From Cathay First to homeless at YVR

From Cathay First to homeless at YVR

With thank yous all around to this wonderful CX crew, I sadly deplane a little after 3AM, or some 5 hours until my connecting flight. While most international airports have a walled secured area to funnel pax to C&I, YVR is interesting in that you are high above the departure area in glass walled walkways. Down below, is the departure gate for the continuation of CX889 with a posted 3:50A departure. OMG, who would want to depart any airport at 4AM or even the scheduled 3AM? Easy C&I tonight even without NEXUS. But I love using NEXUS since I get to bypass C&I agents and just hand in my NEXUS receipt as I exit.

As some of you know, there are SFO777 hotels and there are Mrs. SFO777 hotels. On business, MRs or flying solo, I'm basically a cheapskate on the ground. I had booked a $56 room at the Travelodge on hotwire, figuring we'd arrive around 2AM. But now just after 3AM and with the departure level check-in area looking reasonably safe and the no-armrest chairs plentiful, I'm thinking why not? No need to hassle with getting a shuttle/taxi there and back a couple of hours later. I set my iphone alarm for 5AM, and secured my backpack around my arm and dozed off and on for a couple of hours.

Just after 5AM, I noticed activity at the WS counter with a 1/2 dozen WS staffers gathering around one of their counters. I gathered up everything and headed over to try the kiosk for my BP. Tried the WS kiosk at YUL yesterday and at YVR a couple hours ago and got a "we can't find your reservation" message, but maybe once the counter is open, the kiosks might also be open. Nope, still no record of my locator. I wasn't too concerned since WS.com had my record and I was able to select a seat but couldn't complete OLCI. The WS staffers were actually having a training meeting and one of the managers asked if i wouldn't mind waiting a couple of minutes. No problem, I've got plenty of time. Sure enough, a couple minutes later, I was welcomed up to the counter by one of the service managers and some of friendliest domestic airline employees I'd encountered in a long time. In the course of our conversation over the next couple of minutes, I mentioned that this was my first WS flight and I had connected from JFK, with the latter drawing incredulous looks and comments. More pleasant chit-chat including some AC bashing, all quite fun. The CS manager gave me his business card and a $10 WS voucher as an apology for waiting while they were finishing their meeting. Wow. Color (or colour) me impressed. If these are typical WS employees, AC is in a world of trouble.

Next, I headed first to security and then CBP pre-clearance. I used the NEXUS lane but it didn't seem to be any shorter than the regular lane. But in pre-clearance, never was NEXUS such a wise $100 investment as today. There must have been at least 300 people snaking their way thru the regular C&I line. The NEXUS/Global Entry lane featured two Global Entry kiosks and two NEXUS kiosks, neither of which we working. OK, never experienced all NEXUS machines down. I looked at the straight shot unoccupied lane bypassing all 300 waiting pax, and figure effit, I'm not waiting behind 300 people, I've got NEXUS. Not my problem that the machines are down. Turned out to be a good call as I walked right up the agent who had just stamped the prior pax. He looked at my NEXUS card but no NEXUS receipt and asked "Nexus machines down?" as if it was the norm. Seemed like it was an early day all around as he insisted that my 2 hours in Canada connecting from JFK to PSP did not qualify as being "in transit". Not sure why not, but I let it pass and wished him a pleasant day. That's the one good thing about YYZ and pre-clearance: NEXUS members don't have to answer stupid questions. Like entering Canada, you just bypass the booths and hand in your receipt at the exit.

At about 5:30 I was in the trans-border concourse, which seemed more like a disjointed aging shopping centre... lots of little shops with a few airline gates off to the side. Take out the airplanes and it was a little reminiscent of like a (slightly) upscale Moroccan souk. Just before the "food court" of pretty weak offerings was the old AS Boardroom reborn as a member of the Plaza Premium Lounge group, to which Amex Platinum cardholders had free access. Pleasant but dated lounge that looks exactly the same as 3 years ago when we visited it as the old Boardroom. The only noticeable difference was the addition of hot breakfast, institutional scrambled eggs and sausages. Interesting is that even though it is no longer the AS Boardroom, it still sort of functions as one, no doubt with some deal between AS and Plaza Premium.

YVR-PSP
WS 1722
737-800
8:25A-11:12A (sked)
8:35A-11:30A (actual)
March 22, 2012
Seat 7C

WestJet is Canada's answer to Southwest. But IMO, it is much better.
To start with, WS has assigned seating. Assigned seating means no cattle call, no seat saving and blocking.

At around T-40, the same CSM I had met earlier at CI walked up to gate podium. I went up to see if anyone had filled the B seat. He verified no and told me not to worry, he'd block the seat for me and have a great flight.

After a couple of wheel chair boards, boarding started with families with children, those needing a little extra time and exit row pax. After that, we were all welcome to board. New (looking) 738 with leather seats and a nice (at least for Y) 34" pitch throughout. FAs were WN-like pleasant and it was clear that they both share the same joke writers. Each seat has a personal TV with a moving map, a few pay per view movies and a variety of live Canadian TV channels (even on flights over the US), although there were way many commercials interrupting everything.

Complimentary soft drinks and light snack items (Bit & Bites and Cookies) and a very nice BOB menu, which features standard items and specialty items by departing city (like Montreal smoked meat x-YUL).

All in all a pleasant flight, although if the middle seat were occupied, I probably wouldn't feel the same. I hate Y especially nearly 3 hours but this one was reasonably painless and the time flew by as I worked on this TR most of the flight. If I were AC, I'd be worried about WS.