WestJet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
WestJet Airlines Ltd.

Founded	June 27, 1994; 30 years ago (1994-06-27)
Commenced operations	February 29, 1996; 29 years ago (1996-02-29)
AOC #	Canada 8993, United States WJ0F768F
Hubs	Calgary
Focus cities	Edmonton Toronto–Pearson Vancouver Winnipeg
Frequent-flyer program	WestJet Rewards
Subsidiaries	Sunwing Airlines WestJet Cargo WestJet Encore WestJet Link
Fleet size	185 (including subsidiaries)
Destinations	104
Parent company	Onex Corporation
Headquarters	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Key people	Alexis von Hoensbroech (President & CEO)
Revenue	CAN$4.733 billion (2018)
Operating income	CAN$155 million (2018)
Net income	CAN$91 million (2018)
Total assets	CAN$6.758 billion (2018)
Total equity	CAN$2.302 billion (2018)
Employees	12,000 (January 2024)

WestJet Airlines is Canada's second-largest airline. It was started in 1994 and is based in Calgary, Alberta. WestJet began flying in 1996, offering cheaper flights than other big airlines.

Today, WestJet flies to over 100 places. These include cities across Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and Central America. WestJet carries more than 25 million passengers each year. It has about 777 flights every day, making it the eighth-largest airline in North America by how often it flies.

In May 2023, WestJet bought Sunwing, another Canadian airline that focuses on vacation travel. Sunwing's staff and planes will join WestJet by October 2024.

WestJet mainly uses Boeing 737 planes for shorter and medium flights. For longer trips, it uses the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. WestJet also has two smaller airlines: WestJet Encore (which uses Bombardier Q400 planes) and WestJet Link (which uses Saab 340B planes for connecting flights).

In December 2019, a company called Onex Corporation bought WestJet. This made WestJet a private company, meaning its shares are no longer traded on the stock market. WestJet is not part of any big airline alliances like Star Alliance. But it works with many other airlines through special agreements called codeshares. This allows them to sell tickets on each other's flights.

WestJet's Journey Through Time

Starting Flights: 1994–1999

WestJet was founded on June 27, 1994. The founders were Clive Beddoe, David Neeleman, Mark Hill, Tim Morgan, and Donald Bell. They wanted to create a low-cost airline, like Southwest Airlines in the U.S. WestJet first flew only in Western Canada, which is how it got its name.

The very first WestJet flight took off on February 29, 1996. It was a Boeing 737-200 plane. At first, WestJet flew to five cities: Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. They had three used Boeing 737-200 planes and 225 employees. By the end of 1996, they added Regina, Saskatoon, and Victoria.

In 1999, WestJet started selling shares to the public for the first time. This helped the company grow. That same year, they added Thunder Bay, Grande Prairie, and Prince George to their flight map.

Growing Across Canada: 2000–2003

Around 2000, WestJet started flying to Eastern Canada. This happened after Air Canada took over another airline, Canadian Airlines. WestJet began serving cities like Hamilton, Ottawa, and Moncton, New Brunswick. Hamilton became their main hub in Eastern Canada.

In 2001, WestJet kept growing, adding more cities like Comox, Sault Ste. Marie, and Sudbury. Some of these routes were later stopped, but WestJet Encore (a smaller WestJet airline) now flies to Brandon and Sudbury.

By 2002, WestJet added London and Toronto. In 2003, they added even more cities: Windsor, Montreal, Halifax, St. John's, and Gander.

WestJet also worked with Air Transat for a few years, flying charter flights to places like Mexico and the Caribbean. This agreement ended in 2009.

In 2004, another airline, Air Canada, accused WestJet of using their private information. WestJet later admitted to this and agreed to pay money to Air Canada and donate to children's charities.

Flying Beyond Canada: 2004–2006

In 2004, WestJet moved its main Eastern Canada operations from Hamilton to Toronto Pearson International Airport. This helped them fly more often between Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.

WestJet also started flying to many cities in the U.S. in 2004. These included San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and LaGuardia Airport in New York City. In 2005, they added Palm Springs and San Diego, and later Ft. Myers and Las Vegas.

In 2005, WestJet began flying to the Hawaiian Islands from Vancouver. In December 2005, they started flights to Honolulu and Maui.

WestJet's first regular flight outside Canada and the U.S. was to Nassau, Bahamas in 2006. This was a big step for the company's plans to fly to more international places.

More Growth and New Headquarters: 2007–2009

In 2007, WestJet added new flights to Deer Lake (Newfoundland), Saint John (New Brunswick), and Kitchener-Waterloo (Ontario). They also added seasonal flights to places like Saint Lucia, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. A third Hawaiian destination, Kona, was also added.

