Admitting that last year’s busy holiday season “highlighted several weak spots across Canada’s aviation ecosystem,” WestJet says it is gearing up across all touchpoints of its operations this year to ensure smooth travel for customers and avoid a repeat of the well-publicized delays that cast Canada’s airlines and airports in a negative light.

“Last year… we faced unforeseen, compounding weather events across the country that exposed vulnerabilities within our operation and significantly impacted our guests travel experience,” says Diederik Pen, WestJet Group, Chief Operating Officer. “On the heels of a very successful summer, we are confident in the robust improvements we’ve made…. As we look towards the holiday season ahead, our focus remains on rebuilding trust and delivering an efficient and enjoyable travel experience to our valued guests.”

The airline says it has made a strategic focus on digital enhancements, IT infrastructure management and operational resilience – all aimed at delivering an improved travel experience over the busiest travel season of the year.

Improvements guests can expect

Leveraging lessons learned from 2022 and by investing in its operational excellence program, WestJet says it has been diligently preparing to meet the demand of the more than 1.5 million guests who will travel across its expansive network this holiday season. Through the strategic redesign of WestJet’s guest experience, WestJet says it has set the foundations to deliver a reliable operational performance in the face of peak winter demand.

Operational preparations

In preparation for peak winter travel, the WestJet Group has proactively positioned its fleet and staff to best serve Canadians by:

• Working closely with Sunwing Airlines to bolster flying capacity through the peak winter season.
• Leveraging aircraft from WestJet’s former ultra-low-cost-carrier, Swoop to aid in flight disruption recovery across its networks.
• Transitioned to a new ground handling partnership at Calgary International Airport, WestJet’s largest hub and worked closely with service partners across its Canadian network to bolster and ensure improved on-time performance and baggage handling.

Self-serve and communication enhancements

In the event of flight disruptions or delays this holiday season, WestJet has invested in enabling self-serve options for its guests, improved upon its guest and crew communication, and proactively implemented contingency planning across its operation. The airline has invested in the following updates:

• SMS text notifications providing guests with timely updates on flight changes as information becomes available.
• The ability for the vast majority of guests to self-serve during a flight disruption by either changing travel plans or cancelling their trip and requesting a refund.
• Implementing new crew management software to assist the streamlined execution of crew scheduling to best support WestJet’s network and evolving schedule in the face of disruptions.
• Improved crew communication tools, arming WestJetters with the most up to date information to best support guests.

“While we can’t control the weather, it is our responsibility and commitment to deliver a safe, seamless and reliable experience to our guests and ensure that when faced with obstacles, our operation is resilient and equipped to quickly respond and recover,” says Pen.