I'm not certain, but I don't think I remember WS ever calling itself a "low cost carrier." Rather that term was invented by pundits and executives of larger carriers. I think WS has always perceived itself to be a "high value carrier" and still does today. The difference between then and now is that much of the travelling public also believes that.

While not always the case, my experience is that WS often does offer lower fares.

Most recently I booked a one-way YYZ-YVR ticket explicity to take the new A340-500. Inadvertantly, I forgot to specify only AC flights. The best AC fare I could get the day before the Monday morning flight was 609.48 including taxes and fees. While I don't recall the exact WestJet fare it was, according to Travelocity, in the $200-$299 range, including all taxes and fees. So perhaps often enough WS does offer lower fares to keep budget concious customers coming back.

And certainly if you are travelling from the US, Air Canada's last minute one-way fares still border on the obscene. Last Thursday I checked the price of a one-way WAS/BWI-YVR flight for either Friday or Saturday, and the best fares were pushing in on $1000 USD, before taxes.


But often as not, that's a double edged sword. If you want to fly between the Fraser Valley and the Golden Horseshoe, then those costs for an "out of the way airport" appear on the AC side of the ledger. And given that Air Canada and an increasing number of other mainline carriers are now starting to charge for meals, it's a wash either way.


Anybody that is shopping for "lowest" fares is probably just that -- a shopper. My guess is that any "business type" that has or is flying WS based on price, got there because they found a low price. And because there's not much (in terms of the euphemistically names "loyalty programs") to keep them there, I suspect it's a fairly easy transitition for them to take an AC flight when the fare warrants. Certainly it's easy enough to check. So I don't beleive that anyone has been "duped."

On the other hand, WS seems to offer a lot of benefits that the mainline carriers are unwilling or unable to offer. If your AC flight is delayed 4.5 hours "due to weather" (no matter how tenuous the link between the whether somewhere distant and the currently delayed flight) you're just out of luck. But in the case of WestJet, even if you can see the aircraft buried under several feet of snow, any delay over 3 hours gets you "your money back" in some form or other.

Likewise, for whatever reasons, AC seems to have had an unending series of mini-disasters, like the shutdown of their computers on Friday. Regardless of the reasons or causes, WestJet seems to have these problems rarely if ever, and in that regard, looks like the more reliable option. And how often do you hear people complaining about WS service? Compare that to the unending stream of complaints here and elsewhere directed towards AC.

Finally, as PE demonstrates, people will often avoid a carrier they are dissatisfied with or who have offended them, even if there is a difference in fare. The "rational man" economist would say that never happens. The sensible marketer would realize the satisfaction of sticking it to a business that has pissed you off may have a monetary value.