WestJet's Magic Plane

by Cass Pettigrew

In early December 2013, Canada's choice airline, WestJet, introduced its' newest and most enchanted plane, dubbed "Magic Plane", on a flight from Calgary to Orlando. This amazing custom-painted  Boeing Next- Generation 737-800 features Sorcerer Mickey, Cinderella Castle and a whole lot of pixie dust.

Less than two weeks after its' inaugural flight, my client, Ashley Kennedy, along with her husband Kevin and 6-year old daughter, Brianna, were lucky enough to begin their family vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort and Caribbean cruise on the Disney Fantasy with a fabulous flight on the Magic Plane.

I've asked Ashley to tell us a little about her experience on the plane and here is what she said:

"If you’re on a direct flight from Calgary to Orlando, there’s a good chance you’re all heading to the same place. You start to find each other as you enter the airport, smiling tentatively in the security line at those around you wearing their Disney vacation apparel. Who cares if it’s an acid wash jean jacket if Mickey’s on the back? The great thing about this kind of travel is everyone at the gate is in a good mood.  What could possibly add to this excitement? A whisper begins through the crowd of passengers waiting to board. Soon there’s a line up at the glass and phones flashing pictures.  Could it be? Yes! The Mickey Plane! Officially WestJet has named her the Magic Plane but not a single person we met ever called it that.  Everyone is in a hurry to board and can’t wait to see inside.  The seats are adorned with pixie dust stars as is the lavatory mirror. For the most part however, once you’re seated and facing forward it’s easy to forget that Sorcerer Mickey is personally winging you south to Florida.  There are subtle Disney touches – Disney Parks napkins instead of the usual WestJet ones, and packages of Mickey cookies during the last service.  The big draw for the little ones though is a channel devoted to Disney cartoons. It came in particularly handy on our trip when the pay-per-view and satellite TV went out. 

What really surprised me was the reactions we got from people we met during our vacation upon hearing that we rode down on the Magic Plane. I had no idea it was such big news! Americans from all over, and British, Australian and South African cast members on the Disney Fantasy had all heard about it and I think were more excited than we were! It was nice to be able to share the experience with so many people we met.  We got to relive the little thrill throughout our entire holiday.

I’m glad we had the experience but I’m also happy that others will be able to enjoy it on other WestJet routes.  Especially those who have never (and may never) have the opportunity to visit a Disney Park. It’s like bringing a little piece of the Disney enchantment to all passengers – I guess that’s why they call it the Magic Plane." 

And here are some photos from their flight from Calgary to Orlando:

The Magic Plane will be flying everywhere that WestJet does, including 18 different countries and 35 cities, so you will see it all over Canada and the USA, so keep an eye out for this beautiful work of art!

To learn more about the Magic Plane and to see a video of how they painted it, check out WestJet's Blog.'s