WestJet also started building a new main office building next to their hangar at the Calgary International Airport. This building was designed to be environmentally friendly. Employees started moving in during 2009.

In May 2008, WestJet began daily flights to Quebec City. They also started seasonal flights between Calgary and New York City. In 2009, new seasonal flights to Yellowknife and Sydney, Nova Scotia were added.

WestJet grew a lot in Canada during the 2000s. In 2000, they had only 7% of the Canadian market, but by 2009, they had grown to 38%.

In 2009, WestJet temporarily stopped flights to some places in Mexico because of the H1N1 flu outbreak. Flights resumed a few weeks later.

In July 2009, WestJet announced 11 new international destinations for the winter. These included more flights to the U.S. (like Atlantic City, New Jersey and Miami, Florida) and new Caribbean places (like Providenciales and St. Maarten). They also added cities in Cuba and Mexico.

In November 2009, WestJet announced flights to Bermuda, which started in May 2010.

Flying Overseas: 2010–2016

In March 2010, Gregg Saretsky became the new CEO of WestJet.

In July 2010, WestJet added flights to Santa Clara, Cuba, New Orleans, and Grand Cayman, bringing their total destinations to 71. The New Orleans service only lasted one season.

In 2011, WestJet started flying to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, from Vancouver and Calgary.

In November 2011, WestJet won the right to use time slots at New York's LaGuardia Airport. They officially announced flights to LaGuardia in January 2012. From 2012 to 2014, WestJet added more U.S. cities like Chicago (via O'Hare International Airport), Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Myrtle Beach International Airport, and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

On November 15, 2013, WestJet announced its first flight to Europe. This was a seasonal flight from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Dublin, Ireland, which started in June 2014.

In July 2014, WestJet announced plans to get four larger, "wide-body" planes to fly longer international routes. They received their first Boeing 767-300ER plane on August 27, 2015.

On June 16, 2015, WestJet announced flights to London's Gatwick Airport, starting in May 2016. This was their third transatlantic destination after Dublin and Glasgow. Most flights to London used the new Boeing 767-300ER planes.

Becoming a Full-Service Airline: 2017–2019

In April 2017, WestJet announced plans to start a very low-cost airline called Swoop. Swoop began flying in June 2018, using Boeing 737-800 planes.

On January 11, 2018, WestJet said it wanted to become a global, full-service airline. This means offering more services and flying to more places around the world.

On May 8, 2018, WestJet announced they would add the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to their fleet. The first one arrived in January 2019.

On May 31, 2018, WestJet flew its first flight to mainland Europe. This was a flight from Halifax Stanfield International Airport to Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport.

On October 12, 2018, WestJet showed off its new look and slogan: "Love where you're going". They also announced the first routes for their new Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes. These flights started on April 28, 2019, from Calgary International Airport to London Gatwick Airport, with flights to Paris and Dublin following soon after.

On May 13, 2019, WestJet announced that Onex Corporation would buy the company for $5 billion Canadian dollars. The deal was completed on December 11, 2019.

Facing Challenges: 2020–2022 (COVID-19 Pandemic)

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a huge drop in demand for flights around the world, and WestJet was also affected.

In March 2020, WestJet stopped all international flights. This led to many employees being temporarily laid off. However, most employees were called back to work by February 2022 as travel slowly returned.

Focusing on Western Canada: 2022–Present

On June 16, 2022, WestJet announced it would go back to its "low-cost roots." This means focusing more on affordable flights and leisure travel. They also decided to focus more on Western Canada. This led to some routes in Eastern Canada being stopped.

On September 29, 2022, WestJet ordered 42 more Boeing 737 MAX 10 planes to strengthen its presence in Western Canada. On October 6, 2022, WestJet and the Government of Alberta announced a big partnership. Calgary International Airport will become WestJet's main global hub. WestJet will base all its Boeing 787 planes in Calgary, which could lead to new flights to Europe and Asia.

In December 2022, WestJet announced its first flight to Asia: from Calgary International Airport to Narita International Airport in Japan, starting April 30, 2023. They also announced new flights from Calgary to Barcelona–El Prat Airport and Edinburgh Airport.

In November 2023, WestJet added two new transatlantic routes: Calgary to Keflavik Airport (Iceland) and Halifax to Edinburgh Airport. WestJet also plans to start flights from Calgary to Incheon International Airport (South Korea) in Asia.

Buying Sunwing

On March 2, 2022, WestJet announced it planned to buy Sunwing, an airline known for sun vacations. The goal was to create a new "tour business" combining Sunwing Vacations and WestJet Vacations. This new vacation business would be based in Toronto.

