#westjet seat selection fee

[poojasharma111]

WestJet is a leading Canadian air carrier, second only to the country’s flagship airline, Air Canada. Thousands of passengers fly on WestJet flights each day.

Hence, the airlines’ well-defined baggage contributes to smooth functioning. Since travel and luggage go hand-in-hand, it is essential to be aware of airlines’ baggage policies.

[moneywehave12]

Westjet RBC Mastercard Review

Although I personally prefer the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, it comes with a minimum income requirement of $80,000 or a household income of $150,000.  Because of this income requirement, not everyone will be approved for the card but that doesn’t mean you can’t earn WestJet dollars and get a companion voucher. The WestJet RBC Mastercard has a much lower income requirement and still comes packed with benefits.

Although the WestJet RBC Mastercard comes with fewer benefits compared to the World Elite version, there are still enough features to make this card worthwhile for both frequent and casual flyers of WestJet. Read my WestJet RBC Mastercard review now for my full thoughts.

Westjet RBC Mastercard Benefits

$39 annual fee

$50 WestJet dollars sign up bonus after your first purchase

$50 Additional WestJet dollars when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months of cardmembership (Until June 30, 2021)

Receive an annual round-trip companion voucher within Canada for $199 plus taxes, fees, and charges

Earn 1.5% back in WestJet dollars on WestJet flights or WestJet Vacations packages

Earn 1% back in WestJet dollars on everyday purchases

Save 3¢/L on fuel and always earn 20% more Petro-Points when you link your WestJet RBC MasterCard

Travel accident insurance

Auto rental collision/loss damage insurance

Hotel/motel burglary insurance

Purchase security and extended warranty insurance

Right off the top, you’re given $50 WestJet dollars after your purchase which easily offsets the $39 fee. You can earn an additional $50 if you meet the minimum spend requirement. Again, it’s not as high as what the Worle Elite version offers, but getting a welcome bonus of $50 is pretty solid for a credit card that has a low annual fee.

Another benefit people love is the annual round-trip companion voucher within Canada and the continental U.S. for $199 plus taxes, fees, and charges. To be clear, the companion voucher that comes with the WestJet RBC Mastercard is different from the voucher that comes with the World Elite version which starts at $119. The regular companion voucher can only be used for flights within Canada and the continental U.S. that are operated by WestJet,

The 1.5% back in WestJet dollars on WestJet flights or WestJet Vacations packages is great if you fly WestJet often, while the 1% back in WestJet dollars on all other purchases is typical for a co-branded credit card. This isn’t the best earn rate, but I think it’s decent considering the low annual fee.

$39 annual fee $50 WestJet dollars sign up bonus after your first purchase $50 Additional WestJet dollars when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months of cardmembership (Until June 30, 2021) Receive an annual round-trip companion voucher within Canada for $199 plus taxes, fees, and charges Earn 1.5% back in WestJet dollars on WestJet flights or WestJet Vacations packages Earn 1% back in WestJet dollars on everyday purchases Save 3¢/L on fuel and always earn 20% more Petro-Points when you link your WestJet RBC MasterCard Travel accident insurance Auto rental collision/loss damage insurance Hotel/motel burglary insurance Purchase security and extended warranty insurance Right off the top, you’re given $50 WestJet dollars after your purchase which easily offsets the $39 fee. You can earn an additional $50 if you meet the minimum spend requirement. Again, it’s not as high as what the Worle Elite version offers, but getting a welcome bonus of $50 is pretty solid for a credit card that has a low annual fee.

Another benefit people love is the annual round-trip companion voucher within Canada and the continental U.S. for $199 plus taxes, fees, and charges. To be clear, the companion voucher that comes with the WestJet RBC Mastercard is different from the voucher that comes with the World Elite version which starts at $119. The regular companion voucher can only be used for flights within Canada and the continental U.S. that are operated by WestJet,

The 1.5% back in WestJet dollars on WestJet flights or WestJet Vacations packages is great if you fly WestJet often, while the 1% back in WestJet dollars on all other purchases is typical for a co-branded credit card. This isn’t the best earn rate, but I think it’s decent considering the low annual fee.

How Westjet Rewards Works

WestJet Rewards is easily one of the best travel rewards programs in Canada. You could even argue it’s one of the best airline loyalty programs in the world. What makes it interesting is that it’s basically a cash back program.  There’s no need to worry about seat availability or blackout dates, you’re able to use your WestJet dollars whenever you want as long as you have a minimum of $15 WestJet dollars in your account.

A lot of people also live WestJet Rewards because of the benefits you get and how easy it is to earn tier status. WestJet Rewards has four tiers: teal, silver, gold and platinum. You get higher tier status based on how much you spend on qualifying WestJet flights and vacations (this does not apply to credit card spending). As your tier goes up, you get additional benefits.

What many people don’t realize is that the cash back you earn on your WestJet RBC Mastercard stacks with your tier status. Let’s say your teal status, you would earn 0.5% back on WestJet flights. If you paid with your WestJet RBC Mastercard, you’d earn an additional 1.5% for a total of 2% back in WestJet dollars. That’s a pretty good deal so you can see how quickly your rewards would add up.

The other benefits you get with increased status include the following:

Free checked bags

Advanced seat selection

Airport lounge access

Priority boarding

Priority check-in

Seat upgrades

How the Westjet RBC Mastercard Compares to Others

It’s difficult to compare the WestJet RBC Mastercard to others since it’s pretty specific. As mentioned, there’s the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard that comes with more benefits but has a higher income requirement. If you’re reading this review, then you likely don’t qualify for that card.

