The Informed Traveler
The Informed Traveler
Westjet News & Ixtapa & Huatulco
There was a lot of different announcements from Westjet in the last few days from new cabin configuration to baggage fee increases and more so on this week's podcast travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to share what it means for you. Plus, I had the pleasure of attending a breakfast presentation a few weeks ago hosted by Visit Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and the Huatulco Hotel Association and it was there I got to chat with representatives from both areas so we'll have that conversation for you as well.
Well, hello and welcome to the Informed Traveler Podcast, a weekly travel podcast where our goal is to help you become a more informed traveler. I'm your host, Randy Sharman. There were a lot of different announcements from WestJet in the past few days, from reclining seats to baggage fee increases. So, in a few seconds, travel expert Onanda Forbes will join me to share what it means for you. Plus, I had the pleasure of attending a breakfast presentation a few weeks ago, hosted by Extapa Ziwatanejo and Watulco Tourism. And it was there I got to chat with representatives from both areas. So we'll have that conversation for you as well. But first, let's kick things off chatting with travel expert Onanda Forbes, who joins us each week to discuss some of the travel news and travel trends. You can follow her adventures on Instagram, Facebook, and ex at Onanta Forbes. OnantaForbes.com is her website. Hello, Onanta.
SPEAKER_03:Hi Randy.
SPEAKER_04:Uh let's talk about WestJet. Their PR team must be uh working overtime these days. There's a lot of stories coming out of Westjet. Uh some good, some uh I'm not sure if that's good, but we'll see. Uh let's start with the uh new cabin configuration. Lots of things going on there. What's happening?
SPEAKER_03:Right. So that is a big um topic of conversation. A lot of people think it may be a cash grab. It um they're not happy about perhaps you know not having their seats reclined. Um so we were fortunate being part of the travel uh retail community. We had a meeting with WestJet yesterday and or this week, and um they were just trying to clarify what all the changes are. So, first of all, they wanted to um share that you know, with their biggest order of newest new aircraft, they're gonna have 67 new 737 MAX 10s and seven new uh dreamliners. What you're gonna see is they're gonna have premium, um, extended comfort, and then um economy seats. And this is where I think people are gonna see where in economy that they're gonna have the fixed recline, so it's pre-reclined. You're seeing that it will enhance personal faith, um, but uh people who are used to reclining won't have it. The seat pitch will be 30 inches, um, but where you're gonna really see the changes is in ultra basic. So the leg room is gonna be tighter, that's gonna be rows 20 to 31. The uh seat pitch is gonna be smaller, 28 inches, and the feet, the seats itself are gonna be thinner. So where you sit on the plane is subject to the type of fair that you purchase. So, of course, if you got um uh premium feet, you're gonna enjoy the comforts of premium feet and an even in the premium economy and to an extent in economy. So if you know every travel, we don't recommend you buying uh unless you really do know what you're doing. So you can't have the last two on the plane. And um you just have to be aware when you book that the price will depend where you fit on the plane.
SPEAKER_04:Interesting. The whole um reclining of the seats doesn't really bother me because I never recline my seats anyways, but it's interesting that I I guess I won't have a selection of seats now. It'll be uh limited depending on what I pay is is what I'm hearing.
SPEAKER_03:That's it exactly. It is um it is I think it's something that uh the airline industry will embrace fully, no matter what airline. And then those two things one airline driver um, for example, will air will um air Canada follows in or you know whatever the case may be. So it it's very um you have to know if you're gonna do it on your own, you have to know um that the lead-in place is not the final place.
SPEAKER_04:Of course. And that's always the the thing, right? And and I that's one of the big reasons why we're not necessarily picking on West yet here. They're just the first to come out uh with uh some changes, because uh what we found in the past is if one airline does it, uh the others soon follow suit. So uh is it going to become a trend when it comes to airlines as far as this new uh cabin configuration? Um and the the other thing too, like like you're talking about from a travel agent point of view, if it's just uh an air ticket I'm booking, uh do travel agents want to do that? Is I guess my question, because you're not really getting paid much to do to book an airline ticket because uh air tickets, there's no commission on it.
