Originally Posted by
tcook052
Small airports could be affected by WestJet possibly integrating Swoop
A tentative deal between WestJet and the union representing its pilots likely includes a provision to fully integrate Swoop into WestJet by October of 2024, eliminating the airline.
WestJet has declined to comment, citing the fact the agreement is tentative and hasn’t been ratified.
However, the development could be a big deal to the 13 Canadian airports that welcome the airline, most of them smaller operations welcoming just a handful of carriers.
The typical LCC 737 model of 80% load factor with 174 seats compared with the ULCC model of 90% load factor with 189 seats would require the mainline yield to be 22% higher than Swoop and Sunwing for the same profitability with all other factors being equal on the same routes from the smaller airports. Substituting Sunwing on the Swoop routes to move them from a winter destination biased airline to similar capacity year round would fill the gap.