Ideally, I could compare the WestJet RBC Mastercard to one of TD’s Aeroplan cards, but the TD cards all have annual fees of $89 or higher so it’s not a fair comparison. For reference, you could look at my guide on the best airline credit cards, but that mainly features premium cards.

I suppose you could compare it to the Scotiabank Rewards Visa Card which has no annual fee but you’ll earn just 1 Scotia Rewards point for every $1 spent. Although you can use Scotia Rewards to claim any type of travel expenses, your earn rate is essentially 50% lower than the WestJet RBC Mastercard. Heck, on WestJet flights, you’re actually earning 66% less in points, so going with the Scotiabank card instead is likely a mistake.

One other credit card worth mentioning is the Tangerine-Money Back Card. It’s a no fee credit card that will earn you 2% cash back in up to three categories. All other purchases give you 0.5% cash back. If you saved all that cash back and put it towards your flights, that could potentially be a good deal but you would have to be pretty disciplined to do that.

Visit Us for More Information:-  https://www.moneywehave.com/westjet-rbc-mastercard-review/

[batyearofthetiger]

On one of my recent flights out of Toronto I was presented with the opportunity to pay a nominal fee ($40 CAD) to upgrade to their Premium cabin. Having flown in that cabin in the past, I had a rough idea of what to expect… or so I thought.

Wine List

Shortly after being seated, we were presented with a list of wines available on today’s flight: something completely new for such a short flight (YYZ-LGA). From what I gathered from those seated around me, all the wines offered were excellent for flying (for those not aware, the pressurized cabin does affect the way things taste). It is clear that WestJet put quite a lot of thought into selecting them.

After making selections, we were surprised with not only the traditional “MadeGood” bars (they are to WestJet as Biscoff cookies are to Delta, and Stroopwafel are to United… …well, were.) but also a fairly large snack box.

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Sparkling wine

Surprise snack-box

Not a bad surprise at all

While the caramel butter popcorn wasn’t really my thing, the cashews and dark chocolate were excellent. Overall, this was quite a nice surprise as I went into the flight expecting just a granola bar and glass of wine.

If you have the chance to buy an upgrade while flying WestJet, it’s definitely worth considering!

@WestJet: Stepping Up the Snack Game On one of my recent flights out of Toronto I was presented with the opportunity to pay a nominal fee ($40 CAD) to upgrade to their Premium cabin.

[mikemortgage]

Air Canada CEO brushes off trade woes amid higher revenues and lower profits

MONTREAL — The head of Canada’s largest airline brushed off concerns around U.S.-China trade woes and wavering stock markets, saying demand for Air Canada flights will hold firm in the near term.

“The trade dispute, the softening of the economy, the bumpy equity markets the last few weeks — despite that, in our markets we continue to see strong demand,” said chief executive Calin Rovinescu on a conference call with investors Wednesday.

Despite a tumble in profits caused by rising fuel prices, the Montreal-based carrier saw premium fare classes and ancillary fees propel it to better yields in the third quarter, with a healthy outlook for the fourth.

“We’ve invested very heavily in the top end of our business, and we think that that is something that helps sustain us,” Rovinescu told analysts.

Air Canada’s net income fell 63 per cent year-over-year to $645 million — or $2.34 per diluted share — in the quarter ended Sept. 30. That compared with $1.72 billion, or $6.22 per diluted share a year ago — when the company benefited from an income tax recovery of $758 million.

Operating revenues jumped 11 per cent to $5.42 billion from $4.88 billion a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, adjusted earnings decreased 39 per cent to $561 million or $2.03 per diluted share, from $922 million or $3.33 per share a year earlier.

Analysts on average had expected an adjusted profit of $2.09 per share for the quarter, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon.

“Fuel was the dragon slayer, the huge impact on the operating line,” said Robert Kokonis, president of Toronto-based consulting firm AirTrav Inc.

Air Canada’s per-litre fuel costs skyrocketted 40 per cent to 83 cents in the third quarter from 59.4 cents a year earlier. Though its operating cost per available seat mile — a key cost-efficiency metric — ballooned by nearly 10 per cent, that same metric adjusted to exclude fuel costs nudged up by only 1.1 per cent.

If the economy holds, so will demand, Kokonis said.

“Air travel is one of the first sectors to show that there’s going to be an economic retraction because travel is such a discretionary expense — not as much for corporate travel, but certainly leisure travel.”

Business and premium economy passengers helped Air Canada offset its fuel expense. Revenue from the business cabin rose by $98 million, a 13 per cent bump, said chief commercial officer Lucie Guillemette. Premium fares helped produce a 4.2 per cent increase in passenger revenue per available seat mile.

Ancillary revenues, meanwhile, shot up by 14 per cent over the past nine months compared to the same period last year, driven by baggage fees, upgrades and seat selection.

Carriers have been adding fees for a decade and now charge more for seats with leg room, early boarding, meals and beverages, entertainment and wireless access. Air Canada earned more than $1 billion from these payments last year while WestJet Airlines Ltd. collected about $440 million.

Rovinescu confirmed Wednesday that Air Canada still expects to seal the Aeroplan deal by the end of the year. In August, Aimia Inc. reached a tentative $450-million agreement to sell the rewards program to an Air Canada-led consortium that, if closed, would end more than a year of confusion over the airline’s commitment to the program it founded.