SPEAKER_03:Right, and and that's a very good point, because most travel um agencies well all travel agencies work when we we deal with airlines on a very low revenue return. So we with technology out there, people can solve with their you know smart device and they can book their own feet super easy. All you have to just remember is it it you all the incremental costs that could happen uh as you go through the process. And um, as we were mentioning, um, there is gonna be a baggage increase for tickets with WestJet back on or before um well, September 16th was the date. And then uh WestJet I raise their fee for the first check fee is about about between five and six dollars for many ultra-basic icono and member exclusive fees. So you know what you may not even know you're paying it, but these little costs have. And I do recommend that um you pay an event versus at the airport, because at the airport, the prices when you do airport tracking tends to be significantly more expensive.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, uh interesting notes too. Uh and um because you gotta you gotta weigh in its cost. Like you if you're comparing an ultra basic fare where you are not allowed a uh carry-on, um, and even i i with the next um the economy fare, you can have a carry-on, but it's uh you pay a fee for a check bag. And then the next level is premium economy, where you get a free check bag, if the way I understand it. So you gotta wait, like if you did the math, is it is it still cheaper to do a check bag later? Is is was what I'm getting at, and paying a seat assignment. And that's the other one, too, is paying for a seat assignment uh versus you know waiting for uh uh you know 24-hour check-in where you can where you can pick your seat for free, uh, that adds up too. That's a big cost as well. If you want to sit in a certain area, which where where it it turns out now it depends on the ticket you're paying for, anyways.
SPEAKER_03:Right. That's exactly the so we always you know share the option of buying what they call a flex fare for those prices already included. You might also want to consider, you know, how to avoid or reduce the cost. If you have an eligible card, uh credit card when you're paying, like a WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, or if you have WestJet Rewards Elite status, you may get your first check uh bag for free. So there's different ways you can avoid it as well with the kind of credit card you use. I know T D has an airplane card that allows you to have your first bag uh check free. But again, it you know, in a sense, you're kind of paying for it because you have you have to pay an annual membership fee as well. So it's what's the right way other than you know, just know, I guess, yeah, you know, buyer beware.
SPEAKER_04:Mm-hmm. Uh let's talk a little bit about the uh the rewards now that you mention them. Uh some changes coming there as well with WestJet rewards, right?
SPEAKER_03:Yes, there it was announced, and um this one you have I have to think about, and I think a lot of people have to really kind of look at how it um how it affects you. So WestJet dollars have been replaced by West Jet points. The conversion is one West Jet dollar to a hundred West Jet points, and the points don't expire. Um, which is good because sometimes you do have to watch for that. Um I think what could be um most challenging or what to watch for is that when you redeem your points for almost you can do it for almost all the cost out. Um some parts like uh your extras, your seats or or be yells. Taxes may cost more points per dollar or have less favorable redemption rates. Um, and then the elite tier spend thresholds were increased in 2025. So to reach silver, gold, platinum with fine spend requires more dollars. Um for some credit card rewards like companion uh vouchers, they're now minimum spend requirements to receive certain perks. So um it it's it's interesting, like it's just not straightforward. Like I always used to like it, like you book, you you know, you use your credit card, you get your points, you use your points, you go on a trip. But now it takes a little bit more calculation kind of to figure that out. And there's new ways now to earn and redeem outside flights. So, like, for an example, WestJet Rewards is introducing an e store where you can earn and redeem points on merchandise gift cards, such as like Amazon and Apple, uh, via shopping partners. So it gets it it, you know, if if you have the time um and you really are linked to your um rewards, you you you should know what you're gonna get for it at the end of the day, because it may not be as much as you did in the past, I guess. Uh you know, what it boils down to. And it and it's part of a cost-cutting, you know, process that all airlines are going through because they realize that um it it's against their, I guess, what they make at the end of the day as a bottom line.
SPEAKER_04:Well, of course, that's always the way. Um, didn't uh uh they used to have a point system, then they changed to a a dollar system and now they're going back to points, if memory serves me correctly.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I think you're right, absolutely. Like it's an evolution, I think. Anything that we have to look at.
SPEAKER_04:And then if I guess it's some good news, I suppose, if you want if you're um you know wanting to be a pilot, because uh WestJet is uh announced too, they're cutting 44 pilots over age limit because they're getting too old. So uh they'll they'll be looking for pilots. And there's a shortage of pilots as there is already in the industry, so that'll just cut into it.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. So the movie is part of a broader reduction bid by WestJet, which includes position cuts and reassignments. And you're right. WestJet plans to cut 44 pilots within uh you know this month and citing age limit policy. So the cuts are tied to change in how the airline handles pilots over the age of 65 years, and um, so with this new approach, pilots who cross that threshold may longer count towards staffing baselines and be retained in their position. So um it's funny because in other commodities uh in countries, um, people are looking at rage raising the retirement.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And here we're kind of we're we're addressing it. Like some pilots who become 65 in November are um you know, it it's uh it it's all about age and and cost at the end of the day, with this particular this move, I guess. But really at the end of the day, how does it affect the consumer, right?
