Mumbai05 Sep 24 1 Traveller Economy
Showing International Flight from Houston
About Houston
Houston is one of the large cities in the Texas state of the US. The city extends to the Galveston Bay and is home to NASA's Space Center. Much of the training that astronauts undergo to prepare them for their space venture takes place at the Space Center Houston. The city of Houston is known for its vibrant lifestyle and a slew of educational complexes. Houston is blessed with some immaculate museums and art galleries that celebrate the history of North America and Native Americans.
Due to its proximity with Mexico, the culture of Houston is interspersed with Texan as well as Mexican vibe. In fact, Tex-Mex is a famous term thrown around in the city for the confluence of cultures. Flight connectivity to Houston from major international cities is excellent. However, there are no direct flights to the city from India. Connecting flights and layovers are some of the things a traveller will have to prepare oneself with before boarding the flight. Booking hotels in Houston before the scheduled trip is recommended.
Best time to visit Houston
Houston's proximity with the Gulf of Mexico brings in all the heat while the winters are pleasant too. February to April and September to November, basically the springtime and fall are the best seasons to plan for a trip to Houston. Most of the year, Houston sees a temperature ranging between 26 degree Celsius to 34 degree Celsius. With a warm climate throughout the year, springtime and fall are the only seasons where it blends a balance between warm and cold climates. May to August can be quite hot and humid, which is not the most pleasant time to visit. During this time, though, the hotel prices drop as there are barely any tourists visiting the city. For those coming from hot climates wouldn't want to stick around for long as the humid and stickiness in the air would be quite annoying if anything. Cheap and affordable flight deals to Houston will also be available specifically for the summer months. Luckily, there are events and festivals during this time that will keep you entertained if the heat is bothering your zen mode. Events such as Pasadena Strawberry Festival, Pride Houston, Dragon Boat Festival, Juneteenth Celebration and CITGO Freedom Over Texas.
These festivals basically reflect the culture and lifestyle of Houston. As you participate or play a spectator to them, you will learn a lot about the city as well as its cultural heritage and history. The months from September to November witness pleasant weather and numerous carnivalesque festivals. This could actually be a good time for you to don some fancy costumes and attend the Texas Renaissance Festival. The habitants also celebrate a Native American Pow Wow, which basically honours the tribe and their colourful life. The 2-day fair has a series of events taking place to engage the festival goers.
Festivals in the city continue throughout the year, but it is only during the spring and fall that locals or tourists actually get to enjoy them. The heat can be quite unbearable and especially when teamed with humidity. Spring, between February to April, is also a good time to visit the city. However, many tourists flock over to visit Houston right before the summers kick in. The hotel prices take a staggering hike, making accommodation tough. It would be best to be on the safe side, and book your hotel rooms in Houston, months ahead of the trip.
Places to visit in Houston
NASA's Space Centre in Houston is undoubtedly one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city. Well, you hear space, and you want to see how it works, right? Not to mention how the space centre does organise tours and events for tourists to indulge in as a means to educate them. Speaking of which, you should visit the Houston Museum District too. The complex literally has around 19 museums, including the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and the Menil Collection, to name a few highlights. If you're a space geek, you'll definitely have a good time at the Johnson Space Center House and Houston Museum of Natural Science as well. The city bustles with insightful structures and institutions that would be quite educational and entertaining too. The city also has a Holocaust Museum where you will find exhibits depicting incidents from World War II. There is a specific museum dedicated to motorheads called the Art Car Museum which basically comprises automobiles and derby racers designed artistically.
The city's Armand Bayou Nature Centre is also quite famous for the plethora of flora and fauna it inhabits. With over 370 species of diverse wildlife including alligators, deer, eagles, turtles and armadillos, the place would be quite an engaging expedition as will be the Houston Zoo which has over 6,000 animals including cheetahs, bats, albino reptiles, giraffes and more. If you are a bibliophile, the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum will pique your interest.
Things to do in Houston
Houston has far too many things to do for a tourist to get tired. A walk around Hermann Park would be a good way to relax after all the excess sightseeing. Starting with shopping, The Galleria in Houston is popular for being one of the biggest shopping malls. The 2.4 million square feet area of The Galleria houses premium brands such as Christian Louboutin, Burberry, Chanel, Gucci, Giorgio Armani, to name a few. They have high-end brands like Gap and Forever 21 too. You can take up a walking tour of Haunted Houston Ghost. Located close to the Buffalo Bayou river, the haunted house tour basically takes you through the story of how the haunted house came into existence.
Food and restaurants in Houston
Houston has been holding the title as one of the best cities for foodies in the USA for quite some time now. It doesn't really come as a big shock since the city does have a lovely culinary spread featuring two major dishes, Tex-Mex and barbecued meat. In fact, as a city close to Mexico, the influence of the cuisine is quite strong here. From breakfast burritos to grilled meat, the city majorly favours these two dishes. You can even find some of the best restaurants that will elevate your senses and give you the beautiful blend of spices in Mexican food. Places such as Picos Restaurant, M&M Grill and Pappasito's Cantina have some lip-smacking fajitas and burritos that will make you a fan. In fact, Pappasito's fame also comes from the fact that Beyoncé was spotted in the vicinity. Houston's love for grilled meat is evident in the plethora of dishes that they serve. These also include roasted tender brisket, baby back ribs and more. The city does not fall short of BBQ establishments. In fact, some of the popular ones include Killen's Texas Barbecue, an establishment run by venerated chef Ronnie Killen. Along with the famed BBQ joint is the Jackson Street BBQ, another sweet joint for exquisite meat.