The quarterly results should be viewed “favourably” given “volatile” fuel prices, said Canaccord Genuity Corp. analyst Doug Taylor. Air Canada’s 3.4 per cent uptick in passenger revenue per mile contrasted sharply with WestJet’s 4.4 per cent decline, he noted.

“What will be striking over the next year is that even in a scenario where Air Canada’s performance is flat, there are enough other items — the loyalty program…the free cash flow of the company — that there’s a lot of catalysts for share price improvement.”

Air Canada’s shares gained $1.50 or 6.4 per cent at $24.91 in afternoon trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Companies in this story: (TSX:AC, TSX:WJA, TSX:AIM)

from Financial Post https://ift.tt/2yJmDRl via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

[rollinbrigittenv8]

American Still Uses Paper Vouchers for Free Flights — Airline Innovation Report

American Airlines still uses paper vouchers for ticket refunds. They're not easy to redeem. Envoy Air

Skift Take: American Airlines wants to be known as a customer-friendly company. But the airline still doesn't make it easy for customers to redeem vouchers for flights. That needs to change soon.

— Brian Sumers

The Skift Airline Innovation Report is our weekly newsletter focused on the business of airline innovation. We will look closely at the technological, financial, and design trends at airlines and airports that are driving the next-generation aviation industry.

We also provide insights on developments in passenger experience, ancillary services, revenue management, loyalty, technology, marketing, airport innovation, the competitive landscape, startups, and changing passenger behavior. I write and curate the newsletter, and we send it on Wednesdays. You can find previous issues of the newsletter here.

To redeem a paper voucher on American Airlines, you must call the airline’s 1-800 number, where — on one day last week — you might wait 50 minutes for an agent to answer.

When she picked up, you would explain your situation. You cancelled a refundable ticket last year, and wanted to use it to pay for another trip. The cheery agent would take your information, ask which flight you wanted to book, and issue a new confirmation number.

But it did not end there.

She would then spend a minute giving instructions. You would mail the voucher to an address in Pensacola, Florida, including a paper with your name, date of travel, and flight number. On the envelope, under your return address, you would write your travel date. That information would help American decide how quickly to open your mail. And while American was saving space on your preferred flight, it would not ticket the reservation until a human processed the paperwork.

You then learned you someday would do this again. Because you hadn’t used the entire voucher, you discovered American would mail you a new one with the residual amount. Redeeming it would require the same process.

This happened to me last week. I’m a sophisticated traveler and even I was shocked at this time warp to 1985. How can American still rely on paper vouchers?

I called American to find out. I learned American uses electronic vouchers for customer service issues — if, for example, your business class seat is broken, it might give you a certificate you can redeem online — but for most ticket exchanges, paper is still used. Travelers can, in some cases, have credit returned to the original form of payment, but I hadn’t selected that option.

I asked American spokesman Ross Feinstein why this is such a time-intensive process. Most other airlines now have electronic vouchers. I learned American would like to copy its competitors, but since its merger with US Airways in 2013, the world’s largest airline has prioritized other IT projects. It just recently started allowing customers to rebook themselves on the mobile app during irregular operations — functionality Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have had for a long time.

“We know this is not a great experience for customers,” Feinstein said. “This is on a priority list to get done. We plan to focus on it in 2018.”

Are you surprised American still uses paper? Do you think this is a disservice to customers? And how time-consuming do you think this process is for American employees?

Let me know your thoughts by sending me an email — bss@skift.com — or a tweet. I’m @briansumers.

— Brian Sumers, Airline Business Reporter

Stories of The Week

The Airport Lounge Business — An Insider’s View of How It All Works: Airport Lounge Development, which is owned by Collinson Group, is among the largest independent airport club operators in the United States. In this interview, a senior executive shared some secrets, such as how lounge managers keep customers from taking food out of the lounge. She also shared some basics about the business model.

Airport Retailer Hudson Group Is Seeking an IPO in 2018: Almost everywhere, retailers are losing sales to Amazon and other e-shops. But not at airports. Terminals have a captive audience, and Hudson Group is betting that’s a competitive advantage. Did you know the company sold $572 million last year in beverages, candy and food? That’s about one-third of its revenue. Skift’s Sean O’Neill has the story.

Pilot Shortage Issue Splits European Airline Execs: Is there a pilot shortage in Europe? Skift’s London-based editor, Patrick Whyte, tries to find out. One person not convinced there’s a pilot shortage? That’s IAG CEO Willie Walsh. “I started in this industry 38 years ago as a pilot. I heard then that there was a shortage of pilots,” he said. “Thirty-eight years later, I still haven’t seen this.”

Delta and Partners Will Charge for Checked Bags on Cheapest Transatlantic Fares: For at least five years, Delta has been the first U.S. airline to announce just about everything, from a revenue-based frequent flyer program, to basic economy, to new transatlantic fares on cheap tickets. It seems almost certain American and United will copy these bag fees, but how quickly can they do it?

Ryanair Pilots in Dublin Threaten a Holiday Strike: Ryanair pilots finally have leverage, and it looks like they’re interesting in using it. Do you blame them? Few pilots anywhere work under such convoluted employment schemes.

WestJet Thinks It Can Please All Flyers With Dual Strategy: Is WestJet a premium airline? Is it a low-cost carrier? Or is it an ultra-low-cost carrier? At its investor day last week, it promised to be all things to all people by 2019, when its first new Boeing 787s arrive. Can it succeed? Maybe. But this is a complicated model for a relatively small airline.

