Tag: WestJet
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WestJet Cabin Crew Union Responds to Cabin Crew Announcement
March 10, 2023 06:04 PM Eastern Standard Time
CALGARY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Alia Hussain, President of CUPE Local 4070 (WestJet Cabin Crew) issued the following statement about the approval of the Sunwing acquisition by WestJet.
On behalf of the 4,000 Flight Attendants and Cabin Crew Members working for the WestJet group of companies, we are pleased that there is now certainty about the purchase of Sunwing by WestJet.
While we are cautiously optimistic about the growth of WestJet, there remains a number of important unanswered questions. We need to know more about WestJet’s ability to finance this project, and we want to better understand how this will impact the working lives of our members. We will continue to push WestJet for answers on these questions.
Our members work for, and even celebrate, the successes of the company. But employees need more information to fully understand what the impacts will be.
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WestJet Group provides update about Sunwing transaction
Canadian Government issues order finding that the transaction is in the public interest
CALGARY, AB, March 10, 2023 /CNW/ – The WestJet Group today issued a statement following the Government of Canada’s issuance of an order finding that the proposed acquisition of Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines is in the public interest, taking into account certain measures.
“We are pleased that the regulatory review of the transaction is now complete,” said Angela Avery, WestJet Group Executive Vice-President and Chief People, Corporate & Sustainability Officer. “We thank the Minister of Transport and the Commissioner of Competition, and the staff of Transport Canada, the Competition Bureau, and the Canadian Transportation Agency, for their efforts to review the transaction.”
The issuance of the order is an important milestone in the process toward closing the transaction.
About the WestJet Group of Companies
In 27 years of serving Canadians, WestJet has cut airfares in half and increased the flying population in Canada to more than 50 per cent. WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees and more than 100 destinations in 23 countries, pre-pandemic.
Since the start of the pandemic the WestJet Group of Companies has built a layered framework of safety measures to ensure Canadians can continue to travel safely and responsibly through the airline’s Safety Above All hygiene program. During this time, WestJet has maintained its status as one of the top-10 on-time airlines in North America as named by Cirium.
For more information about everything WestJet, please visit www.westjet.com.
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Government of Canada approves acquisition of Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines by WestJet Airlines Ltd. with strict terms and conditions
OTTAWA, ON , March 10, 2023 /CNW/ – The Government of Canada’s priority is to ensure a safe and competitive air sector for travellers, workers and communities. It is also committed to supporting Canada’s aviation industry, while creating good, middle-class jobs for Canadians and building an economy that works for everyone.
Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced that following Transport Canada’s assessment of the public interest, which incorporated the findings of the Commissioner of Competition, and consultations with Canadians, consumer protection groups, unions and industry, the Government of Canada has approved the acquisition of Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines by WestJet Airlines Ltd., subject to strict terms and conditions that are in the interest of Canadians.
The decision to approve this acquisition was not taken lightly, especially considering the delays and bottlenecks experienced by travellers last summer, as well as the customer service and communications challenges by Sunwing during the recent holiday season. In determining the proposed purchase is in the public interest, the government considered a broad range of factors, such as levels of service, social and economic implications, the financial health of the air transportation sector, and competition.
Given the current air sector landscape, it was important to ensure that the final agreement offered the best possible outcome for Canadians. The acquisition will help maintain the stability of the sector as Sunwing will continue to provide more affordable vacation packages to Canadians, while being financially supported by WestJet.
The acquisition will also result in enforceable terms and conditions intended to protect the interests of travellers. These strict terms and conditions include:
- Extending Sunwing vacation package offerings to five new Canadian cities;
- Maintaining capacity on routes most affected by the merger;
- Increasing regional connectivity;
- Improving baggage handling for better passenger experience;
- Maintaining a vacations business head office in the Toronto area and a regional office in the Montreal area for a minimum of five years;
- Increasing net employment by 20 per cent over three years in the Toronto office;
- Ensuring better passenger experience by investing in IT technology solutions to improve Sunwing’s communications;
- Supplying airfare data on vacation packages for monitoring of post-acquisition price trends; and
- Gradually ending Sunwing’s seasonal leasing practice to protect Canadian jobs.
The Government of Canada is also working on significant reforms to the Air Passenger Protection Regulations to ensure passenger rights are even more protected. These changes will place Canada at the forefront of passenger protections globally and, together with other steps to be taken, will help prevent the frustrating experiences of passengers last summer and over the holiday season.
