After I fell in love with Nova Scotia on my first trip to what I now call my happy place, I started looking at the most affordable way to get there from England. The first time I flew via Montreal, from Heathrow Airport, which was not quite convenient for me. But until last year, there weren’t many direct options. In 2024 WestJet started flying directly to Halifax and St John’s and I happily welcomed them to my local airport. I debated for quite a bit if I should go direct with a low-cost airline or book a layover flight with a full-service carrier because the flight is quite long.
In the end, I decided to book a direct flight with WestJet and see what it was like. This is how this WestJet Airlines review of my flight from London Gatwick to Halifax and back was born.
Who Is WestJet Airlines?
Whilst very well known in Canada, WestJet made its debut in Europe 10 years ago, introducing direct flights to North America from a few major European cities. WestJet is a low-cost airline with no frills, that offers a superior service on their long-haul flights, a bit different than on their domestic ones.
I didn’t really know much about WestJet until last year, when I booked a ticket to Halifax, from London Gatwick. I have been to Canada several times before, but always flew from different airports. As Gatwick is the nearest airport to my home, it made sense to consider WestJet when I heard they introduced direct flights to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. Comparing prices, there wasn’t much difference from flying with a layover to either Toronto or Montreal.
The Fares
WestJet offers different tiers of tickets, and I booked the lowest one, which only included hand luggage. I paid £420 for a direct flight to Halifax, which it’s a very good price for this route, especially since the flight is direct.
The prices rise based on the luggage you want to bring on board.
Currently, there are two main tiers for the flights to and from London Gatwick: economy and premium.
The economy is divided into Ultrabasic, Econo and Econoflex. Ultrabasic included one personal item and one carry-on on board. Econo includes a personal item, a carry-on, and WestJet rewards, whilst Econoflex includes all of the above plus a checked-in bag, free cancellation for credit, and free seat selection.
The Premium is divided into Premium and Premium Flex. Premium includes a premium seat, 2 free checked-in bags, free seat selection, priority boarding, priority screening and WestJet rewards. Premium Flex includes all of the above plus a refund for cancellation and no fees for changing the flight.
The Essentials
Even if the luggage allowance included a carry-on and a personal item, that was plenty for me, as I travel very light. I was spending two weeks in Nova Scotia, most of them on a road trip, so I wasn’t planning to bring much luggage with me anyway. I made sure to have plenty of space in my backpack, for souvenirs, which somehow included a lot of apples freshly picked from an orchard in Wolfville, just before returning to London.
Nobody checked the size of my bags, not in London and not in Halifax.
The flight is operated by a Boeing 8 Max, which is relatively small compared to the usual long-haul flights. The plane was full both on going to Canada as well as coming back. The flight time is 6 hours, so it’s not that bad, though I would have preferred to stroll for a bit and stretch my legs mid-flight. The legroom wasn’t very generous.
Onboard
The plane was new, very clean. The seats were basic, with a tray table and a very small mesh pocket that barely fit my book. It wouldn’t have fit my water bottle as well (which on this occasion I forgot at home). There is no entertainment on board except for an app that didn’t work for me.
On both my flights with WestJet, the food and one round of drinks was complimentary. For extras there was also a menu from which I could order. I didn’t know that there would be food, so I used the lounge for breakfast before the flight and also got a few snacks with me.
The crew was very nice and friendly.
WestJet Airlines Review
London Gatwick to Halifax
Even if I planned to arrive at the airport early, to enjoy plenty of time in the lounge, the public transport had other ideas and the usual maximum half an hour journey took over an hour. Now, don’t think that I am someone who goes to the lounge all the time, on the contrary, most of the time I travel on a very tight budget. However, this pass was won in a competition and I was very excited to use it. However, due to being late, I only got half an hour in there, for a quick breakfast, before boarding started.
WestJet uses Gatwick’s North Terminal, which at this point had its new scanners getting installed, so the security checks were a bit chaotic. Whilst usually, it takes me less than 10 minutes to pass through security, this time it took more than half an hour – robbing me of my lounge time.
The flight was on time, so after taking a can of Pepsi with me, as there were no water bottles in the lounge, I headed to the gate. I arrived among the last passengers, and I didn’t have to wait at all until my row was called. Boarding was very efficient and very, very organised.
I got random seat allocation and the flying gods were on my side as I got a seat in the middle of the plane, on the wings, at the window. Perfect for a 6 hours flight on which I was planning to sleep. I was surprised to find a blanket on the seat as well. It didn’t take long before we took off.
About an hour into the flight, lunch was served. I did not expect this! We were served Shepperd’s Pie, with salad, a bread roll, butter, and a chocolate cookie. The Shepperd’s Pie was actually quite nice. An alcoholic drink was also included and I went for a red wine.
The flight was smooth and passed quickly as I chatted for the entire duration of the flight with the couple sitting next to me.
Landing in Halifax was a dream, descending over thick forests of greens, yellows and reds. We landed half an hour earlier than the scheduled time as well. Halifax is a small airport and passing through immigration took less than 15 minutes.
Halifax to London Gatwick
I dropped off my rental car 3 hours before my return flight to London. The weather was pretty bad – the first truly rainy day of my entire trip to Nova Scotia – and the motorway was very busy. As I stepped into the airport, the sky turned white with lightning.
There was no queue at all, so passing through security was again, very easy. I browsed the duty free for a little bit, for a bottle of Tidal Bay wine and a few last minute souvenirs, before going to wait at my gate. To my surprise, I recognised a few faces that were on my flight to Halifax, two weeks prior.
The plane was on time and it arrived from Calgary. The weather was still pretty bad, with heavy rain, thunder and lightning.
Even if again, the plane was full, boarding went smoothly and fast. This time I was assigned the middle seat, which I wasn’t keen on, but it was a night flight and I specifically tried to get myself tired the entire day so I can sleep.
We took off on time and quickly, the drinks service started. I was hoping for dinner as well, but it was just drinks. I went for red wine again. Soon after, the crew dimmed the lights and everyone went to sleep. I didn’t even feel the time fly, as the next thing I knew the lights were back on and breakfast was served. I went for the potato and cheese option, which came with a questionable strawberry yoghurt which had paprika listed as one of the ingredients. The potatoes tasted ok, but the yoghurt was inedible.
I somehow fell asleep again and was woken up by the flight attendant just before landing, as I was leaning on the tray table. The weather in London was pretty bad as well, with thick fog. I didn’t even realise how close we were to landing before I saw two flashes and the plane touched down. We landed half an hour before the scheduled time.
What I Really Liked:
- I was surprised to be offered free food and drinks on board. Low-cost airlines don’t usually offer these perks, especially when it comes to alcoholic drinks.
- They fly direct to Nova Scotia, so I don’t have to go to Heathrow or Stansted, when I live near Gatwick.
- No delays. All flights were on time, even if the weather was pretty bad on the return flight.
What I Wasn’t Keen On:
- Probably like many people around the world, I am not very keen on the Boeing 8 Max
- For a 6-hour flight, I wish the plane was bigger and there was more leg room.
Conclusion
WestJet runs affordable direct flights between the UK (Gatwick Airport and Edinburgh) and Canada and for me, this alone is a winning combo.
I had a good experience flying with WestJet and I would fly with them again because it’s convenient and affordable. The flight felt like an upgraded low-cost experience.
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