United Airlines Public Relations Chief to Leave After Tumultuous Tenure: Jim Olson arrived at United in January 2016 with so much promise. He had led communications teams at Starbucks and US Airways, and he was supposed to be what United needed — an executive who could improve United’s public image. He had some successes, like the recent goodbye tour for United’s Boeing 747 fleet. But there was one massive misstep. He led United’s bungled response to the Dr. David Dao dragging incident.

U.S. to Discuss Open Skies Issues With Gulf Carrier Governments: The Trump administration seems to have as little interest in taking a tough stance against Gulf carriers as the Obama administration. Yes, the U.S. State Department plans to bring up the subsidy issue in talks with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. But they’re expected to be relatively informal discussions.

Airports Are Losing Money as Ridehailing Services Grow: Parking garages have long been revenue-drivers for airports. But that’s drying up as more customers take Uber and Lyft, The New York Times reports. At many airports, the ride services pay fees to use terminal roadways, but that’s not enough to offset parking revenue.

Thoughts on China

A little more than two years ago, with considerable promotional flair, United Airlines announced plans to fly from San Francisco to Xi’an, a city in interior China with more than eight million residents.

No U.S. airline had ever flown there, and it wasn’t clear if a market existed. But this was part of a long-term bet for United. In 2000, with a San Francisco-Shanghai route, it had been the second U.S. airline to fly from North America to China nonstop — Northwest Airlines had been the first in 1996 —and over time United’s China franchise has became a major strength for the carrier. An early investment paid dividends.

Under Brian Znotins, who ran United’s network from 2012 to 2016, United emphasized secondary Chinese cities, adding Chengdu, Hangzhou and Xi’an, all from San Francisco. Znotins wanted United to get in early, betting the routes eventually would become money-makers, even if they didn’t start that way. “It’s still a huge, hot economy,” he told the Wall Street Journal in May 2016. “The middle class is really booming. And the secondary cities are the growth engine.”

Now, with United’s network under new management, the airline is altering its strategy. Last week, it told employees it will cut Xi’an, which it had flown three times per week from May through October.

“Corporate traffic between SFO and XIY has not increased as fast as originally forecast,” United told employees. “After careful analysis, we determined this route is not currently meeting our expectations and is no longer sustainable.”

This news comes after United stopped flying to Hangzhou in October for similar reasons, leaving only Chengdu. It may remain — anecdotally, we hear it’s a better performer than the others — but it sounds like United’s secondary China strategy is over.

United might be more focused on tried-and-true routes — it is apparently considering new routes from Los Angeles and Denver to Frankfurt — over long-term plays. (Asked about the possibility of the two new Frankfurt routes, a United spokesman said, “We are always looking at new opportunities in markets that make most business sense.”)

Znotins could get another chance. He now runs the network for Calgary-based WestJet, which will take its first 787s in a little more than a year. At WestJet’s investor day earlier this month, the airline shared a world map showing routes it might fly. In China, only Beijing and Shanghai made the list. But that could change.

What do you think? Should United have stayed Hangzhou and Xi’an as a long-term play? Or was it smart to leave?

Release of the Week

On the bottom of Virgin Atlantic’s upper class salt-and-pepper shakers, the airline has printed a message — “Pinched from Virgin Atlantic” — presumably to discourage passengers from taking them off the plane.

But between December 21 and 26, Virgin Atlantic is introducing special commemorative red holiday shakers, and the airline is encouraging passengers to bring them home. That’s the news highlighted in what ordinarily would be a boring press release.

But in this release, Virgin Atlantic’s PR team shared the items most often stolen from its planes. According to the airline, they are:

Salt and pepper shakers

Mugs in upper class and premium economy

Blankets from all cabins

Hand wash and hand cream (from the bathrooms!)

Cultlery

Safety cards

Motion sickness bags

Insiders often joke about how often passengers steal from planes — one told me recently that passengers take bedding and pillows “even when they’re bad” — but most say they don’t mind when travelers take stuff. For some, they’re a memento of a good trip, and perhaps a subtle reminder they should book another on the same airline.

“If a couple of our Big Love spoons end up on the Thanksgiving dinner table, I wouldn’t mind,” a Delta executive told Bloomberg earlier this year after the airline announced it would use red spoons made by Alessi.

What’s the most unusual item you’ve stolen from a plane?

Coming Up

For the next installment of my Airline Insiders series — that’s my question and answer feature with an executive from an airline, airport or vendor — I’m featuring architect Pat Askew, global director of aviation at HKS.

He had some interesting anecdotes, some related to Doha’s airport, which he helped design. He worked with Bechtel, the global engineering, construction, and project management company.

“If you know Bechtel, they had the prime contract,” Askew said. “It’s funny, the guy who ran the Bechtel thing said, ‘There’s two challenging types of clients. One with not enough money, and then one with too much money.’ They kept wanting to make it bigger and bigger, and Doha, if you’ve seen it, it really is magnificent.”

Look for the full interview soon.

Subscribe

Skift Airline Business Reporter Brian Sumers [bss@skift.com] curates the Skift Airline Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Wednesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send me an email or tweet me.

