Seat sizes and other airplane stuff

I wanted to find a specific answer to a question: which airline offers more legroom on these Winnipeg to London flights?  And what I found out was a real eye opener.

Let's start with the answer. I had help from the site, Seatguru.com. They have everything an aviation nerd might want to know.

From the Air Canada Rouge web site.

From seatguru.com

Then, searched Seatguru.com for Westjet's planes, but the 767 was not listed. Ok, right, they are brand new to the fleet and probably not on this comparison site yet. 

So I looked up a Boeing 767 on Delta Airlines. They noted 262 seats, which sounds like the Westjet plane. So I took a screenshot. I remember Westjet saying that there would be 38" in the Plus seats, so I feel like I probably have the right plane. 

So, according to these charts, the Westjet plane should have the space advantage by 1 inch, in both economy and plus seating. 

But to make sure I had the right plane, I Googled "Westjet new 767 plane." And that's when I learnt that while it is a new route, and the plane is a new acquisition to the fleet, the actual planes (4) are NOT new. 

Westjet has purchased the planes from Qantas Airlines which has retired them after decades of service. 

Here, is a news article celebrating the plane's retirement. Yes. Qantas made a pretty big deal out of it. 

An excerpt from the article.

Here's a link to the Westjet blog and their announcing of the plane acquisitions.

Aside, during this little research stint, I found that there is an airline called "Vanilla Air." And another airline called SpiceJet. Perhaps airlines founded in the 1990s?

5 little luxuries for the road.

Space is a commodity and with airlines charging for checked bags, taking up too much space can be costly.

I almost exclusively travel with just a carry on bag. I roll my clothes, coordinate my outfits and preach about staying organized on the road with Ziploc bags. But given a little extra space, these are the 5 little luxuries I will definitely squeeze in.

1. Slippers. Just tiny, soft little ballet slippers. After a full day of walking, there's nothing more comforting on my feet than a cozy little pair of slippers.

2. Noise cancelling headphones. Tiny ear buds will do, but good headphones can really help tune out the travel chaos.

3. LBD. Just a sheath dress. Black and classic, in case your business lunch turns formal.

4. A hat. Could be a knit toque or a fun straw hat based on your destination. Could also be a lifesaver if you have a really bad hair day or an unexpected delay.

5. A book. I know you can read on your iPad or Kindle but, a real book still feels like "vacation" to me. A little luxury, easily tucked into the front pocket of your suitcase. It's a conversation starter, a de-stresser and a gift you can exchange with another reader.