The Canadian Competition Bureau looked into the deal. They worried it might reduce competition and lead to higher prices for vacation packages, especially to sunny places like Mexico and the Caribbean. They noted that WestJet and Sunwing together flew 37% of non-stop flights between Canada and sun destinations.

However, on March 10, 2023, the Canadian government approved the merger. They set several conditions for WestJet to follow:

• Offer Sunwing vacation packages in five new Canadian cities.
• Keep a vacation business office in Toronto and a regional office in Montreal for at least five years.
• Improve how flights connect and how baggage is handled.
• Increase jobs at Sunwing's Toronto office.
• Stop the practice of leasing planes seasonally to other airlines to protect Canadian jobs.

On May 1, 2023, WestJet officially completed the purchase of Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines. Stephen Hunter, who was the CEO of Sunwing Vacations, now leads WestJet's vacation business.

WestJet later confirmed that Sunwing Airlines would be fully combined into WestJet within two years. By October 2024, all of Sunwing's 18 Boeing 737 planes and over 2,000 employees will become part of WestJet. This is happening at the same time WestJet is bringing its former low-cost airline, Swoop, into its main operations.

How WestJet is Organized

Ownership and Structure

WestJet Airlines Ltd. is part of the WestJet Group. Since December 2019, it has been owned by a private company called Onex Corporation, based in Toronto.

On May 13, 2019, WestJet announced that Onex Corporation would buy the company for $5 billion Canadian dollars. The deal was completed on December 11, 2019. After this, WestJet's shares were no longer traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

WestJet Encore

WestJet Encore is WestJet's regional airline. It started flying on June 24, 2013. It uses Bombardier Q400 planes and was created to serve smaller communities across Canada.

WestJet Link

WestJet Link is another part of WestJet, launched in June 2018. It is operated by Pacific Coastal Airlines. WestJet Link flies from WestJet's main hubs in Calgary and Vancouver to smaller towns, using Saab 340B planes. These planes are even smaller than the ones WestJet Encore uses.

Swoop

Swoop was a very low-cost airline owned by WestJet. It started flying on June 20, 2018, using Boeing 737-800 planes. Swoop fully joined WestJet's main operations on October 28, 2023.

WestJet Vacations

WestJet Vacations is a part of WestJet Airlines. It was created in June 2006 to offer complete travel packages, combining flights with hotels. This allowed WestJet to offer more than just flights and meet the demand for all-inclusive vacations.

WestJet Vacations offers many types of travel packages. These include flights, places to stay, and sometimes car rentals. These packages are designed to make planning vacations easy and save money. WestJet Vacations flies to popular tourist spots in Mexico, the Caribbean, the United States, and other places.

The new Sunwing Vacations Group is now part of the WestJet Group. It includes five travel brands: Sunwing Vacations, WestJet Vacations, Vacation Express (a U.S. tour operator), and travel retailers SellOffVacations.com and Luxe Destination Weddings. This happened after WestJet bought Sunwing in May 2023. Even though they are now together, each brand will keep its own identity.

Where WestJet Flies

WestJet and WestJet Encore currently fly to 108 places in 25 countries. These include places in North and Central America, the Caribbean, and Europe. They fly to 36 cities in Canada and 23 in the United States. WestJet's biggest hubs are Toronto Pearson International Airport (for Eastern Canada) and Calgary International Airport (for Western Canada).

WestJet offers the most flights from Canada to Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, Las Vegas, and Orlando. They have non-stop flights (some seasonal) from many Canadian cities to these popular destinations. Since 2008, WestJet has been the largest international airline flying into Las Vegas. WestJet also serves 20 places in the Caribbean and seven in Mexico.

In July 2015, WestJet announced flights to London Gatwick Airport using Boeing 767 planes. This service started in spring 2016.

In January 2018, WestJet announced its first flight to mainland Europe: from Halifax to Paris, starting in May 2018. They used their new Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes for this route.

In October 2018, new international flights were announced. Starting in 2019, WestJet began direct flights from Calgary to Dublin and Paris. WestJet uses its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes for these routes. The Calgary to London Gatwick route also switched to the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes. WestJet also announced flights between Calgary and Atlanta (a major hub for Delta Air Lines) and between Toronto and Barcelona.

In June 2021, WestJet announced a new route from Calgary to Amsterdam, followed by Seattle in November 2021.

In 2022, WestJet changed its London service from Gatwick to London Heathrow in March. Rome was added to WestJet's European destinations in May.

In 2023, WestJet added new routes to the United States to strengthen its partnership with Delta. These included flights to Detroit in May, and Minneapolis and Washington Dulles in June. All three of these are Delta hubs.