Subscribe to the Skift Airline Innovation Report

[touristguidebuzz]

American Still Uses Paper Vouchers for Free Flights — Airline Innovation Report

American Airlines still uses paper vouchers for ticket refunds. They're not easy to redeem. Envoy Air

Skift Take: American Airlines wants to be known as a customer-friendly company. But the airline still doesn't make it easy for customers to redeem vouchers for flights. That needs to change soon.

— Brian Sumers

The Skift Airline Innovation Report is our weekly newsletter focused on the business of airline innovation. We will look closely at the technological, financial, and design trends at airlines and airports that are driving the next-generation aviation industry.

We also provide insights on developments in passenger experience, ancillary services, revenue management, loyalty, technology, marketing, airport innovation, the competitive landscape, startups, and changing passenger behavior. I write and curate the newsletter, and we send it on Wednesdays. You can find previous issues of the newsletter here.

To redeem a paper voucher on American Airlines, you must call the airline’s 1-800 number, where — on one day last week — you might wait 50 minutes for an agent to answer.

When she picked up, you would explain your situation. You cancelled a refundable ticket last year, and wanted to use it to pay for another trip. The cheery agent would take your information, ask which flight you wanted to book, and issue a new confirmation number.

But it did not end there.

She would then spend a minute giving instructions. You would mail the voucher to an address in Pensacola, Florida, including a paper with your name, date of travel, and flight number. On the envelope, under your return address, you would write your travel date. That information would help American decide how quickly to open your mail. And while American was saving space on your preferred flight, it would not ticket the reservation until a human processed the paperwork.

You then learned you someday would do this again. Because you hadn’t used the entire voucher, you discovered American would mail you a new one with the residual amount. Redeeming it would require the same process.

This happened to me last week. I’m a sophisticated traveler and even I was shocked at this time warp to 1985. How can American still rely on paper vouchers?

I called American to find out. I learned American uses electronic vouchers for customer service issues — if, for example, your business class seat is broken, it might give you a certificate you can redeem online — but for most ticket exchanges, paper is still used. Travelers can, in some cases, have credit returned to the original form of payment, but I hadn’t selected that option.

I asked American spokesman Ross Feinstein why this is such a time-intensive process. Most other airlines now have electronic vouchers. I learned American would like to copy its competitors, but since its merger with US Airways in 2013, the world’s largest airline has prioritized other IT projects. It just recently started allowing customers to rebook themselves on the mobile app during irregular operations — functionality Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have had for a long time.

“We know this is not a great experience for customers,” Feinstein said. “This is on a priority list to get done. We plan to focus on it in 2018.”

Are you surprised American still uses paper? Do you think this is a disservice to customers? And how time-consuming do you think this process is for American employees?

Let me know your thoughts by sending me an email — bss@skift.com — or a tweet. I’m @briansumers.

— Brian Sumers, Airline Business Reporter

Stories of The Week

The Airport Lounge Business — An Insider’s View of How It All Works: Airport Lounge Development, which is owned by Collinson Group, is among the largest independent airport club operators in the United States. In this interview, a senior executive shared some secrets, such as how lounge managers keep customers from taking food out of the lounge. She also shared some basics about the business model.

Airport Retailer Hudson Group Is Seeking an IPO in 2018: Almost everywhere, retailers are losing sales to Amazon and other e-shops. But not at airports. Terminals have a captive audience, and Hudson Group is betting that’s a competitive advantage. Did you know the company sold $572 million last year in beverages, candy and food? That’s about one-third of its revenue. Skift’s Sean O’Neill has the story.

Pilot Shortage Issue Splits European Airline Execs: Is there a pilot shortage in Europe? Skift’s London-based editor, Patrick Whyte, tries to find out. One person not convinced there’s a pilot shortage? That’s IAG CEO Willie Walsh. “I started in this industry 38 years ago as a pilot. I heard then that there was a shortage of pilots,” he said. “Thirty-eight years later, I still haven’t seen this.”

Delta and Partners Will Charge for Checked Bags on Cheapest Transatlantic Fares: For at least five years, Delta has been the first U.S. airline to announce just about everything, from a revenue-based frequent flyer program, to basic economy, to new transatlantic fares on cheap tickets. It seems almost certain American and United will copy these bag fees, but how quickly can they do it?

Ryanair Pilots in Dublin Threaten a Holiday Strike: Ryanair pilots finally have leverage, and it looks like they’re interesting in using it. Do you blame them? Few pilots anywhere work under such convoluted employment schemes.

WestJet Thinks It Can Please All Flyers With Dual Strategy: Is WestJet a premium airline? Is it a low-cost carrier? Or is it an ultra-low-cost carrier? At its investor day last week, it promised to be all things to all people by 2019, when its first new Boeing 787s arrive. Can it succeed? Maybe. But this is a complicated model for a relatively small airline.

United Airlines Public Relations Chief to Leave After Tumultuous Tenure: Jim Olson arrived at United in January 2016 with so much promise. He had led communications teams at Starbucks and US Airways, and he was supposed to be what United needed — an executive who could improve United’s public image. He had some successes, like the recent goodbye tour for United’s Boeing 747 fleet. But there was one massive misstep. He led United’s bungled response to the Dr. David Dao dragging incident.

U.S. to Discuss Open Skies Issues With Gulf Carrier Governments: The Trump administration seems to have as little interest in taking a tough stance against Gulf carriers as the Obama administration. Yes, the U.S. State Department plans to bring up the subsidy issue in talks with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. But they’re expected to be relatively informal discussions.