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“Today’s decision was not taken lightly, especially in light of everything that happened over the holidays for those who flew with Sunwing. After considering the pros and cons, we have made the decision that will allow Sunwing to continue to provide affordable vacation packages to Canadians, create more good jobs, and protect current jobs as well as Canadians who have already purchased tickets. The agreement will also be accompanied by strict terms and conditions to ensure the public interest, including with regard to competition, connectivity and baggage handling.”
The Honourable Omar Alghabra
Minister of TransportQuick Facts
- The assessment of the public interest involved rigorous analysis and consultations with Canadians and stakeholder groups. Online public consultations ran from May to July 2022.
- In the absence of this acquisition, Canada’s air transport sector could have faced greater instability, including job losses, a significant reduction of affordable vacation offerings, negative impacts on passengers, and the Government not being repaid sizable loans.
- Sunwing is a privately owned travel company founded in 2002 with headquarters in Toronto and a regional office in the Montreal area. Sunwing currently employs approximately 2,200 people.
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca.
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Air travel may hit pre-pandemic levels in 2022: WestJet Interim CEO
From BNN Bloomberg – link to source story and video
By David George-Cosh | 29 November 2021
The Close It is too early to tell if Omicron will have an impact on our recovery: WestJet Interim CEO Harry Taylor, interim president and CEO of WestJet Group, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss his new appointment from CFO to CEO, and how the Omicron variant may impact the airline’s recovery moving forward.
Canadian airline travel is slowly recovering to pre-pandemic levels, although passengers may see higher fares as fuel prices reach new highs, according to the interim head of WestJet Airlines Ltd.
While Canadians may be feeling more comfortable flying again, WestJet interim President and Chief Executive Harry Taylor stated in an interview that more data on the new COVID-19 Omicron variant is needed before determining what kind of impact it could have on future air travel.
“We didn’t expect this development with Omicron and certainly before Friday, as we looked ahead, we were expecting the recovery to continue,” Taylor said.
“Our expectation is for a pandemic high in our traditional holiday peak season, followed by continuing recovery into next year. Omicron may have some effect on that – we’re not sure yet. It’s probably too early to tell.”
As COVID-19 cases tied to the variant begin to emerge, Canada announced last week that it will limit travel to southern Africa, including to South Africa, where scientists in that country were first to voice their concerns about the Omicron strain.
Taylor took over for Ed Sims on Monday as interim CEO as the company continues its search for a permanent chief executive. Taylor told BNN Bloomberg he plans to return to his role as chief financial officer after WestJet’s board selects a permanent successor.
Taylor said WestJet expects its domestic operations to return to pre-pandemic levels sometime this summer, while travel to the U.S. has lagged, but should pick up next year. He noted that bookings for sun destinations such as Mexico and the Caribbean have been “extremely strong.”
According to Statistics Canada, roughly 2.9 million Canadians travelled by air in September, up from just 931,000 a year earlier, but well below the 6.9 million people who travelled in 2019. Canada’s airlines reported a load factor (which represents seats filled by customers) of just 67.8 per cent in September, which is below the high-80 per cent range that is typical for Canadian air travel, the StatsCan data showed.
Passengers booking flights may be in for sticker shock, though, when it comes to airfares. Taylor noted that fuel prices are at levels not seen since 2014 and while it takes six-to-nine months to factor that into the company’s costs, it eventually will be reflected with higher fares.
“What we need to do is mitigate it and at the same time look for the most effective way to use our fuel,” he said. Taylor noted that WestJet has a relatively young fleet of jets, making its planes more fuel-efficient than some of its peers, and it is investigating ways to minimize fuel burn during flights.
“Fare prices cannot immediately react [to rising fuel prices] and we don’t want to take fares up,” Taylor added. “So, we’ve got to find other ways to reduce costs to preserve our operating profit margin.”
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WestJet announces Karl Schuster as Executive Vice-President and Chief Loyalty Officer
CALGARY, AB, Nov. 29, 2021 /CNW/ – WestJet today announced the appointment of Karl Schuster, as the airline’s Executive Vice-President and Chief Loyalty Officer (CLO). Schuster will join the WestJet executive leadership team in early 2022, following the completion of the immigration process.
Karl Schuster, WestJet Executive Vice-President and Chief Loyalty Officer (CNW Group/WESTJET, an Alberta Partnership) Schuster has over 19 years of loyalty experience, including six years as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Velocity Frequent Flyer, Virgin Australia’s award-winning loyalty program. During his time at Virgin Australia, Schuster grew Velocity to be one of the largest loyalty programs in Australia, significantly increasing their annual revenue; increasing membership subscribers to 10 million, from their previous 5.3 million members; and growing partnerships with noteworthy brands across the country. Prior to his time at Velocity, Schuster lead multi-year loyalty programs for Qantas, British Airways and Malaysian Airlines and provided consulting advice to a diverse range of airlines in his nearly 15 years at Aimia Inc.
