Originally Posted by
YEG Guy
Overtime the implementation of fare bundling, Encore, and premium economy will have an impact on WestJet culture. Basically the new service offerings will change how Westjet Owners interact with guests and how accomodation is provided. Specific illistrative examples.
I agree with what your points, but have a slightly different take. IMHO one of the things that passengers perceive is that all WS pax are treated equally. There is no business class, priority boarding, everyone gets the same number of free checked bags, etc. IMHO the fact that WS will start differentiating between pax represents a major culture shift (as perceived by customers). This stragegy could very well attract status/business pax from AC but risks alienating WS's base customers.
Although this move seems to be targeted to lure AC's business travellers, I wonder if AC might actually be looking forward to WS implementing these changes. For example, if the "bare bones" price means that there is no free baggage allowance on WS (domestic or transborder), I can see AC starting to charge for bags on their Tango fares. Services sold for AC's Tango, Tango Plus and Latitude would probably align somewhat with WS's Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 fares.