Not just barbecue and Mexican flavours but Houston also hosts a plethora of cuisines ranging from the Mediterranean to Japanese. In fact, their food culture is quite elaborate with some brilliant bars and restaurants serving varied cuisines. You can indulge in some buffet at Aladdin's Mediterranean Cuisine, get some of the Cajun cuisine action at Brennan's of Houston, sip on Japanese whiskey at Izakaya, enjoy a luxe French spread at Etoile Cuisine et Bar and more. The nightlife of Houston is just as lively as the food culture. There are several hip-hop dance clubs with recognised DJs supplying endless beats to keep the city in high spirits.
How to reach Houston
Houston has three major airports that serve the city. However, George Bush Intercontinental Airport is the only airport with international routes connecting the city globally. As one of the major airports in Houston, the airport witnesses tremendous passenger footfall. Hence, it is also known to be the tenth busiest airport in the United States. The flight connectivity of Houston to other major international cities is excellent. Even with cities from India, Houston has flights flying in and out. However, there are no direct flights to Houston from India. Since there are no direct flights to Houston, layovers and even connecting flights need to be taken for the passenger. The major airlines that service flights and connect Houston and India are Japan Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Swiss, United Airlines, Lufthansa, American Airlines, to name a few. Out of all the airlines, Turkish Airlines is the only one that directly connects with Houston with a layover in Istanbul. The flight to Houston takes the Middle Eastern international route to reach the United States.
One way flight tickets to Houston are decently priced. But if you wish to acquire cheap flight tickets to Houston for a round trip, you should ensure to book the ticket in advance and even look for online flight deals. Some of these online flight deals to Houston come as a package with hotel accommodations too. Try to get your hands on those to save as many greens as possible.
About WestJet Airlines
WestJet Airlines Ltd. is a Canada-based airline that came into existence in 1996. The airline originally commenced operations as a low-cost alternative to the major airlines that were competing in the market during that time. The airline has since managed to rake in a tremendously good number of destinations it flies to from Canada. WestJet Airlines has scheduled flights to more than 100 domestic route and international route destinations across Canada, Europe, the United States of America, Central American, the Caribbean and Mexico. The airline is also recognised as the second-largest Canadian air carrier and falls right behind the country's flag carrier, Air Canada. It operates about 777 flights and accommodates more than 66,000 passengers in a single day. It was reported in 2018 that WestJet Airlines carried a whopping 25.49 million passengers. With this record, the airline became the ninth-largest airline across North America with respect to the number of passengers carried. WestJet Airlines is a subsidiary of Kestrel Bidco Inc. and currently has about 14,000 employees. The airline hasn't joined any of the three airlines alliance, namely Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance.
Between 2000-2003, the airline underwent some serious expansions. While a restructuring of the Canadian Airline post its takeover from Air Canada took place in 2000, WestJet Airlines used this as an opportunity to further conduct its own expansion plans within Eastern Canada by commencing operations to cities of Ottawa, Ontario, Hamilton, New Brunswick and Moncton. For these operations, the airline chose John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport to be the focus city for WestJet Airlines' Eastern Canada operations. The airline continued to work on extending its reach as it brought in newer domestic routes such as Comox and Fort McMurray under its wing. It further added Sault St. Marie, Manitoba, Ontario, Thompson and Brandon, among a few. However, operations in these cities have since been suspended. Instead, WestJet Airlines' subsidiary took over operations of these cities. Soon, the airline's expansion plan also witnessed destinations such as Montreal, St. John's, Halifax and Windsor. The airline did get embroiled in a controversy with Air Canada where the latter accused it of industrial espionage. A lawsuit was filed, and eventually, WestJet Airlines did take ownership for the same. They agreed to pay a sum of CAD 5.5 million to Air Canada and pay for the investigation fees.
In 2004, WestJet Airlines decided to move its operations internationally. They announced a list of US destinations that the airline planned to operate from. They were Los Angeles, New York City, Tampa, Orlando, San Francisco, Phoenix and Fort Lauderdale. The airline further roped in San Diego and Palm Springs to its list of international destinations. From Vancouver, WestJet Airlines announced an international route that would connect the Canadian city to the Hawaiian Islands such as Honolulu and Maui. Eventually, with a significant rise in its presence across the North American market and Canada, WestJet Airlines decided to go overseas and acquire destinations in European countries. In 2013, the airline commenced its first flight to Europe. WestJet Airlines introduced seasonal planes from St. John's in Newfoundland to Dublin in Ireland. Following this, they further expressed their desire to expand more and acquire more European cities such as London and Paris. At the same time, the international route to Dublin continued to work as a seasonal flight.
