None of the LCCs on both sides of the Atlantic are contemplating acquiring aircraft capable of going accross the pond. Only a WS 73W (737-700 with winglets in Westjets world) can do the hop from Moncton, St John's, or Halifax. FYI, it is less time to get from YHZ (halifax) to LHR than from YHZ to YYC (Calgary).

A Westjet and Jetblue partnership has been discussed in Canada and there are constant rumors in Calgary about a tie up. The most likely possibility is Westjet to JFK from YUL, YOW, YYZ. This would allow for Westjet passsengers to connect to Jetblue's 55 daily flights to Florida. The biggest fly in WS-JB plans is a little airline called Jetsgo. Jetsgo flies 18 MD80 aircraft nonstop from eastern Canada to Florida. Jetsgo's costs are rumored to be lower that WS and therefore able to withstand a fare war.

Another codeshare discussion was Westjet flying into Long Beach, however JB does not have enough connection possibilities to warrant the codeshare (i.e. four hour connection window is needed to present enough decent possibilities). Calgary has US pre-clearance area so US customs in Long Beach is not a concern.

Speaking as a Calgary resident. WS or JB to JFK (even without the codeshare) would be fantastic.

Further FYI, WS is slated to have LiveTV up and running on a 73W any day now. The first aircraft has been undergoing 3 months of testing for both FAA and Transport Canada regulations. The testing has been very intense (because this is the first 737 with LiveTV) and the implementation is months behind schedule. There is even talk to removing LiveTV from the airplane if approval cannot be reached by July 1, when WS needs all aircraft inservice to handle the schedule.

Question for the True Blue types, How valuable is Direct TV product at influencing your purchasing decisions? How inconvenient (ie time and/or money) does a non Direct TV flight have to be before whiching to the competition?