WestJet to introduce a true Premium cabin on its 737s, a new elite tier and their own lounges

We are finally getting confirmation from WestJet on many things that we have been reporting will happen with the airline and the Rewards program in the near future. Rather than us having a crystal ball, everything we have wrote about in the past were not guesses but rather what WestJet representatives have been telling Rewards Canada. Now over the past two weeks several emails have been sent out by WestJet to its members outlining many of these details.

True 2x2 Seating in Plus
Ever since we posted our video and review of WestJet's Boeing 737 MAX first flight last fall we knew the airline was going to eventually move to a true Premium Economy product in the Plus cabins of the 737 fleet. This news was confirmed several weeks ago by WestJet. What this means is two bigger seats with larger centre consoles rather than the current 3 regular economy class seats with the middle seat blocked off. It also means a divider between the Plus cabin and the Economy Class cabin. There will also be enhanced service with different menu offerings seeing that the 737 MAX aircraft are outfitted with onboard ovens.

You can learn more about the new Plus Cabins here and even watch this video about the new configuration:

The new cabin will debut this fall on WestJet's newest Boeing 737 Max aircraft that are scheduled to be delivered soon and will then be retrofitted onto existing aircraft in 2019.

then this morning came an email from WestJet Rewards with the following news:

New Elite Tier above Gold + more Gold  & Silver benefits
There will be a new Elite Tier level coming in the program that will be higher than Gold. I can't remember when we mentioned this on the site (maybe we didn't) but it's coming soon. Here are the basics from the email:

"Soon, we will be unveiling a new tier above Gold, along with new and enhanced benefits for our Silver and Gold members. This growth represents some outstanding opportunities— especially for those looking for more exclusive premium experiences."

This new tier makes sense as WestJet has doled out lots of Gold status that offers some good benefits but with the airline becoming more of a full fledged business carrier they will want a top level with even more benefits that can compete with Air Canada Altitude's Super Elite 100K and Elite 75K and perhaps attract some of those high revenue customers.

WestJet Lounges
Also covered a few times before, today's email confirms WestJet is going to operate their own business class lounges. Currently they have agreements with some third party lounges which will continue at airports they won't have their own lounges in. From the email:

Comfort. Style. Innovation. You deserve a premium lounge experience and we’re excited to deliver it.
Coming soon.

That's it for the WestJet news! Personally I think this is great for the airline as it moves to be a global competitor and partner to a lot of great airlines from around the world.

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