SPEAKER_04:Exactly. Well, that's what it's all about. How does it affect the consumer? Lots of interesting things. Again, we're not picking on West Jedd. You know, usually we'll with one airline uh starts uh with uh some different policies, the others follow suit. So it'll be interesting to see if the others do follow suit, and even including some of the American or the U.S. based airlines, because they're they're quite integrated together uh throughout North America. So we'll we'll see what happens. Interesting stuff. Onanta Forbes is a travel expert. You can follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and ex at Onanta Forbes. OnantaForbes.com is her website. So always great to chat, Onanta. Thank you.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you. Have a good read.
SPEAKER_04:This is the Informed Traveler Podcast. I'm Randy Sharman. Just want to remind you of our website, theinformedraveler.org. That's where you can find our contact page if you have any questions or comments about the podcast. You can also email me too with any questions you might have or any show segment ideas. My email address is randy at the informedtraveler.org. And check out our social media pages too at facebook.com slash informed traveler, Instagram at informed traveler, or on X at InformTraveler. That's where you'll find a number of videos and reels on our visit to Charleston a few weeks ago, posts from other adventures as well. Plus, you can now sign up for our monthly newsletter. It's released at the beginning of every month. Our October issue is now available. Just go to our website, the informtraveler.org, click on the newsletter button, it'll take you right there. Or better yet, you can subscribe to it and have it arrive in your inbox each month. Well, a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a breakfast presentation hosted by Ikstapa Ziwatanejo and Watuco Tourism. And while I was there, I got to chat with representatives from both areas to learn more about what they have to offer visitors this winter. I was pleased to be joined by Estefania Grimaldi, International Promotion Director for Visit Ikstapa Ziwatanejo, and Jessica Garcia Moro, manager of Watuco Hotel Association. So here is that conversation for you now. So let's chat with you, Estefania, first. Let's talk about the differences, similarities between um uh Ikstapa Ziwatanejo and Huatuco.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, wow, that was like guttural Watuco. I loved it. Yeah, it was pretty good. Uh so basically, uh, we were stating that there are two main differences. We are neighbor states. However, uh Oaxaca is one of its own culturally, and so is Guerrero. Guerrero has such different cultures. So both of them, I mean, Oaxaca could be its own country, honestly. Like um, they have their ethnicity is really uh well rooted and hasn't been modified as you know the most of the country has. So you will find very different food and attire and such in Oaxaca than you would in Guerrero as well, which you know has its jawers and just all all different ethnics as well. And uh well, that would be the main difference. It's two different states. Um and the other one would be that well, Watulco has sunrises and Ixapa has sunsets. So uh it's you know, ever thinking views uh are a guarantee though.
SPEAKER_04:See, this is my next question is if you're on the same side of the world, how can you have sunsets and sunrises when you're not that far from each other?
SPEAKER_00:I think because of the shape of the I always say what in Mexico it's a Jeep shape, so we are almost in the little corner. So that's what we face another another itinerary, right?
SPEAKER_01:There are beaches, for example, in Spa that are so long in you know views the the the horizon reaches so far that in the same day you can wake up early and see the sunrise on a side and then by by the afternoon you see the sunset on the other. It's just you know it's very cool.
SPEAKER_04:Um I'm glad you said beaches because I think I heard the word beaches like uh hundreds of times in your presentation. So it seems like there's a lot of beaches there.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, well uh Watugua itself has nine bays and 36 beaches at all. So there's as always said, 36 opportunities to to meet one of the each of the beaches. So you can get like very nice and calm ocean, and then you get a lot uh another one with a lot of waves. So you can do I mean it depends on your choices, of course.
SPEAKER_01:Yep. You can do surfing, you can do swimming, you can do snorkeling. It depends on the you know the age and the likes of the visitor. Uh but we have we do have a beach for everybody.
SPEAKER_04:Well as soon as you said beaches, uh I'm in. Uh let's talk about the food, different differences and similarities of the food. Let's start with Watuco.
