WestJet and Swoop News

[Guest1]

Rose coloured glasses or have the various unions etc. indicated they are  in favour?

Westjet sees no roadblocks to finalizing acquisition of Sunwing

CEO says synergies between companies will boost sun destination offerings

• Calgary Herald
• 13 Apr 2023
• JOSH ALDRICH jaldrich@postmedia.com twitter.com/joshaldrich03

AZIN GHAFFARI Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of Westjet chats with Calgary Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Deborah Yedlin at a chamber event held on Wednesday. Von Hoensbroech says his company's acquisition of Sunwing is just weeks away.

This will allow us collectively to grow our offering for our guests more than each individual company would have.

The landing gear is down for Westjet as it prepares to finalize its acquisition of vacation airline Sunwing.

On Wednesday, Westjet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said the deal is weeks from completion after receiving federal government approval in March.

“There's some normal legal work that needs to be chopped until we get to the eventual closing, and we expect that it's going to happen in the next couple of weeks,” he said, following his address to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce over lunch. “But I don't see any significant roadblocks.”

As part of the approval by the commissioner of competition, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra laid out a series of terms and conditions that need to be met, including extending Sunwing package offerings to five new Canadian cities, maintaining capacity on the most affected routes and maintaining a head office in Toronto and a regional office in the Montreal area for at least five years.

When the acquisition was originally announced, it was with the intention of maintaining a Sunwing head office in Toronto.

Several other requirements concern employment levels, improved baggage handling and passenger experience.

The deal will be a boost to Westjet's sun destination operations. Sunwing owns 45 hotels in tourism destinations throughout Mexico and the Caribbean but relies mainly on leasing planes. Westjet, meanwhile, did not previously operate its own hotels but provided flights to destinations.

Westjet has since realigned its strategic operations to focus on Western Canada and its vacation flights. To accommodate this, the company has paused future purchases of 787 Dreamliners, while ordering 42 more 737 Max jets with an option to purchase another 22 to service its growing network, and allow it to attempt to lower prices with one of the most fuel-efficient planes on the market. Its current purchase order with Boeing is for 65 737s.

WESTJET CONTINUING PANDEMIC RECOVERY

Westjet had a number of hiccups in 2022 while recovering from the pandemic and almost three years of regulations and health orders that reduced operations by 90 per cent. To survive, staffing was reduced from 14,000 to 4,000 and adjustments were made to flight plans.

It is now back up to about 12,000 employees with plans to hire another 2,000 this year. The airline is also on pace to surpass pre-pandemic revenue levels and passenger capacity is at about 90 per cent of 2019 levels.

There are not expected to be any job losses or restructuring as a result of the acquisition. Von Hoensbroech said the synergies between the two companies will help them better serve customers flying to warmer climes.

“This will allow us collectively to grow our offering for our guests more than each individual company would have been able to do,” he said. “This is how we see major benefit from this transaction actually coming to Canadians.”

[Guest1]

WestJet pilots vote in favour of strike mandate, could walk before May long weekend

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volume 90%

 

 

04:39

What could a Westjet pilots strike mean for passengers?

01:37

WestJet pilots holding strike vote

• The Canadian Press
• Staff
• Contact

Published April 18, 2023 11:22 a.m. MDT

 

• More share options

The union representing WestJet pilots says they have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate.

The Air Line Pilots Association says the 1,600 WestJet pilots it represents can launch a strike as early as the week leading up to the May long weekend, which typically kicks off the summer travel season for thousands of Canadians whose plans could now be upended.

Bernard Lewall, who heads the union's WestJet contingent, says the workers' issues revolve around job protection, pay and scheduling at the airline as well as at WestJet Encore and discount subsidiary Swoop.

He says 95 per cent of pilots voted, with 93 per cent of them in favour of the strike mandate.