Fleet size of WestJet
In terms of fleet, WestJet Airlines is an all-Boeing fleet with about 127 aircraft that are currently operating. The airline has 13 Boeing 737-600s, 52 Boeing 737-7000s, 39 Boeing 737-800s, 13 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, four Boeing 767-300ER and six Boeing 787-9s. Among these, they have additionally ordered for a few more Boeing aircraft, deliveries of which are expected to be completed by 2021-22. The airline received its first Boeing 737-700s in 2001 along with other models namely Boeing 737-600 and Boeing 737-800s, later in 2005. The final 737-600 aircraft from the order was delivered in 2006. Following year, WestJet Airlines placed an order to purchase 23 Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft. Originally a Boeing 737-700, the airline received conversion rights to Boeing 737-800s. In 2014, WestJet Airlines' CEO Gregg Saretsky stated that the airlines were planning on acquiring wide-body aircraft to join its fleet. The idea behind roping in wide-body aircraft was to enable long-haul international route operations. The same was confirmed later, and the airline announced that they would be purchasing a second-hand Boeing 767-300ERs from Qantas. With the efficiency brought forth by the wide-body aircraft, WestJet Airlines announced to seek more such aircraft to be part of its fleet. While the mainline fleet is predominantly a Boeing exclusive, the airline's subsidiary Encore has Bombardier Dash 8 Q400s in its fleet.
Baggage Allowance
Baggage allowance on WestJet Airlines is the standard policy followed by a majority of international airlines. According to the policy, the passenger is allowed to carry only 23 kg weighing checked baggage. The dimension of the baggage is also very important as the airline might accommodate or reject a passenger's baggage solely on the dimensions. WestJet Airlines allows checked baggage to be within 157 cm and not more than that. In case passengers fail to follow this protocol, the airline will refuse to take the checked baggage. In fact, passengers will need to ship the baggage as cargo instead. Hence, to be on the safe side, it is advised that passengers follow the protocols that have been laid out by the airline. As for passengers with overweight baggage or oversized, the airline has recommended that they reach the airport a few minutes before the check-in time to enable screening of the baggage and ways to accommodate it. For carry-on baggage, the airline allows the dimension to be no more than 53 cm x 38 cm x 23 cm. The personal accessory bag which could be a handbag or a laptop bag should be within the dimension of 41 cm x 33 cm x 15 cm.
In-flight services
WestJet Airlines is known to offer some of the finest in-flight services ranging from plush and comfortable seats to hot and scrumptious in-flight meals. Passengers can avail the best of their in-flight services depending on the cabin class they are travelling by.
Popular routes and top cities for WestJet
As of 2020, WestJet Airlines currently connects to about 109 international route and domestic route destinations across 24 countries. Along with its subsidiary WestJet Encore, the two airlines collectively connect to about 108 destinations in 25 countries. With respect to daily departures, the airline's largest hub is the Toronto Pearson International Airport. Meanwhile, its main connection is the Calgary International Airport and Eastern Canada. The airline is known to operate the highest number of Canadian flights to Orlando and Las Vegas. It also caters to about 20 destinations located in the Caribbean while some seasonal flights to destinations in Mexico. WestJet Airlines has recently ventured into exploring the European market with Paris, London and Dublin as some of its destinations. With respect to its domestic route connectivity, the airline travels to cities such as Comox, Prince George, Vancouver, Victoria, Winnipeg, St. John's, Deer Lake, Hamilton, Halifax, Sydney, Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor, Victoria, Quebec City Saskatoon, Montreal, Calgary and Whitehorse.
As for its international route destinations, WestJet Airlines travels to cities such as San Jose, Belize City, Santa Clara, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Paris, Dublin, Manzanillo, Huatulco, Cozumel, San Juan, Barcelona, London, Glasgow, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Denver, Orland, Tampa, Honolulu, Maui, Boston, Las Vegas, New York City, Austin and Houston.
Why travel by WestJet?
WestJet Airlines has shown tremendous growth during its time in the Canadian aviation industry. What started as a domestic route operations airline, WestJet Airlines has certainly managed to transform it into a massive profit-making venture. In a brief period of time, with strategic business and operational moves, WestJet Airlines has not just bought a plethora of Canadian cities together but has also enabled the transit of Canadians to various parts of North America, the Caribbean, parts of Europe and more. Much of their operations have been taken up in a series of phases. European destinations such as Paris, London and Dublin are recent achievements. Evidently, without being part of the airline alliance groups, WestJet Airlines has managed to become a powerhouse in the Canadian aviation industry.
The airline does offer a slew of perks apart from its excellent route connectivity and impressive list of destinations. Passengers can now book a WestJet Airlines flight ticket on their official website and also conduct web check-ins on their page. A dedicated slot has been set to know about WestJet Airlines' flight schedules that would help travellers form a plan accordingly. To ensure better connectivity with the customers, WestJet Airlines also shares flight status with the passengers ahead of the journey. All the experience is further enhanced thanks to their exquisite in-flight services and airport facilities such as personalised check-in kiosks and much more. It should definitely be on your list of airlines to opt for, in case you are looking for a considerably decent fare.
