Following WestJet's order earlier this year for up to 20 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, Routesonline spoke to Lee Lipton, the airline's director network and schedule planning, about the Canadian carrier's long-haul route development ambitions and its message at World Routes 2017.
What are your key considerations when planning new routes?
Air travel is not just about connecting from airport A to airport B, it is about linking people, economies and communities. Overall we are looking for markets with strong fundamentals, large growth potential, community links to our major hubs and cities across Canada, and regional leaders ready to build close and lasting partnerships with WestJet. We are fortunate to have more viable opportunities than aircraft to fulfil them, so part of our data-driven process is designed to prioritize how we can most profitably deploy our finite resources.
What geographies are you targeting?
The introduction of Dreamliners into the fleet represents another major step toward WestJet becoming a global airline. Fulfilling the aspiration to bring Canada to the world and the world to Canada means exploring and developing opportunities all over the world. We have therefore been expansive in the regions we are considering and the airports we are meeting with at Routes.
How have your transatlantic services performed since launching?
WestJet’s service between Canada and London, Dublin, and Glasgow have been very positively received by guests in Canada, the U.S., UK, and Europe. The routes have all benefitted from the broad and deep Canadian network WestJet brings to the table. People have loved our combination of low fares and caring guest service.
To what extent will the Boeing 787 order increase your transatlantic capacity?
The 787 enables us to grow WestJet’s business in a number of important ways. At Routes, we are focused on the additional economic and operating capability to introduce more markets onto our route network. At the same time, we are using the aircraft’s many features to evolve our product, service delivery, and guest interaction to create a superlative experience when flying WestJet.
What is your message at WR?
WestJet is launching its market evaluation process for the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners due to enter the fleet in early 2019. The team will be meeting with airports, economic development agencies, and tourism organizations from all over the world to explore the many opportunities for WestJet to expand its long haul network. We are eager to serve markets that are enabled by the low fares and caring guest experience that has made WestJet the success it is today.
Routes provides a good platform for both the substantive meetings and relationship building that are foundational to the success of a major route development initiative. The global forum enables us to effectively and efficiently connect with airports and regional representatives to improve our understanding of current dynamics and the future direction these leaders intend to take their markets.
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