RELATED STORIES

• WestJet says third parties should share compensation costs after flight delays
• WestJet pilots to launch strike authorization vote as negotiations fizzle
• Ottawa greenlights WestJet's takeover of Sunwing
• With airfares rising, here's how to find a travel deal this year

WestJet said last month the threat of a strike is a common tactic in negotiations.

Talks continue through the federal conciliation process, which will end April 24 followed by a three-week break, unless the parties agree to extend negotiations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2023.

[Airband]

Manitoba government offers money for new WestJet direct flights to Atlanta

Thu May 11, 2023 - Post Media
by Ryan Stelter

Starting Sept. 6, a nonstop, year-round trip from Winnipeg to Atlanta will operate five days a week. The Manitoba government is putting up $2.5 million for this particular route. That money is part of a $5 million subsidy that was originally announced for a Winnipeg-Los Angeles route that has not needed any of those funds, Premier Heather Stefanson said Thursday.

“It’s only tapped into if there’s challenges with getting it off the ground,” Stefanson told reporters following the announcement.

WestJet’s executive vice-president and chief commercial officer John Weatherill is confident in the Winnipeg-Atlanta route and says it will perform better than the direct flight to Los Angeles.

Weatherill said during his opening remarks that the Atlanta route will offer economic growth for Manitoba companies but also allow Winnipeggers to get to more destinations easier given that Atlanta’s airport is the busiest in the world.

“It’s perhaps the greatest single injection of global connectivity in Winnipeg’s history,” Weatherhill said.

Weatherill says that each aircraft in the WestJet fleet needs to generate $50 million a year to be viable.

“This is two and a half million dollars a year,” he said. “It’s a relatively modest portion of the total risk of going into a route like this, but we’re very confident that this will be successful.”

Economic Development Winnipeg president and CEO Dayna Spiring says subsidies to attract airlines are necessary and pointed to Edmonton, who put up $10 million to “woo” airlines.

Spiring, who is leaving her post as the agency’s head this summer, said that following the pandemic, subsidies have become commonplace in order to get airlines and that everything possible that can be done to keep airlines should be done.

“The airlines need to know that they’re not going to lose their shirts on these routes and they’re taking a risk on us, so we’re taking a risk on them,” Spiring said.

Spiring said officials will look at passenger traffic and fuel over six-month blocks to determine whether the route is viable or not.

With Winnipeg gaining Atlanta and Los Angeles direct flights in recent months, Spiring said the city needs direct flights to Denver and Chicago again, something EDW is “actively working on.”

“When we look at agribusiness, Chicago is significant in terms of head office capacity and what we’re able to do there,” Spiring said. “It’s also a great connection for the Eastern United States and New York and other areas like that. Denver is also a great connector for us.”

Weatherhill added that WestJet will be launching a Calgary to Chicago flight this summer, which hasn’t been around since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The first flight out of Winnipeg to Atlanta will depart on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 9 a.m. Typical flight time is about three hours and the cost is around $210 as of Thursday.

[FA@AC]

Pilots have given strike notice.

https://www.facebook.com/WestJetPilots

[airbrake]

The company has locked the pilots out as of Fri @ 03:00, unless something negotiated changes that.  

[Airband]

The WestJet Group issues lockout notice in response to ALPA’s strike notification
Both parties remain at the bargaining table as negotiations continue

Mon May 15, 2023 - The WestJet Group

The WestJet Group today has issued a lockout notice to the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the union that represents WestJet and Swoop pilots, in response to their strike notification. A work stoppage could occur as early as Friday, May 19, 2023, at 3 a.m. MT. 

“The decision to issue a lockout notice, in response to the actions taken by the union today, was not one that was made lightly, and we sincerely regret the inconvenience and uncertainty this continues to cause for our guests,” said Alexis von Hoensbroech, WestJet Group, Chief Executive Officer. “It is our responsibility to ensure the safety and complete control of our network at all times, to minimize the risk of stranding our guests, our crews and our aircraft. Our commitment and priority remains at the bargaining table, where we will continue to work around the clock to come to a reasonable agreement as soon as possible, in an effort to prevent labour action.” 

