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Old Jun 19, 2006 | 5:55 pm
  #1  
Coconut
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 44
Westjet is not a lowcost anymore

I was reading an article and I came across this:

The union said it presented to Air Canada a copy of the employment agreement of pilots with WestJet Airlines Ltd. showing that WestJet pilots are paid more than their counterparts at Air Canada. They claim when taking into account wages --including flight pay, paid training, stock options and a share purchase plan---a captain flying a WestJet 737 earns about 13 per cent more than an Air Canada pilot flying an A320. First officers earn some 20 per cent more, it claims.

This kind of shocked me because isn't Westjet supposed to be a low cost? In my head, lowcosts carriers have lower costs...

Why is westjet slowly quitting the Southwest model to a more 'hybrid' type like Air Canada. Is it even wanted?

We have seen legacy carriers try to turn into a lowcosts, but we haven't seen lowcosts turn into legacies. Easyjet's owner said: We born lowcost, we don't change into one.
Well, wouldn't the opposit also apply?

Some of you might say they are doing like Jetblue, which isn't 100% lowcost. However, Jetblue have ordered a second type aircraft instead of buying smaller and ineficient A318s. Now Westjet can't really buy regional jets because the whole idea of getting B736s would turn out to be useless...

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