Flights to Tokyo, WestJet's first destination outside North America and Europe, began in April 2023. Bonaire, one of the ABC Islands, joined WestJet's vacation destinations in December 2023.

In 2024, WestJet announced upcoming flights to Reykjavík, Iceland (Keflavík) and Seoul, South Korea, both starting in May.

Working with Other Airlines

History of Partnerships

WestJet has always looked for ways to work with other airlines. In 2005, they had a small agreement with China Airlines to see how it would work.

In 2006, WestJet announced they were talking with 70 airlines about working together. They even talked about joining the Oneworld alliance, but that didn't happen. However, they did make a deal with Oneworld in 2008 for business travelers.

In 2008, WestJet planned to work with Southwest Airlines in the U.S., but that partnership ended in 2010. Instead, WestJet partnered with American Airlines and later Delta Air Lines. The agreement with American Airlines ended in 2018 because WestJet was planning a bigger partnership with Delta.

In 2017, WestJet, easyJet, and Norwegian Air Shuttle worked together at London Gatwick Airport. This allowed passengers to connect easily between their flights.

Codeshare Agreements

WestJet has special agreements called codeshare agreements with these airlines. This means they can sell tickets on each other's flights:

• Aeroméxico
• Air France
• Air Transat
• Azores Airlines
• Cathay Pacific
• China Airlines
• China Eastern Airlines
• China Southern Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Emirates
• Hainan Airlines
• Hong Kong Airlines
• Japan Airlines
• KLM
• Korean Air
• LATAM Brasil
• LATAM Perú
• Philippine Airlines
• Qantas
• Virgin Atlantic
• XiamenAir

Interline Agreements

WestJet also has interline agreements with these airlines. This means they can help passengers connect between flights on different airlines, even if they don't share flight codes:

• Aer Lingus
• Air China
• Air New Zealand
• Air Tahiti Nui
• Alaska Airlines
• ITA Airways
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Canadian North
• Central Mountain Air
• Condor
• El Al
• Etihad Airways
• EVA Air
• Fiji Airways
• Finnair
• Icelandair
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Pacific Coastal Airlines
• Pakistan International Airlines
• PAL Airlines
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• TAP Air Portugal
• Tunisair
• Ukraine International Airlines
• United Airlines
• Virgin Australia

Working with Delta Air Lines

On December 6, 2017, WestJet and Delta Air Lines agreed to explore a closer partnership. On July 19, 2018, they signed a ten-year agreement to work together more closely. This partnership would have covered most flights between Canada and the U.S. However, in November 2020, they decided not to go through with the full joint venture. They still have agreements for frequent flyer benefits.

WestJet's Planes

Current Fleet

As of January 2024, WestJet's main fleet uses only Boeing planes. Here's a look at the planes they fly:

WestJet fleet

Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers				Notes
			J	W	Y	Total
Boeing 737-700	39	—	—	12	120	132
Boeing 737-800	36	—	—	12	162	174
	10		—	—	189	189	These used to be Swoop planes.
Boeing 737 MAX 7	—	32	TBA
Boeing 737 MAX 8	26	21	—	12	162	174	5 more planes will be leased.
	6	—	—	—	189	189	These used to be Swoop planes.
Boeing 737 MAX 10	—	54	—	12	200	212	They also have options for 22 more.
Boeing 787-9	7	—	16	28	276	320	Two previous orders were cancelled.
WestJet Cargo fleet
Boeing 737-800BCF	4	—	Cargo				These planes carry cargo.
Total:	128	107

WestJet Encore, a smaller airline owned by WestJet, flies Bombardier Q400 planes.

Past Planes

In early 2005, WestJet decided to stop using its older Boeing 737-200 planes. They replaced them with newer, more fuel-efficient 737 Next Generation planes. The last Boeing 737-200 flew its final WestJet flight on January 9, 2006.

WestJet used to fly these planes:

WestJet former fleet

Aircraft	Total	Introduced	Retired	Notes
Boeing 737-200	25	1996	2006
Boeing 737-600	13	2006	2021	Retired because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boeing 757-200	1	2011	2011	Leased from North American Airlines.
	7	2011	2015	Leased from Thomas Cook Airlines.
Boeing 767-300ER	4	2015	2020	Retired because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July 2020, WestJet stopped using its four Boeing 767-300ER planes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2021, it was announced that these planes were bought by Amazon to be used for carrying cargo.

Plane Designs (Liveries)

Most WestJet planes are white with the company name and logo on them. The tail of the plane has slanted sections in navy blue, white, and teal colors.

