WestJet Rewards - WestJet wants to win Ontario, Quebec business travellers through more perks

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/29882--westjet-wants-to-win-ontario-quebec-business-travellers-through-more-perks

TORONTO - WestJet (TSX:WJA) plans to win business travellers in the lucrative Toronto-Montreal-Ottawa corridor by providing more perks than its competitors.

WestJet CEO Gregg Saretsky says the perks will include allowing business travellers to change certain bookings without a fee and offering them a free alcoholic drink.

When WJ announced the expansion of service in the YOW-YYZ-YUL corridor, they promised more flights, a travel credit if delayed + 30 mn, and improved on board service. I flew two segments this week. From YOW-YYZ in the am, it was the same old coffee/water. But on the return, they did have complimentay beer & wine. I tried a Grasshopper, an AB beer which was fine!

FYI, they just announced $25 WJ travel credit for every 3 flights in the corridor to Aug 1!

trying hard....or getting desperate. They seem to be throwing everything but the lav sink at rapidair and not making a dent.

Saretsky went on to tout his airline's rewards program ....

Saretsky should be embarassed to even mention their program.

When WJ announced the expansion of service in the YOW-YYZ-YUL corridor, they promised more flights, a travel credit if delayed + 30 mn, and improved on board service. I flew two segments this week. From YOW-YYZ in the am, it was the same old coffee/water. But on the return, they did have complimentay beer & wine. I tried a Grasshopper, an AB beer which was fine!

FYI, they just announced $25 WJ travel credit for every 3 flights in the corridor to Aug 1!

This $25 offer for every 3 flights was announced back in April when they first sent out the new release for the eastern triangle initiative.

The WS FF program is terrible. Enough said.

As per Westjet's liquor license, alcohol can only be served between 10 am and 2 am, based on the departure time zone. So guests on flights between YYZ/YOW/YUL before 10 am will only served coffee and water, whereas after 10 am, the one complimentary beer or wine will be offered.

Saretsky should be embarassed to even mention their program.

What program?

Porter offers re-fills :)

When I save $300+ cold hard, after tax cash every roundtrip, I have more than enough cash to pay for my golf trips to Florida and family holidays to the DR, and buy access to the common use lounge!!

I've saved pretty close to $3,000 in MY JEANS, since early May and I have to say that the flights seem about 3/4 full or more every time I fly, (about every 10 days in the triangle).

Points are great, but cash is even better!

The thing is even so the west jet service is generally friendlier than air Canada. But the Problem is without business class you just can't compete for business travelers who want upgrades at the same footing as AC

The thing is even so the west jet service is generally friendlier than air Canada. But the Problem is without business class you just can't compete for business travelers who want upgrades at the same footing as AC


WS has a long way to go to before they can begin siphoning off biz pax from AC, especially interlining biz pax from foreign carriers. They need to work on the following.

Premium Seats

The lack of premium seats prevents them from stealing pax looking for F seats on intra-Canada flights.

Priority Lines

The lack of priority lines from WS as well. Frequent business pax don't want to wait behind the once a year kettles who can't understand how to pass through the metal detectors.

Lounges

After priority lines, WS needs their own lounges(at least in their larger hubs). Nothing worse than sitting with hordes of kids during irrops in the gate area.

FFP

Most frequent flyers belong to multiple FFP's, and since WS's has no real program, many knowledgeable pax will fly AC and credit to another *A program.

Alliance/Codeshares

Currently I can't earn AA miles on intra-Canada flights. Therefore, I would rather fly AC for routes within Canada, and add to my *A mileage balance. WS needs to either join an alliance or build far more comprehensive codeshare agreements.

Partners

They have a smaller partner list than WN or B6. That seems pathetic in this day and age. This is another reason not to use WS.

When I save $300+ cold hard, after tax cash every roundtrip, I have more than enough cash to pay for my golf trips to Florida and family holidays to the DR, and buy access to the common use lounge!!

I've saved pretty close to $3,000 in MY JEANS, since early May and I have to say that the flights seem about 3/4 full or more every time I fly, (about every 10 days in the triangle).

Points are great, but cash is even better!
This is my experience as well.

After years being chasing upgrades/paying higher fares/being disrespected as AC SE/Elite, I changed my entire travel pattern last fall. I now quite frenquently use Westjet, and find I save all kinds of money and have the added bonus of being able to take more direct flights from YOW to the U.S., thus avoiding delays/line-ups/customs connecting at YYZ.

Bottom line is I am WAY further ahead financially without a traditional FF program (although I can't seem to shake being AC Elite, which I have to use by necessity from time to time), than I was in the past. And when I want J class tix, I just buy them, often at a discount, using the savings I have achieved by not playing AC's upgrade roulette.

While it's not much, I am also now getting cash back on my Westjet spend, on top of the initial savings. Unfortunately for AC, instead of just buying for one like a did a few years ago, I am now travelling with my spouse and two young kids. Thus even greating savings in my pocket, versus status that would never, ever get my four upgrades on one flight.

Cheers,

The thing is even so the west jet service is generally friendlier than air Canada. But the Problem is without business class you just can't compete for business travelers who want upgrades at the same footing as AC
Maybe I am the exception? See my post above.

Cheers,

Maybe I am the exception? See my post above.

Cheers,

I see plenty of business travellers fly WS in YYC. They're still dwarfed by AC, but there's some people who really believe in WS for business travel. I flew WS YYC-YVR during commuter times last Wednesday and most people were business travellers. There were some leisure travellers on the early evening flight but it was about the same proportion as I've seen on AC.

Bottom line is I am WAY further ahead financially without a traditional FF program (although I can't seem to shake being AC Elite, which I have to use by necessity from time to time), than I was in the past. And when I want J class tix, I just buy them, often at a discount, using the savings I have achieved by not playing AC's upgrade roulette.

While it's not much, I am also now getting cash back on my Westjet spend, on top of the initial savings. Unfortunately for AC, instead of just buying for one like a did a few years ago, I am now travelling with my spouse and two young kids. Thus even greating savings in my pocket, versus status that would never, ever get my four upgrades on one flight.

Cheers,

The money I save every flight is really adding up!

A colleague and I have to blast up to Montreal on Friday morning, back Friday evening after 5:30pm.

Flying WestJet saved ME about $450 of after tax dollars on this trip alone!

The value of the points doesn't come close to the raw cash savings I achieve. Almost every round trip gives me savings = 1/2 a roundtrip to Florida this winter to play golf and lounge in the sun for a few days at a time!

Until I see a deal that offers 2 triangle roundtrips = one round trip to Florida, the WestJet value equation is just a no brainer!! It beats sitting in the lounge and consuming maybe $10 worth of supposedly "free stuff"!

:)