Issuing notice does not mean a work stoppage will occur. However, in the coming days, the WestJet Group will take all necessary actions to manage the impacts as much as possible, including:

• Beginning preparations to operate a reduced schedule – unfortunately, this will be a significant reduction from WestJet and Swoop’s current networks. 
• Proactively managing changes and cancellations, to ensure the ability to communicate with guests in advance of changes.
• Providing flexible change and cancel options for those who wish to make alternate arrangements.

Throughout negotiations, the WestJet Group has brought forward a generous contract that if agreed to will make its first officers and captains the highest paid narrow-body pilots in Canada, with a significant advantage over the next best paying Canadian airline. Furthermore, the proposed contract makes generous advancements to address the concerns of WestJet and Swoop pilots surrounding job security and scope. Despite efforts to be reasonable and provide significant improvements to the current contract, the union maintains its expectation of closing in towards U.S.–like wages, despite living and working in Canada. This expectation is not reasonable and is impeding the WestJet Group’s ability to reach an agreement in advance of the upcoming long weekend.

"We truly value the work and contributions of our pilots. We believe with a commitment from both parties, an agreement is achievable and are committed to offering pilots a competitive collective agreement with meaningful improvements for the Canadian market, whilst remaining competitive at the same time," concluded von Hoensbroech.  
 
Should flight delays or cancellations occur, impacted guests will be refunded or reaccommodated, as applicable. 

For guests who booked directly with WestJet or Swoop, changes to existing travel will be directly communicated via the email available on file. Guests who booked through a travel agent or online booking agency, are asked to contact them directly.

[GDR]

This sure doesn't sound hopeful.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/massive-gap-between-westjet-pilots-union-as-strike-looms-and-bookings-fall-ceo-1.6401930

[Turbofan]

Notice no back to work legislation.  Introduced today it wouldn’t pass in time to overt a strike.

I have no idea how long it might take for the government to intervene in the event of a strike. However they are going to let the strike start at the very least.

One day of strike means all pilots fly home.  One day of strike and it will take a week to recover

[Turbofan]

If WJ is going to let a strike they will likely start wind down tomorrow night.

[Tango Foxtrot]

One day of strike, and pilots discover that they can't fly home because all the flights are full

 And so are the busses and trains

 The government should stay out of it. Unless there is a national emergency,  Westjet is not essential.  No other airline is either. 

 If it's so important that they fly then give them what they want. If not let them strike and settle it the old fashioned way.  

 We go on strike,  the place gets shut down,  a new name gets painted on the side of the airplanes,  we get hired for half the wage with no benefits

 Just saying. 

[Turbofan]

26 minutes ago, Tango Foxtrot said:

One day of strike, and pilots discover that they can't fly home because all the flights are full

 And so are the busses and trains

 

In 1998 Air Canada thought exactly that.  They even cancelled pilots hotel rooms at destination.  It backfired.  They left aircraft stranded all over the world and made restart more difficult.

Pilot unions have contingency plans for this.  If required they buy tickets home.  In 1998 everyone was home within about 48 hours with a couple of exceptions.
 

Westjet just put out a memo to employees that they have a contingency plan for a slow controlled shutdown.  I expect we will start to see outbound flights getting canceled tomorrow if the plan is actioned.

A one day strike will take days if not a week to fully recover.
 

 

[dagger]

20 hours ago, Turbofan said:

In 1998 Air Canada thought exactly that.  They even cancelled pilots hotel rooms at destination.  It backfired.  They left aircraft stranded all over the world and made restart more difficult.

Pilot unions have contingency plans for this.  If required they buy tickets home.  In 1998 everyone was home within about 48 hours with a couple of exceptions.
 

Westjet just put out a memo to employees that they have a contingency plan for a slow controlled shutdown.  I expect we will start to see outbound flights getting canceled tomorrow if the plan is actioned.

A one day strike will take days if not a week to fully recover.
 

 

The shutdown has begun. 