WestJet has also had special plane designs:

• In 2010, they had a plane with a "Care-antee" design, promoting their customer service.
• In 2013, this "Care-antee" plane was changed to the "Magic Plane" in partnership with Disney. It featured Mickey Mouse from the movie Fantasia.
• In 2015, a second Disney plane was made, called the "Frozen Plane." It had characters Elsa and Anna on the tail.

In May 2018, WestJet showed off a new look for its planes. It included a new font for "WestJet" and the words "The Spirit of Canada" (and "L'esprit du Canada" in French) written along the side of the plane. There's also an updated maple leaf design on the tail.

On January 17, 2019, WestJet's first Dreamliner plane was named 'Clive Beddoe', honoring one of the airline's founders. This plane also has the new livery design.

What WestJet Offers

Cabins (Seating Areas)

Business Class

Business Class is only on the Boeing 787 planes. It has private seating areas with direct access to the aisle. The seats can turn into flat beds. You get free meals and drinks, and on international flights, an amenity kit (small bag with travel items). WestJet's business class is the only one in Canada with fully extending privacy screens.

Premium Class

Premium Class is offered on all main WestJet planes, but it's a bit different depending on the plane.

On the 787, Premium Class is in its own separate section. The seats are bigger and recline more. You get free hot meals and drinks. There's also a self-serve area for snacks. On international flights, you get an amenity kit.

On the 737, Premium Class is separated from economy by dividers and a curtain. The seats are larger and recline more. You get free hot meals (on some flights) and drinks.

Economy Class

Economy Class also varies by plane type.

On the 787, economy seats have a good amount of legroom. You get free hot meals and drinks when flying internationally.

On the 737s, economy seats also have good legroom. You get free non-alcoholic drinks and snacks.

Services During Your Flight

Entertainment on Board

WestJet's 737 planes have "WestJet Connect." This is an entertainment system where you can use your own phone or laptop. You get free access to many TV shows and movies. You can also pay for internet access. Every seat has USB and power outlets.

WestJet's 787 planes have "WestJet Connect" too, but they also have large touchscreens on the back of every seat. These screens offer hundreds of TV shows, movies, music, magazines, and games like Angry Birds World Tour. You get free headphones, and business and premium class get noise-cancelling headphones. Every seat also has USB and power outlets.

WestJet Encore planes do not have in-flight entertainment systems.

Food and Drinks on Board

On flights shorter than four hours, WestJet offers free drinks and snacks. You can buy alcoholic drinks.

On flights four hours or longer, WestJet offers free drinks and snacks. In economy, you can buy meals. In premium and business class, you get a free meal and alcoholic drinks. When flying to Europe, all classes get a free meal and alcoholic drinks.

Airport Lounges

WestJet opened its own special lounge, called Elevation Lounge, at Calgary International Airport in 2020. They plan to open more Elevation lounges at their other main hubs in Vancouver and Toronto. WestJet also works with other companies to offer lounge access at various airports. You can pay to use these lounges, or Gold and Platinum members can get in for free.

These are some airports with lounges available through WestJet:

• Calgary (2 lounges)
• Edmonton (2 lounges)
• Kingston, Jamaica
• London, UK (2 lounges)
• Montego Bay, Jamaica
• Montreal
• Quebec City
• Toronto (3 lounges)
• Vancouver (4 lounges)
• Winnipeg

Plane Incidents

• February 17, 2008: WestJet Flight 849, a Boeing 737-700, landed too far down the runway in Ottawa and went about 100 feet into snow. No one was hurt.
• June 5, 2015: WestJet Flight 588, a Boeing 737-600, went off the runway into the grass in Montreal during heavy rain. The plane was not damaged.
• March 7, 2017: WestJet Flight 2652 from Toronto to Princess Juliana International Airport flew too low in heavy rain and low visibility. The crew first thought a hotel was the runway. They quickly flew up and landed safely.
• January 5, 2018: WestJet Flight 2425, a Boeing 737-800, was hit by a Sunwing Airlines Boeing 737-800 that was being moved at Toronto Pearson International Airport. A small fire on the Sunwing plane's tail was put out. All 168 passengers and 6 crew on the WestJet plane were safely evacuated, and no one was hurt.
• January 5, 2020: WestJet Flight 248, a Boeing 737-800, went off the runway into the grass while landing in Halifax during heavy snow. The plane was not damaged.
• August 9, 2023: WestJet Flight 346, a Boeing 737-700, hit a Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130H Hercules plane while moving on the ground at Comox Valley Airport. No passengers or crew were hurt. The RCAF plane was empty.

See also

In Spanish: WestJet para niños