WestJet to launch ultra-low-cost carrier 'Swoop’
#362
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: YOW/HBA
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#363
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: May 2002
Location: YEG
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Swoop to layoff 78 employees in May, 33 from Edmonton
https://edmontonjournal.com/business...-f18b625bc953/
Calgary-based ultra-low-cost airline Swoop will be laying off 78 employees next month, nearly half from Edmonton.
Larissa Mark, a spokeswoman for Swoop, said in an email Thursday 33 employees in Edmonton and 45 in Hamilton, Ont., received involuntary reduction notifications effective May 1 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Calgary-based ultra-low-cost airline Swoop will be laying off 78 employees next month, nearly half from Edmonton.
Larissa Mark, a spokeswoman for Swoop, said in an email Thursday 33 employees in Edmonton and 45 in Hamilton, Ont., received involuntary reduction notifications effective May 1 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
#364
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Vancouver
Programs: Aeroplan, Mileage Plus, WestJet Gold, AMEX Plat
Posts: 2,026
https://edmontonjournal.com/business...-f18b625bc953/
Calgary-based ultra-low-cost airline Swoop will be laying off 78 employees next month, nearly half from Edmonton.
Larissa Mark, a spokeswoman for Swoop, said in an email Thursday 33 employees in Edmonton and 45 in Hamilton, Ont., received involuntary reduction notifications effective May 1 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Calgary-based ultra-low-cost airline Swoop will be laying off 78 employees next month, nearly half from Edmonton.
Larissa Mark, a spokeswoman for Swoop, said in an email Thursday 33 employees in Edmonton and 45 in Hamilton, Ont., received involuntary reduction notifications effective May 1 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
#365
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#366
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Vancouver
Programs: Aeroplan, Mileage Plus, WestJet Gold, AMEX Plat
Posts: 2,026
Perhaps I am bad one to judge as I don't understand why anyone would every want to fly Swoop or Flair more than once. My one flight with Flair convinced me I don't want to be here.
There is a lot of overhead in keeping a separate brand, reservation system, customer service team and in-flight team trained. When you only have one or two aircraft under the banner you have to ask what is the point.
#367
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 980
Both good questions.
Perhaps I am bad one to judge as I don't understand why anyone would every want to fly Swoop or Flair more than once. My one flight with Flair convinced me I don't want to be here.
There is a lot of overhead in keeping a separate brand, reservation system, customer service team and in-flight team trained. When you only have one or two aircraft under the banner you have to ask what is the point.
Perhaps I am bad one to judge as I don't understand why anyone would every want to fly Swoop or Flair more than once. My one flight with Flair convinced me I don't want to be here.
There is a lot of overhead in keeping a separate brand, reservation system, customer service team and in-flight team trained. When you only have one or two aircraft under the banner you have to ask what is the point.
#368
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Vancouver
Programs: Aeroplan, Mileage Plus, WestJet Gold, AMEX Plat
Posts: 2,026
At the check-in counter the person guarding the queue put up a lot of resistance to me not having checked in online because I would be "charged" if I approached the drop off within a boarding pass in hand and wanted to save me the fee. She finally looked at my ticket and was surprised it included a printed boarding pass. They had great difficulty topdressing the fee. I was then allowed to go into the empty line. At the gate it was a constant stream of announcements on how to save money by paying for the carry on before boarding started because it would cost more a few minutes later. That would have been ok, it were not for the flight being an hour late proving more time for the same announcements. The on board announcements were all about the buy on board and how to save money on this combo or that. However if you actually try to buy anything you discover they only accept credit cards and the credit card reader does not work so despite the endless announcements they can't actually sell you anything.
I flew WS in the early days, Flair is nothing like the early WS or even Rouge. WS usually had their act together. When WS screwed up (and they did that early on) the staff understood what happened, would apologies and try to make things right. This ultra low cost airlines have a major problem with service recovery. It is almost like they don't train there staff in any customer service skills. I am fearful of entering any aircraft with a Swoop logo on it.
Last edited by Fiordland; Apr 30, 2020 at 7:01 pm
#369
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE MM, FB Plat, WS Plat, BA Silver, DL GM, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,767
What's very likely is that you won't see swoop at YYZ or YUL because the fees are simply too high. YYC too.
Hard to say, but it would be a non-cash charge, simply recognizing that any investments already made in the Swoop brand, website, etc have no value. Write-downs shouldn't normally impact decision-making, although unfortunately they do more than they should, but at a company owned by private equity, that would likely not be an important consideration. Those guys aren't worried about meeting stock market expectations for the next quarter or how an impairment charge might impact the bonus pool.
There are many of us who find that model very unappealing, but there are lots of people out there who find the low prices very attractive, and who are willing to put up with all the fees and nonsense. Remember that if you have FF status with any airline, you are not Swoop's target market. Not that they wouldn't mind taking your cash from time to time, but their value proposition is oriented towards people who have never flown or fly very rarely, and they're not trying to attract people like us. The goal has been more about generating brand-new traffic, by making it more affordable to fly, than cannibalizing from WS mainline, AC, TS, etc.
#370
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 8,002
Swoop summer schedule and network changes.
https://www.routesonline.com/news/29...twork-changes/
https://www.routesonline.com/news/38...adian-network/
https://www.routesonline.com/news/29...twork-changes/
https://www.routesonline.com/news/38...adian-network/
#371
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Vancouver
Programs: Aeroplan, Mileage Plus, WestJet Gold, AMEX Plat
Posts: 2,026
Swoop summer schedule and network changes.
https://www.routesonline.com/news/29...twork-changes/
https://www.routesonline.com/news/38...adian-network/
https://www.routesonline.com/news/29...twork-changes/
https://www.routesonline.com/news/38...adian-network/
Abbotsford is a fairly convenient airport for most people south of the fraser or in the Fraser Valley. That is what a population of what over 750,000 people. Hamilton has its catchment area where it is more convenient than Pearson. Likely more leisure travel given the lack of connection and distance from the central business area.
Are these mostly passengers who are driving from outside the local airport catchment area to get a cheap flight or are they local passengers that WestJet would have likely picked up with a mainline branded service anyway?
#372
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Calgary
Posts: 1,444
From stats before COVID-19, these are people who drive to get a cheap flight that is not possible at that same price (for the airline not to lose money on it) from the major airports due to the much higher operating costs.
#373
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE, HH Gold, Marriott Titanium, National EE, Sixt Platinum, Hertz PC, AVIS PC
Posts: 1,910
Swoop summer schedule and network changes.
https://www.routesonline.com/news/29...twork-changes/
https://www.routesonline.com/news/38...adian-network/
https://www.routesonline.com/news/29...twork-changes/
https://www.routesonline.com/news/38...adian-network/
Ron.
#374
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 8,002
....seeking new airport partners in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
....is looking for innovative proposals from airports that “understand providing value to travelers through fair fares, and low fees creates demand as well as the importance of travel and tourism in stimulating economic recovery.
https://www.routesonline.com/news/29...port-partners/
....is looking for innovative proposals from airports that “understand providing value to travelers through fair fares, and low fees creates demand as well as the importance of travel and tourism in stimulating economic recovery.
https://www.routesonline.com/news/29...port-partners/
#375
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 8,002
Interview with Swoop's head of commercial Bert van der Stege
https://www.routesonline.com/news/29...covid-future-/
https://www.routesonline.com/news/29...covid-future-/