Airports Are Losing Money as Ridehailing Services Grow: Parking garages have long been revenue-drivers for airports. But that’s drying up as more customers take Uber and Lyft, The New York Times reports. At many airports, the ride services pay fees to use terminal roadways, but that’s not enough to offset parking revenue.

Thoughts on China

A little more than two years ago, with considerable promotional flair, United Airlines announced plans to fly from San Francisco to Xi’an, a city in interior China with more than eight million residents.

No U.S. airline had ever flown there, and it wasn’t clear if a market existed. But this was part of a long-term bet for United. In 2000, with a San Francisco-Shanghai route, it had been the second U.S. airline to fly from North America to China nonstop — Northwest Airlines had been the first in 1996 —and over time United’s China franchise has became a major strength for the carrier. An early investment paid dividends.

Under Brian Znotins, who ran United’s network from 2012 to 2016, United emphasized secondary Chinese cities, adding Chengdu, Hangzhou and Xi’an, all from San Francisco. Znotins wanted United to get in early, betting the routes eventually would become money-makers, even if they didn’t start that way. “It’s still a huge, hot economy,” he told the Wall Street Journal in May 2016. “The middle class is really booming. And the secondary cities are the growth engine.”

Now, with United’s network under new management, the airline is altering its strategy. Last week, it told employees it will cut Xi’an, which it had flown three times per week from May through October.

“Corporate traffic between SFO and XIY has not increased as fast as originally forecast,” United told employees. “After careful analysis, we determined this route is not currently meeting our expectations and is no longer sustainable.”

This news comes after United stopped flying to Hangzhou in October for similar reasons, leaving only Chengdu. It may remain — anecdotally, we hear it’s a better performer than the others — but it sounds like United’s secondary China strategy is over.

United might be more focused on tried-and-true routes — it is apparently considering new routes from Los Angeles and Denver to Frankfurt — over long-term plays. (Asked about the possibility of the two new Frankfurt routes, a United spokesman said, “We are always looking at new opportunities in markets that make most business sense.”)

Znotins could get another chance. He now runs the network for Calgary-based WestJet, which will take its first 787s in a little more than a year. At WestJet’s investor day earlier this month, the airline shared a world map showing routes it might fly. In China, only Beijing and Shanghai made the list. But that could change.

What do you think? Should United have stayed Hangzhou and Xi’an as a long-term play? Or was it smart to leave?

Release of the Week

On the bottom of Virgin Atlantic’s upper class salt-and-pepper shakers, the airline has printed a message — “Pinched from Virgin Atlantic” — presumably to discourage passengers from taking them off the plane.

But between December 21 and 26, Virgin Atlantic is introducing special commemorative red holiday shakers, and the airline is encouraging passengers to bring them home. That’s the news highlighted in what ordinarily would be a boring press release.

But in this release, Virgin Atlantic’s PR team shared the items most often stolen from its planes. According to the airline, they are:

Salt and pepper shakers

Mugs in upper class and premium economy

Blankets from all cabins

Hand wash and hand cream (from the bathrooms!)

Cultlery

Safety cards

Motion sickness bags

Insiders often joke about how often passengers steal from planes — one told me recently that passengers take bedding and pillows “even when they’re bad” — but most say they don’t mind when travelers take stuff. For some, they’re a memento of a good trip, and perhaps a subtle reminder they should book another on the same airline.

“If a couple of our Big Love spoons end up on the Thanksgiving dinner table, I wouldn’t mind,” a Delta executive told Bloomberg earlier this year after the airline announced it would use red spoons made by Alessi.

What’s the most unusual item you’ve stolen from a plane?

Coming Up

For the next installment of my Airline Insiders series — that’s my question and answer feature with an executive from an airline, airport or vendor — I’m featuring architect Pat Askew, global director of aviation at HKS.

He had some interesting anecdotes, some related to Doha’s airport, which he helped design. He worked with Bechtel, the global engineering, construction, and project management company.

“If you know Bechtel, they had the prime contract,” Askew said. “It’s funny, the guy who ran the Bechtel thing said, ‘There’s two challenging types of clients. One with not enough money, and then one with too much money.’ They kept wanting to make it bigger and bigger, and Doha, if you’ve seen it, it really is magnificent.”

Look for the full interview soon.

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Skift Airline Business Reporter Brian Sumers [bss@skift.com] curates the Skift Airline Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Wednesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send me an email or tweet me.

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[experiencetheskies]

WestJet Long Term Growth Plans Part 2 - Ultra Low Cost Model

Part 1 of the WestJet long term growth story started off with the news of the airline extending its business model into ultra low cost, an overview of the company and the differences between the low cost and ultra low cost model. This part extends the discussion of the airline in the ultra low cost space including competitive analysis and key growth opportunities.  

WestJet

WestJet as an Ultra Low Cost Carrier

In an entry titled "WestJet announces plans to launch a new ultra-low-cost carrier" published on April 20, 2017, Chief Executive Officer, Gregg Saretsky took the time to highlight the airline's 20-year journey and announced its future endeavors. Calgary, Canada based WestJet started with three aircrafts serving five destinations and turned itself into Canada's second biggest with over 150 aircrafts and serving over 100 destinations through itself and subsidiary WestJet Encore.

  Most North Americans travel on vacation once or twice yearly and choose driving as their preferred mode of transportation and are price sensitive as noted by Mr. Saretsky. That is one of many reasons why the airline decided to pursue starting new ultra low cost carrier to compete for more marketshare.  This market is currently operated by Flair Airlines (more on this travel company (formerly known as NewLeaf) in this news piece). Vancouver based Canada Jetlines also have plans to start flights soon to secondary airports in Canada and United States.  