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/the-westjet-group-begins-flight-cancellations-in-anticipation-of-westjet-and-swoop-pilot-strike-844741291.html

[Turbofan]

If you look at the departure board out of YYC I am not convinced they have actually started a full shutdown......yet

[dagger]

Just now, dagger said:

The shutdown has begun. 

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/the-westjet-group-begins-flight-cancellations-in-anticipation-of-westjet-and-swoop-pilot-strike-844741291.html

 

[Tango Foxtrot]

Why would Westjet say that the wind down is because the pilots are going on strike when they are being locked out? 

[Turbofan]

1 hour ago, dagger said:

 

Still not buying it.

 

I still see Heathrow and Barcelona tonight on the departure board.

When they cancel I will be convinced

[moeman]

https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/guest-updates
 

WestJet Guest Updates

The reliability of our network and the safety of our guests and crew is our top priority. We are committed to providing timely information along your journey.

The airline has started taking down its network. This action ensures the airline can avoid abandoning aircraft in remote locations without support and enables the proactive communication with guests and crew to minimize the potential for being stranded. We deeply regret the disruption this will have on our guests’ travel plans. 

New reservations may be temporarily limited on WestJet.com to minimize future disruptions for you and guests that have already booked.

If you have an upcoming flight that has not been disrupted:

• Stay up to date before you check in or leave for the airport by checking travel advisories and flight status. 

If you have an upcoming flight that has been delayed or cancelled, you can expect to receive the following messages from us, provided your contact information is on file:

• An email letting you know your flight is delayed or cancelled. Visit Manage Trips to see which email address is attached to your booking. 
• An email with alternative options or instructions on how to receive a refund if you no longer wish to travel.
• If a new flight option has not been provided, we kindly ask that you do not proceed to the airport for assistance. Please review the options below. 

[J.O.]

As the old saying goes, "You pays your money, you takes your chances".

My wife's Swoop flight from YHM to YXX departed this morning and then turned around for a mechanical issue. I get that, no problem, safety comes first. But when they subsequently cancel said flight and the passengers all get an email saying their flight was cancelled due to "Airport Facilities", it just pisses me off. Tell the truth - that shouldn't be too much to ask.

[Guest1]

3 hours ago, Turbofan said:

Still not buying it.

 

I still see Heathrow and Barcelona tonight on the departure board.

When they cancel I will be convinced

About 16,000,000 results (0.37 seconds) 

 

 

 

 

 

Search Results

Flight status  Cancelled

Flight status | WestJet official site

WestJet WS 8

 

 

Calgary to Barcelona

 

 

 

Thu, May 18

 

Sat, May 20

 

 

6:40 p.m.

CANCELED

WS 8

Barcelona BCN

CANCELLED

17:30

London (Gatwick), United Kingdom (LGW)

WS 1

May 18

Flight detail 

[Turbofan]

Okay.  I buying it now

[FA@AC]

More background on WestJet's position in this article.

https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/varcoe-westjet-ceo-on-pilot-strike#comments

[FA@AC]

Agreement reached.  Congrats.

https://www.facebook.com/WestJetPilots

Edited May 19, 2023 by FA@AC

[dagger]

Congrats to both sides. It will be interesting to see details post-ratification, and how this influences ALPA's other negotiations. Does it set a pattern, especially on closing the gap with US carriers? Though the "gap" will vary from airline to airline, including how issues like pension are reflected in the "gap".

[Turbofan]

It sounds like they got significant gains in multiple areas. Even a pension.  They made the gap smaller.

If the rumours are correct 20ish percent year 1.  Swoop now mainline wages.  Those increases are higher

Good for them.

[Airband]

WestJet pilots deal grants 24% pay raise over four years

The WestJet deal could also make it tougher for budget airline competitors Flair Airlines and Lynx Air to retain pilots, even as they gain an edge on labour costs

Fri May 26, 2023  - The Canadian Press
by Christopher Reynolds

Quote

'The preliminary agreement includes a 15 per cent increase in per diems, more flexible scheduling and even “extra legroom seats for all deadheads”

WestJet pilots are bound for a 24 per cent pay bump over four years under an agreement-in-principle between the company and the union.

