oneworld and WestJet introduce global travel program for businesses in Canada
CALGARY, Nov. 4 /CNW/ - oneworld(R), the leading quality global airline
alliance, is linking up with WestJet, Canada's leading high-value low-cost
airline, to help businesses throughout Canada make their budgets for worldwide
travel stretch as far as possible.
The new canadaconnect corporate travel program combines WestJet's
comprehensive Canadian network with oneworld's transborder and international
reach to offer companies across Canada special rates on their business air
travel right around the globe with some of the best airlines in the world.
It provides flights to almost 600 destinations in nearly 130 countries
worldwide with more than 900 international departures a week from Canada.
canadaconnect offers departures from more than 25 cities across the country.
Alongside WestJet, seven oneworld member airlines are participating in
the program: American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan
Airlines, LAN, Qantas and Royal Jordanian. Other oneworld members may join in
the future. To make using canadaconnect as simple as possible, the
participating airlines will nominate a single point of contact to co-ordinate
each customer's needs.
oneworld Vice-President Commercial Nicolas Ferri said, "As Canada's
leading domestic carrier, WestJet makes a natural partner for oneworld. In
difficult financial times like today, it's more important than ever for every
business to make the very most of every dollar they spend. canadaconnect will
help companies across Canada achieve just this on all their air travel."
WestJet Vice-President of Sales and Airline Partnerships Duncan Bureau
added: "Through canadaconnect and WestJet's new sales link with oneworld,
Canadian business travellers now have real choice for their travel right
around the world, with outstanding value on flights with some of the world's
best airlines."
Both oneworld and WestJet stressed that there are no plans at present for
the Canadian airline to join the alliance. A number of airlines that are not
oneworld members already participate in several of the alliance's other fare
products.
Cities in Canada with flights covered by the canadaconnect program
include: Abbotsford, Charlottetown, Calgary, Comox, Deer Lake/Corner Brook,
Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Grand Prairie, Halifax, Hamilton, Kamloops, Kelowna,
Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Prince George, Quebec
City, Regina, Saint John, St John's, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay, Toronto,
Vancouver, Victoria and Winnipeg.