SPEAKER_00:Well, we do have, of course, as we are in the coast, uh we have a lot of seafood, of course, but we get a l uh a lot much from Oaxaca, which as I told their gastronomy in Oaxaca, is is wonderful, and we still have I'm gonna talk about some words that I loved, which is La Tlayuda. And it's a very big uh tortilla of corn, and they put a lot of things inside. But in Watulco we put shrimps or fish, so that makes a difference. A very good layuda, and of course, a wonderful bean or a nice mole, and we do have some uh places like the uh waterfalls um tour that we get to get uh in the kitchen of the very traditional cuisine and they cook from you in that moment, so that's a wonderful thing we do have at Watulka.
SPEAKER_01:Yay! Well, exactly that. Um mainly we do have a lot of from farm to table experiences as well. So most people uh do everything from scratch and they harvest their own because we are so close to the mountain, uh, and it is just the same weather, it's so consistent that and it's tropical weather, which is the best weather for you know fruits and vegetables for harvesting. So um our staple is posole because we are in Guerrero. So there is theirs is mole, uh, and ours is posole, which is uh basically a big soup of like pork and spices. Uh it just tasted so much better than it sounds, but uh it's uh every Thursday, it's a tradition that everybody and everywhere they serve posole. So we do we have an international pozole day as well, which is the fourth uh Thursday of every July. Um that would be the main and of course the seafood uh we have a program that is called uh Treasures of the Coast, which is fishermen people uh take you on a boat uh in the morning sunrise. Uh you go, you catch the fish, and then when you come back, they teach you how to do your own sashimi or you know to slice it there. And you know, it's really uh you know, it's really the authentic experience. So we also have seafood as well.
SPEAKER_04:Nice, nice, very nice. Um, we should back up a little bit and maybe do a little geography lesson here. Uh how far is uh Ixtafazi Bataneho from uh Huatuco?
SPEAKER_01:Well, uh if we go to kilometers, I would say it's over a thousand kilometers of far away. So we're like 10 hours-ish uh away from each other. Uh you can do a uh drive and it would be really beautiful. But if you take a plane, um it would you will take two 40-minute planes because you have to go to Mexico City. But uh Huatulco is 40 minutes away from Mexico City on a plane, and then Ixtapa is 40 minutes away from Mexico City on a plane as well.
SPEAKER_04:So and getting to Huatulco, uh you know there's lots of non-stop flights, yeah?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, well for sure. We have we're gonna have this winter uh we're non-stop fly from Calgary. So we do have uh uh four fruk frequencies, and it's gonna start October the 31st and ending on April. So that's a very good chance to fly nonstop.
SPEAKER_04:And I think I saw 16 different gateways to uh Ziwataneho uh from North America.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, uh we fly from every major city uh in Canada and as well as the United States, uh mainly uh Vancouver, which would be your closest connection. Of course, Montreal, uh Toronto, uh we also fly from Edmonton, I believe. Um, and uh from the United States we fly in the yearly, like it that's not seasonal, it's permanent flights. Uh from LA, from San Francisco, from San Diego, uh Chicago, you know, Phoenix, Tex uh in Texas we have Dallas, Houston. So, you know, there's look there's a lot of mix and match if you would like to uh not cross, you know, through the Mexico City airport, which sometimes is really busy, but it's also an option. Um so yeah, those are my flights.
SPEAKER_04:No excuse not to visit then because it's easy to get to. Um all right, let's talk about some of the activities. Um there's tours that you have to uh uh Oaxaca, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. Well, as I to uh as I said, the Sanai uh New Night Highway that we just make three hours and 40 minutes away. So Oaxaca City is a wonderful option to visit to do like city and beach. So there's uh some uh transportation that takes you from Huatulco to Oaxaca City. We believe the experience of being at Oaxaca at the markets and try the food, and then maybe you had a chance to see a calendar, which is a very nice uh walk away with a lot of people um dancing in the same moment, so you can get that that idea and then come back to Huatulco. So you can spend one night may maybe at Oaxaca and then come back to the beach. Yes, that would be a wonderful excursion, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:And what are some of the other activities that you can uh do there?
SPEAKER_00:Of course, our bay tour that you visit seven of our nine bays, and there's the waterfalls that I love to go. Uh you have like a five hour tour, you go to the waterfalls, eat, go to the coffee plantations, have a wonderful coffee, and then come back to Watulco. And also visiting Sap Cipolite and Masonte, which is Sipolitis, our notice beach, and Masonte will be like the Mystic Beach, wonderful. So you can go have a day to visit both of them, have a very nice lunch or dinner in those wonderful beaches, and then come back to Watulco again.
