hiccups, thus delays, so I suspect there will be 2 ships involved at first. We shall see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvlchange Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 The 67 should be able to back up the operation too. Guess we will see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadaEH Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 6 hours ago, lvlchange said: The 67 should be able to back up the operation too. Guess we will see. That's the plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 On 1/9/2019 at 12:25 PM, Malcolm said: is a 2 hour turn for a 787 realistic? Turn time is a function of dedicated manpower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 8 minutes ago, Fido said: Turn time is a function of dedicated manpower I well know that but containers off / containers on. Grooming and then of course catering off and catering on. Then guests etc etc Thus my question re if 2hrs was realistic for that type of aircraft at an overseas point requiring full replenishing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boestar Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 will they be moving cargo? if not then the belly load is significantly quicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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