Pilots will receive a 15.5 per cent hourly pay raise this year retroactive to Jan. 1 upon ratification of the deal, according to a copy of the tentative agreement summary obtained by The Canadian Press.

It also lays out a cumulative 8.5 per cent hike to their hourly wage over the remainder of the contract, from 2024 through 2026.

Bargaining came down to the wire last week, with WestJet cancelling more than 230 flights in preparation for job action before a deal was reached hours ahead of the strike deadline on May 19.

The agreement sets a new standard for labour gains in Canadian aviation, says consultant Rick Erickson.

“That’s a pretty substantive boost” — particularly this year’s 15.5 per cent pay hike — said Erickson, managing director of R.P. Erickson and Associates. “You can bet that Air Canada’s pilot union will be looking at this very, very closely,” as well as other groups such as flight attendants.

The  country’s biggest carrier may soon be in bargaining themselves. In a letter to members this month, the Air Canada Pilots Association said workers must decide by May 29 whether to stick with their 10-year collective agreement inked in 2014 or opt to start full negotiations ahead of time this year.

The WestJet deal could also make it tougher for budget airline competitors Flair Airlines and Lynx Air to retain pilots, even as they gain an edge on labour costs.

“‘Does it make sense for me to stay here where I am? Or should I move over to one of the majors where I’ll get paid better for it but have completely different working circumstances?”‘ Erickson asked, paraphrasing pilots who would have higher compensation but lower seniority — and thus worse scheduling options — on arrival at a large airline.

Nonetheless, the higher compensation cost that WestJet managers now have to contend with amid a competitive domestic and cross-border market “has to worry them enormously,” he added.

The summary of the tentative agreement also stipulates the “integration of Swoop flight operations into WestJet mainline” starting this fall, with “full integration no later than October 2024.”

The provision appears to spell out an internal merger of the two entities flight planning that brings pilots onto a level pay scale and allows them to toggle between both carriers.

Calgary-based WestJet, owned by Onex Corp., declined to comment on the specifics of the deal.

“As the tentative agreement between the WestJet Group and ALPA has not yet been ratified by its membership, we are unable to disclose the terms of the agreement,” spokeswoman Denise Kenny said in an email.

The ratification vote on the tentative agreement opens Tuesday, with WestJet and discount subsidiary Swoop’s 1,800 pilots able to cast a ballot through June 9, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said Friday.

Bernard Lewall, who heads the union’s WestJet contingent, said last Friday after reaching a deal that the union achieved its main goals of better pay, job security and work-life balance.

The preliminary agreement includes a 15 per cent increase in per diems, more flexible scheduling and even “extra legroom seats for all deadheads” — when an employee flies for free as a passenger en route to or from an assignment.

As negotiations ground on last week, the Air Line Pilots Association also approved a merger with the Air Canada Pilots Association’s 4,500 members, bringing the country’s two biggest flight crew labour groups under one roof.

The move means 95 per cent of professional Canadian pilots are represented by a single union, according to Charlene Hudy, the Air Canada union’s council chair.

Labour shortages continue to plague the aviation industry, with a dearth of workers in areas ranging from air traffic control to ground handling as the sector begins to take off again after the pandemic collapse and travel turmoil over the past year.

In March, Delta Air Lines pilots secured a deal that includes a 34 per cent pay hike over four years.

American Airlines pilots authorized a strike amid contract negotiations earlier this month before reaching a preliminary deal last week.

United Airlines pilots are also in the middle of talks, pushing for even higher pay than their Delta counterparts, as well as comparable quality-of-life provisions. Those might include clauses that prevent airlines from requiring pilots to accept assignments on days off.

“We’re entering into a period in the whole of the airline industry in North America of labour unrest,” Erickson said.