SPEAKER_04:Very nice, very, very nice. And then um I think um Estefania, you had the uh top ten uh must-dos in Ikstapaziwataneo. We're not gonna go through all top ten, but some of that I wrote down as uh Barra di Potosi.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, Barra de Potosi is a little town that is like forty minutes away from uh Iksapa and Ziwatanejo. It's a town that uh has a lot of wildlife, uh marine li wildlife watching, uh like whales and dolphins, and there's sea turtles, and you know, all sorts of uh marine wildlife. It's just a breathtaking tour. You can take it also, uh you go into the river, and then you also see you get to see crocodiles there and bird watching, you go and see the sunrise and the lagoon, and then the same boat takes you into the ocean, and that's where you can catch, I mean, catch with your eye, not literally catch, uh whales and dolphins and such, and it's a beautiful tour. Very nice.
SPEAKER_04:Uh Capricho del Rey.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, Capricho del Rey is a boulevard that connects uh Playa La Ropa, which is a very swimming beach, and where most of the boutique best boutique hotels are, it connects it to Las Gatas, which is a beautiful coral reef as well.
SPEAKER_04:And then the third one I wrote down was Soledad de Maciel.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that is the archaeological site. Hey, your your Spanish pronunciation is just on top. So Soledad de Maciel or La Chole for short is an archaeological site that has a museum and it's 10 minutes away from Barra de Potosi. So if you're already doing the sunrise tour, you can just connect your day through the archaeological site.
SPEAKER_04:Okay, let's talk about accommodations. Um that's your thing, isn't it, Jessica?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's my thing. Well, in Guatulco, I represent the hotel association, so we have 24 properties that are part, and as I was saying, we have small hotels like for two stars or three stars located in downtown, just like to sleep and then go on do all activities. So we do have international chains, just uh Dream Secrets, Barcelo, Brisas, all inclusive, so you can spend all the day inside the hotel or do something outside. So we have 24 chances to and 24 different budgets also.
SPEAKER_04:Very nice. So you it doesn't matter, size, group, whatever, you can handle it.
SPEAKER_00:Of course, we can handle that.
SPEAKER_04:You're not gonna say low. And then uh I think it's a little more boutique ish in uh Ikstapa Ziwataneo, yeah?
SPEAKER_01:Well, yes, Ikstapa uh has all inclusive resorts of all the main brands that you know. Um, just like uh Inguatulco. However, Ci Watanejo has a lot of boutique hotels that offer like very unique experiences. So whether you wanna go and be a real foodie and have like uh really boutique experiences, you go to Cihuatanejo and the main town is walkable. It's on walking distance from the boutique hotels. And then if you go to Istapa, then you're gonna find the typical Mexican experience of the all-inclusive resource that are all beachfront and that are only 10 minutes away from the Cihuatanejo main town.
SPEAKER_04:Again, lots of choices uh to suit any sort of budget or uh group size. Okay, anything you want to add?
SPEAKER_00:Just let you know that we are open to receive a lot of people from Canada. We love them. In Guatuco, we have a very nice community of people from Canada also, so we know how they like the food and everything. So welcome and please use the these uh direct or non-stop flights so we can have more frequencies out there.
SPEAKER_04:And any last words?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I always say visit Guatulco, of course, visit Xtapa, but mainly visit Mexico. Anywhere you can come, you know, you're gonna uh benefit us as well.
SPEAKER_04:So who has the better weather?
SPEAKER_01:We have the same weather, seriously. So yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:So it's a pleasure chatting with you. Uh Estefania Grimaldi is the uh promotion uh international promotions coordinator for Xtapa Z Wataneho. XtapaZwatanejo.travel is the website, and Jessica Garcia Moro is the manager for the uh Huatulco Hotel Association. Uh hotelswatulco.com.mx is the website. It was a pleasure chatting with you both.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you and wait you there. Thank you, Randy. It was a pleasure. Thank you.
SPEAKER_04:Two different uh destinations, but um take 14 days vacation and do a week each, right?
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely, that's a recommendation. Perfect idea, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:That is our show for this week. If you have comments or questions, we'd love to hear from you. If you have a show idea, send that along as well. My email is randy at the informedtraveler.org. And if you like what you heard, tell a friend. You can check out our website too at theinformed traveler.org. In the meantime, thanks for listening. Travel safe and be an informed traveler.