Frequentlander

AC fired me as a (SE) customer when they Rouged me with no compensation. I would hate to get "Tealed".

Separate carrier, separate routes and PLENTY of warning if a route switches from Mainline to the ULCC so I can buy a ticket on another airline.

J. Leslie

Let me add my voice to those above...especially FlyerJ's excellent letter (which I could have written myself).
Having been rouged when it was first launched, I considered it a bait-and-switch, and haven't flow AC since.
By all means, develop a ULCC and go after that market...but don't repeat Air Canada's mistakes when doing so.

Speedbird84

It's been mentioned above several times already, but this has to be because of Jetlines (and possible FlyToo, though they seem to be on shakier ground than Jetlines). Question is, is WS really that worried about these startups to go to this extreme?

Jetlines has put out a press release regarding the ULCC as well: link

BSBtraveller

So I don't understand why any airline would keep doing business on routes that don't make money. In any other business model that'd just not happen, even for strategic reasons.

newfbc

WS gives you 'sweet or salty' in the back.. AC does not!

Ron.

Altaflyer

Sweet or salty = 25 cents AC offers hot meals, drinkable beer and wine for a cost but they offer these higher end amenities.

Fiordland

I wonder if this an attempt by WestJet to screw up the ability of other startups to get financing. It is one thing to ask investors to investing in a new airline that has a new business model it is another thing to ask for inventors to invest in a new business model that a copy of one of the incumbents.

Frequentlander

Excellent point!

Symmetre

That's the best post I've read on FT in some time. Thank you for it. Couldn't have said it better myself.

I agree completely - there is no comparison at all. Westjet gate and cabin crew are inevitably efficient, professional, and friendly. Their aircraft are kept clean, and everything works - even the water in the lav! And unlike AC's staff, not once has a Westjet agent told me something that wasn't true, or treated me like anything less than a valued customer. You're absolutely right, there's no comparison at all. That's a major reason why I moved my travel spend from AC to Westjet in the first place.

Again, I couldn't agree more. There is room in Canada for a great mainline airline, and there is room for a well-run ULCC. But I would not be happy to see the ULCC replace the mainline service.

Sopwith

I will add my voice to FlyerJ's excellent letter.

I get a very bad feeling about this. I flew exactly one Rouge flight. Never again. Between that and all the other crap inflicted on me by AC I have shifted much of my travel to WS. Now this!

As for regulation, in general more regulation of free enterprise goes against my principles, but the airline industry has done it to themselves. We have reached the enough is enough stage, and if this is the way it's going to be we desperately need some sort of regulatory control to bring down the abuse. As a minimum we need regulation of overbooking, treatment of pax during and after delays and IRROPS, and minimum seat/pitch dimensions.

Sorry, Gregg, but I am not happy about this, lower fares or not!

MSPeconomist

AC had rouge so perhaps WestJet could do Rot.

drvannostren

I don't really get the point of this.

It makes much more sense to me as I read somewhere else to just unbundle fares if you really wanna do this.

Wpgjetse

Are you saying Canadian's have entitlement issues?

Wpgjetse

I would think AC agrees with you. That's why they started Rouge for these leisure routes. I also think Westjet is finding themselves in the same position. Plus, with the pilots pushing for a union again, Westjet see their cost increasing in the future.

rataplan