Air Canada vs WestJet vs Air Transat: Which Premium Economy Wins for Europe?

Where Premium Economy Sits on Each Airline

This is the difference nobody talks about, and it changes the whole feel of the flight.

On Air Canada and on WestJet's Dreamliner, premium economy is the middle cabin, with a separate lie-flat business class ahead of you. On Air Transat, Club Class is the top cabin, because Air Transat flies only two classes.

When you book Club, you are in the best seat on the plane and you get the crew's fullest attention, even though the seat itself is a recliner rather than a lie-flat bed. Neither approach is better or worse, but it is worth knowing whether you are buying the top of the plane or the middle of it.

The Seat

Source: Air Canada.

I went deep on the hardware in my separate premium economy guide, so here is the short version for these three.

The surprise here is that Air Transat's Club and WestJet's 737 Premium are the widest seats of the bunch at 21 inches, wider than Air Canada's flagship widebody premium economy.

Air Canada's advantage is a purpose-built premium economy shell with a leg rest and foot rest, in a dedicated cabin on every widebody. So the airline with the widest seat is not the one with the most refined premium economy, which is worth remembering when you picture what you are buying.

What You Get on Board

Source: Air Transat.

All three cover the basics well: a hot meal, free drinks including wine and beer, and priority at the airport. The differences are in the details.

All three serve a hot entree with wine, beer, and spirits, and all three do two services on the Canada to Europe run, usually a dinner after takeoff and a lighter breakfast before landing. So the core meal experience is more alike than different.

The one small distinction is presentation. Air Canada and Air Transat both plate their mains on real ceramic with glassware and metal cutlery, while WestJet keeps the metal cutlery but serves on composite trays, so it reads a touch more casual.

On screens, WestJet's Dreamliner and Air Transat lead at 13.3 inches, with Air Canada a touch smaller. Worth noting on WestJet: its Dreamliner has proper seatback screens, but its smaller jets skip the seatback monitor entirely and use WestJet Connect instead, which streams movies and shows to your own phone or tablet over the aircraft's wifi. On a long flight to Europe you will almost always be on the 787 with a real screen, but it is good to know the difference.

Where Air Canada pulls ahead is not the food or the screen, but the breadth of its European network and the consistency of the same product across a large widebody fleet.

The Fare Fine Print, Where They Really Differ

Source: WestJet.

This is the part worth slowing down for, because all three airlines now sell premium economy in more than one fare, and the cheapest one is not always the deal it looks like.

Put those side by side and a couple of things stand out. Seat selection is the sneaky one: Air Canada Basic and Air Transat Club Standard both make you pay to choose your seat in advance, while WestJet includes it free even on its base Premium fare.

Where Air Canada stands apart is baggage, since it is the only one of the three that cuts you to a single checked bag at its cheapest fare. Both WestJet fares and both Air Transat fares include two bags. So Air Canada Basic stacks two entry-level cuts, paid seats and one bag, where Air Transat trims only the seat and WestJet trims neither.

A couple flying WestJet Premium can pick their seats together for free, while the same couple on Air Canada Basic or Air Transat Club Standard would pay for it. Air Canada's Premium Economy Basic began selling on July 28, 2026 and applies to transatlantic routes, so you will see it when you shop for Europe. If you are comparing headline prices, make sure you are comparing the same inclusions.

One note on Air Transat: it lists its no-fee change and travel-credit terms as a limited-time offer on its own operated flights, so confirm them at the time you book.

Points and Status

If you care about earning something for your travel, this is where Air Canada pulls firmly ahead.

Air Canada premium economy earns Aeroplan points and Status Qualifying Credits, and most fares are eligible for eUpgrades, though the new Basic fare is not. Aeroplan is the deepest and most flexible loyalty program of the three, and the one most of my readers are already collecting toward. Booking premium economy to Europe with Aeroplan points is also unaffected by the new Basic fares, since those are cash-only fare changes.

WestJet premium economy earns into WestJet Rewards, which is useful if you are already in that ecosystem but does not have the reach of Aeroplan.

There is also an upgrade angle that makes premium economy more than just a comfier seat on Air Canada and WestJet. Because you are already one cabin below business class, you sit at the front of the line for an upgrade, which is something you simply cannot do from economy on these routes.

On Air Canada, that means eUpgrades. Requests moving from Premium Economy to Business hold the highest priority on the waitlist, so a premium economy ticket is the best positioned paid fare for a business class upgrade. You will usually need Aeroplan Elite status to use eUpgrade credits, though the top Latitude fare can be upgraded without status, and the new Basic fare is excluded entirely.

WestJet runs it differently, without the eUpgrade name. You can make a cash or WestJet dollars offer to upgrade up to 75 hours before departure, or join a live bidding auction in the 24 hours before your flight through the app or online check-in. Business class is only on the widebody 787, and the cheapest UltraBasic fares are shut out, but from a premium economy seat you are in a strong spot to move up front for a fraction of the cash price.

Air Transat has historically offered no meaningful loyalty earning on Club Class, though the airline has signalled a new rewards program arriving later in 2026. Until that lands and proves itself, Air Transat is the weakest of the three for anyone who books with points and status in mind. There is also no business cabin to upgrade into, since Club is already the top of the plane.

My Thoughts

What strikes me looking at all three together is how similar the seats are and how different the fine print is. You can end up in a nearly identical premium economy recliner on any of these airlines, and still have a very different experience depending on which fare you bought and which loyalty program you earn into.

Air Canada gives you the widest network, the strongest loyalty payoff, and the most consistent product, but it has also quietly become the least generous at the entry price, so you have to read the fare carefully. WestJet is the most straightforward value, with two bags and free seat selection built into its base premium fare. Air Transat gives you the most indulgent cabin and the most flexible entry fare, but the least to show for it afterward in points.

The Bottom Line

There is no single winner here, because the right pick depends on what you value.

If you collect Aeroplan and want upgrades, status, and the widest choice of European cities, book Air Canada, but price out the Standard fare rather than assuming Basic is the bargain.

If you want the most included for the lowest premium price, WestJet is the easy call, since it is the only one that includes both two bags and free seat selection on its base fare.

And if your priority is a comfortable, well-fed, top-of-the-plane experience for a leisure trip, Air Transat Club Class is hard to beat, as long as you are not counting on points. Whichever you choose, add the Flex or Latitude fare only if you really need the flexibility, since the seat itself is the same either way.

Premium economy to Europe is one of the best-value ways for a Canadian to cross the Atlantic. Just make sure you are comparing the whole fare, not only the headline price.

Happy travels!