What Is The Ultra Low Cost Model?

Passengers are met with even less service and amenities with a ticket purchased on a ultra low cost carrier. Besides the items noted previously for the low cost model currently being operated by Westjet, travellers would have to pay more for items such as: Different fee schedule for checked bags during ticketing, check-in or at the airport Calls to process transactions at service centers or at the airport Entertainment or food/beverage service (which might include water) Full size carry on baggage stored in the overhead bins All seats on board are for sale. Passengers who did not pay for an advance seat selection would be assigned one at check in automatically.  

Competitive Analysis

There were over 133 million passengers travelling to/from Canada in 2015 according to Statistic Canada. Breaking this statistic down further showed that close to 59.6% of them flown within Canada followed by 19.9% to/from US and 20.5 to/from internationally. WestJet’s share of this total pool is around 15.2% (20,281,000 passengers). While Air Canada and its subsidiaries (Air Canada Express and Air Canada rouge) continued to be the leader with two times more than WestJet’s market share at 30.8% (41,126,000 passengers), there is room for WestJet to grow as around 54% of the traffic was shared by other airlines. The following is a list of key Canadian players under each travel segment (full service, low cost and ultra low cost) and markets: Full Service Air Canada (including Air Canada Express) - Domestic/Transborder/International Low Cost Air Canada rouge - Domestic/Transborder/International

Air Canada rouge (Image from Air Canada) WestJet (including WestJet Encore) - Domestic/Transborder/International Sunwing - Domestic/International Air Transat - Domestic/International Porter Airlines - Domestic/Transborder

Porter Airlines Q400 (Image from Porter Airlines) Ultra Low Cost Flair Airlines - Domestic Jetlines (to be launched) - Domestic WestJet’s unnamed new airline (to be launched) - Domestic/Transborder  

Growth Opportunities

As A Ultra Low Cost Carrier WestJet’s decision to start an ultra low cost carrier can be attributable to the following reasons: Lower costs – WestJet can use the opportunity to hire new employees with a lower salary and benefit base to bring overall costs down. Additionally, less service items and additional capacity associated with an ultra low cost operation could improve yield with the right revenue mix. Effectively compete with Air Canada and its rouge subsidiary – Since Air Canada’s introduction of its Tango® fare offering many characteristics of a low cost carrier and Air Canada rouge (a low cost subsidiary with operations to all key leisure destinations), it is harder for travellers to differentiate the WestJet pricing advantage. Undercutting prices further with an unbundled product will provide price-sensitive Canadian travellers with more choice. Block new entrants from being a runaway success – While Flair Airlines had its ups and downs prior to its launch, the airline has been able to reach out to Canadian customers who want a no-frill service for a lower price. Entering into the ultra low cost market now would enable WestJet to stop other aspirations (including Jetlines) from taking away market share quickly. While there are benefits on starting a new ultra low cost airline, there are some challenges ahead for WestJet to pull this new business off: The new airline may cannibalize WestJet and WestJet Encore’s own revenue as passengers pick the new airline over the parent. If the additional revenue earned is lower than lost cannibalized revenue plus costs, overall profits may be affected. Separate staff and management may be required to run the new subsidiary. This could increase cost in the first few years to build up the operation. Additional capital and opportunity costs for information system improvements, aircraft configuration and training can be high prior to launch  

More About The New Airline

The new subsidiary will likely be based at Calgary International Airport (YYC) and will initially service secondary Canadian airports and leisure destinations in Florida, California, Arizona, Nevada with 6-10 ten Boeing 737s. During the Q2 2017 investor meeting, WestJet announced it will delay the launch of the unnamed airline to 2018. This will give the airline more time to manage configuration, technology integration, reservation system changes, build partnerships and create a brand for the new subsidiary. Configuration The new airline will have a 3-3 configuration. It might eliminate the Economy Plus cabin and reduce the pitch down to 29-30″. These changes can increase capacity per aircraft from 168 to 180-189 (maximum allowed). That is around 7-13% increase in seat capacity which would be used to offset the potential revenue decrease from price reduction. Technology Integration WestJet can further lower costs by incorporating more technologies into the passenger experience including the ticketing, on the ground experience, and on board services. Passengers requiring more human interaction may have to pay additional fees. Reservation System While using WestJet's core reservation systems, the new subsidiary will have to file its own fares with Transport Canada and International Air Transport Association. Research will drive where base fares would be placed. Additionally, analysis will be performed to determine pricing for ancillary items such as advanced seat selection, baggages, food, etc. Partnerships Non-flying activities drove WestJet's revenue growth in 2016.  WestJet can use the new airline to build new partnerships with other companies (including credit card offering, retailers, media agencies, travel outlets). Branding The new airline should have its own branding and identity. WestJet may not necessarily better off naming the new subsidiary under its own brand as it may confuse passengers who are accustomed to the amenities offered from mainline service. The branding confusion, for example, plagued Air Canada rouge's launch initially and led to changes to that airline (e.g. changing business class configuration in narrowbody aircrafts from 3-3 with the middle seat blocked back to 2-2 and more award miles earned).  