“Karl has an impressive history of driving exponential growth for a diverse range of loyalty programs and delivering results through innovation and strategy,” said Harry Taylor, WestJet Interim President and CEO. “We are looking forward to welcoming Karl to WestJet; his breadth of experience will elevate WestJet’s loyalty program to new heights.”
The CLO is a newly created role for the airline, responsible for the execution of growing WestJet’s loyalty program, products, services and partnerships through innovation and leadership.
“As WestJet transitions from recovery to expansion, the airline is making significant investments in its already successful loyalty program, and I am thrilled to be joining the team at such a pivotal moment in time,” said Schuster. “As WestJet builds back stronger, there is incredible runway in front of WestJet Rewards and we will be working to bring guests more benefits and privileges through exciting and innovative loyalty enhancements. I am pleased to be joining WestJet’s high performing loyalty team alongside d’Arcy Monaghan, WestJet Vice-President, Loyalty Programs and I look forward to working with him and the team to take our program to new heights.”
About WestJet Rewards
Members of the WestJet Rewards program earn and redeem WestJet dollars on flights, vacation packages, and more. Members can maximize their earning power by adding a WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard‡ to their wallet and turning everyday purchases into WestJet dollars. WestJet Rewards Platinum, Gold and Silver members enjoy free checked bags, seat selection, lounge access, priority airport services, complimentary upgrades and more.About WestJet
In 25 years of serving Canadians, WestJet has cut airfares in half and increased the flying population in Canada to more than 50 per cent. WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees and more than 100 destinations in 23 countries, pre-pandemic.Since the start of the pandemic the WestJet Group of Companies has built a layered framework of safety measures to ensure Canadians can continue to travel safely and responsibly through the airline’s Safety Above All hygiene program. During this time, WestJet has maintained its status as one of the top-10 on-time airlines in North America as named by Cirium.
For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com.
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Harry Taylor becomes interim President and CEO of WestJet Group
CALGARY, AB, Nov. 29, 2021 /CNW/ – The WestJet Group today announced that Harry Taylor has officially assumed the role of interim President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Harry Taylor, WestJet Interim President and CEO The WestJet group announced Taylor as the interim President and CEO on September 15, 2021, following news of Ed Sims retirement announced on June 9, 2021.
“I am honoured to take on the interim role of CEO at this pivotal time for the WestJet Group, and am focused on our relentless commitment to safety above all while ensuring continuity for our recovery, as we rebuild our airlines for our guests and our people,” said Harry Taylor, interim President and CEO. “By the end of the year, we will return our entire fleet to service for the peak holiday travel season, connecting loved ones and fulfilling long awaited vacations plans. I look forward to leading our organization through this crucial phase of our recovery, while we continue our search for a permanent CEO.”
From previous releases
“I am extremely pleased Harry has agreed to take on this interim role,” said the WestJet Group Board Chair Chris Burley. “Our global search for a permanent CEO continues, and on behalf of WestJet and the board, we are grateful Harry has stepped up to help us through this critical transition.”Harry Taylor joined WestJet in 2015 as Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). During this time, he led the airline’s inaugural U.S. bond issue, negotiated the purchase of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Boeing MAX aircraft, and was instrumental in the sale of WestJet to Onex. Through the pandemic, Harry led the Finance team in managing WestJet’s liquidity to ensure sustainability with little to no revenue coming in.
“I want to thank Ed for his contributions to WestJet’s strategy and growth initiatives over the past four years,” said Chris Burley, Chairman of WestJet’s board of directors. “Ed has led WestJet through the worst crisis in aviation history and will see us through to the end of 2021. We owe our relative strength and stability in no small measure to Ed’s leadership and steady hand. On a personal note, we’re pleased that Ed will be able to rejoin his family in New Zealand at the end of the year.”
About WestJet
In 25 years of serving Canadians, WestJet has cut airfares in half and increased the flying population in Canada to more than 50 per cent. WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees and more than 100 destinations in 23 countries, pre-pandemic.
Since the start of the pandemic the WestJet Group of Companies has built a layered framework of safety measures to ensure Canadians can continue to travel safely and responsibly through the airline’s Safety Above All hygiene program. During this time, WestJet has maintained its status as one of the top-10 on-time airlines in North America as named by Cirium.
For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com.
