Flight to London - Discount Airlines?
 

Hi,

I'm planning a trip from Toronto to London in August. I'm curious if low cost carrier airlines such as West Jet & Air Canada Rouge are dependable / comfortable? They seem to be significantly cheaper and offer direct flights as opposed to some airlines with more big name recognition. Thank You!!

WestJet really doesn't qualify as a bare-bones airline across Canada. It's early to judge its trans-Atlantic quality since its full schedule doesn't kick in until the spring. Rouge is Air Canada's attempt to be competitive. Its website is pretty clear about its services. I don't know how tight the seating is. The trans-Atlantic flights serve some food but booze is not free. As well, in-flight entertainment is on tablets. You can use your own with a pre-loaded app or rent a machine on board. And you can expect fees for extra services. There is a premium ticket which covers more of these charges, priority boarding and so on.
Lots of the "heritage" airlines are now charging for such things as advance seating assignment or extra luggage. No matter who you choose, a close reading of the website has become an essential part of smart shopping.

You can check seating on www.seatguru.com

Both have tighter seating than many regular airlines, but so does Air Canada, by a bit. Westjet has very narrow seats, even worse than Rouge. Rouge economy has least pitch. If you can buy Rouge higher level than economy, it's ok compared to regular airlines.

I really do not like Rouge. Entertainment was same old movie twice and none on return flight. Very uncomfortable trip. Due to budget I might consider flying with them if I were to save at least $200. I like Westjet for flights to Florida but don't know about trans-Atlantic flights.

I cannot recommend Air Canada. Similar to what Micheline mentioned, our entertainment screen kept malfunctioning. The seating was hard and food mediocre.

You can get good deals beyond what Air Canada offers; the money difference is often very little.

I don't know if Norwegian Air Shuttle is available to you, but if so, i just booked with them through expedia. I got 2 checked bags and a carry on per person, 2 meals on the plane, I was shocked! And they are specifically a budget airline

We flew Air Canada ORD - LHR last summer, and the main hassle was having change planes and then go through immigrations in Toronto. Huge lines of annoyed travelers. Not as bad in Montreal on the flight out, but still annoying. The flights themselves were all right.

Airtransat does the route. .they are cheap.. and if you can spend a bit more then look at their premium economy ( they call it Club Class, very comfy ).
All less expensive flights to Europe are a whole lot of no fun,, but its only 7 hours or so.( I fly from west coast so have to tuck into 5 hours before you ) .. If saving money is the main goal, just book cheapest and suffer, like thousands do.. lol

WestJet is not considered a discount airline.. but its certainly not going to be luxurious, or likely even comfy.. but for me the tide would swing on whether they do direct flight, I find WJ does a lot of stops going places, which I hate.

So just book cheapest direct flight and bite the bullet ( as if I said money is the main factor).. and if you want a bit more comfort.. Club class on Air Transat( which is cheaper then premium economy on most other airlines and is in fact passably comfy)