To End

There are opportunities and challenges for WestJet to start a new ultra low cost carrier within Canada. WestJet has delayed its launch to 2018 to configure all the moving pieces and making it a success at launch. Click to Post

[poojasharma111]

WESTJET AIRLINE BAGGAGE POLICY

WestJet is a leading Canadian air carrier, second only to the country’s flagship airline, Air Canada. Thousands of passengers fly on WestJet flights each day.

Hence, the airlines’ well-defined baggage contributes to smooth functioning. Since travel and luggage go hand-in-hand, it is essential to be aware of airlines’ baggage policies.Although the International Air Transport Aviation or IATA specifies baggage guidelines, not all airlines follow it.

Some follow only a portion of it. Anyhow, knowing your baggage allowance is your right. It not only makes you a smart passenger but also creates a pleasant travel experience.

source: WESTJET AIRLINE BAGGAGE POLICY

Read also: WestJet baggage weight allowance, flights to India, last-minute flights,business class flights, holiday package, flights to Delhi, flights to Hyderabad, flights to cochin, cheap flights to India, booking tricks

[poojasharma111]

WestJet is a leading Canadian air carrier, second only to the country’s flagship airline, Air Canada. Thousands of passengers fly on WestJet flights each day.

Hence, the airlines’ well-defined baggage contributes to smooth functioning. Since travel and luggage go hand-in-hand, it is essential to be aware of airlines’ baggage policies.

[mikemortgage]

Porter Airlines introduces basic fare for bare-bones service on some flights

TORONTO — Porter Airlines Inc. is rolling out a new basic fare category as competition heats up between airlines chasing price-sensitive travellers.

The private airline announced on Wednesday its will offer a basic fare on certain routes that feature a lower price, while charging for additional service options, including checked luggage and advance seat selection — similar to the strategy at ultra-low-cost carriers.

“This helps ensure we can remain competitive in the future with any new products in the marketplace, whether it’s from Air Canada and WestJet or new ultra-low-cost carriers that come into the market,” Michael Deluce, Porter’s chief commercial officer, said in an interview.

“Everybody is positioning themselves to ensure they can be competitive from a price standpoint.”

The decision to introduce a lower-cost fare comes as other major carriers, including Air Canada and Westjet Airlines Ltd., are offering unbundled fare options that target price-sensitive travellers. It also comes just a few weeks after the launch of WestJet’s new ULCC Swoop, which began flying in June.

However, Deluce says the new fares are not a response to the recent launch of Swoop.

“They are not a direct competitor to us, but over time, they might be,” he said.

“Really, this is a response to where the entire industry is going, including Air Canada, our main competitor, and WestJet to a lesser degree.”

Until recently, Canada was the last G7 nation without an ultra-low-cost carrier, which keeps fares as low as possible while charging for extras such as assigned seats and carry-on luggage.

While Porter is not an ultra-low-cost carrier, running a distinct model that offers more services for fliers, its new basic fares will work similar to ultra-low-cost carriers’ fares.

The fare will be the lowest price, but it restricts passengers’ ability to make itinerary changes, cancellations or receive refunds or credits. Basic fare passengers will also only be allowed to bring one personal item, such as a small purse or briefcase, as a carry-on. Anything bigger will have to be checked for a fee of at least $27.50 in advance, and $37.50 at the airport.

The airline is currently offering the cheaper ticket price on routes to and from Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Timmins and Windsor. Deluce would not say why Porter selected those routes, but that the airline is hoping to introduce the fare on additional ones.

“This really provides an incremental fare that’s targeted at certain type of traffic that is highly price-sensitive,” he said.

“There’s a direct relationship between price and demand and the stimulative effect of lower fares … it enables people to get off the road, to benefit from lower price points, and travel when they otherwise would not have.”

• Email: asiekierska@nationalpost.com | Twitter: alicjawithaj

from Financial Post https://ift.tt/2JfDUnO via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

[touristguidebuzz]

Spirit Airlines Is Adding TSA PreCheck Support Soon

Here’s something we’re not used to hearing every day: Spirit is doing something to benefit its customers. The ultra low-cost carrier is known for nickel-and-diming its passengers for everything imaginable — from checking bags to printing boarding passes and selecting seats. Now, we have information that the airline is becoming a member of the TSA PreCheck program.

According to the Spirit Airlines Twitter account, the carrier is planning on becoming part of the program by the end of the month.

@amyslavko @TSA Hi, Amy, we plan on participating in Precheck by the end of the month, we will be sure to share when we go live. Thanks for asking!

— Spirit Airlines (@SpiritAirlines) January 23, 2017

The TSA’s list of participating airlines doesn’t yet include Spirit, but when you log in to your Spirit account, you’ll now see an option to input your Known Traveler Number.

With the addition of Spirit, there are now a total of 25 airlines that are a part of the PreCheck program. The airlines include Aeromexico, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Aruba Airlines, Avianca, Cape Air, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Lufthansa, OneJet, Seaborne Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, Sunwing Airlines, United Airlines, Virgin America, Virgin Atlantic and WestJet.

It’s not yet clear if you’ll actually get PreCheck access if you have a Spirit flight in the immediate future. However, now that there’s a place to input your KTN, it’s a good sign that the carrier will be joining very soon. As a reminder, you can get PreCheck (and Global Entry) for free with a number of credit cards that offer fee waivers, such as the Citi Prestige, Ritz-Carlton Rewards and the Amex Platinum.

Have you had a recent Spirit flight? Did you have access to TSA PreCheck?

Featured image courtesy of Joe Raedle via Getty Images.