Atlantic Bubble making flights ‘unsustainable’ for WestJet, airline cutting flights

WestJet is laying off 100 corporate and operational support staff. WestJet VP, marketing communications Richard Bartrem weighs in.

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35 comments

    1. I can see a huge skyrocket in aircraft accidents when the aviation industry is back in full swing. Nobody there to maintain them.

  1. I know Canada’s airline industry has unique challenges but in my experience, Air Canada and Westjet are not the best airlines, their service is poor and they are very expensive! Wish there were more affordable airlines in Canada so that we can explore more of the country. It just feels like they are decades behind. It is cheaper to fly international sometimes than to fly to a nearby Canadian city.

  2. Shut the airlines down anyways especially west jet the company that beats customers up and takes them off a plane brutally just a couple years ago

  3. Let the airlines be like any other business, how many businesses have went out of business. Why taxpayers have to bail out a business that made billions over the years.

    1. Airlines in Canada are disproportionately impacted because of the mandatory 14 day quarantine measures for all incoming international flights. No one is going to fly to Canada for a 2-day business trip when they have to quarantine for 14 days first.

  4. Does someone know at what percentage capacity are these airlines flying at? 10%? 50%? I do not know if a bailout would work for an industry that has such a low demand from customers …

  5. If no one is flying, where is WJ’s money going? They’re that far in debt that they can’t afford to pay their loan payments?

  6. They should not rescue WESTJET!!! It’s one of the worst airlines ever, They gouge, then give you the worst service ever and this Richard guy is a peace of work, just as they are saying NOW, we’ll not reimburse passengers, they mean it. Hell NO!! Hell To Da Naw, Naw, Naw

  7. Instead buy out Air Canada and West Jet, invest those billions to high speed trains for passenger and goods . Maglev or Bombardier will be happy to do so with Japan team. Need lower cost of leaving. NB cost leaving insane, no health care. Ontario rent house need mortgage 🙂 and so on. Each province in big troubles. Do something right !!!!

    1. do you realize how expensive it is to built high speed rail with the wages in developed countries? California has been working on one for Anaheim/Los Angeles – San Francisco corridor (a relatively small area) and that project alone is going to cost 70billion. Lesson is money doesn’t grow on trees.

  8. Evan Solomon: Will WestJet compensate ticket holders?
    This is not what ticket holders are demanding for!!! Refunds and compensations do not mean the same thing. Passengers want refunds back to their original form of payment. Passengers didn’t agree to a no-interest loan nor a gift card. Compensation can be given when flights are delayed, baggage goes missing, etc.

    1. On Time Reports Nope,No money from them for you…Doesn’t work like that…..They just take your money,end of story

    2. @jhonston666 actually, I did receive a full refund back to my original form of payment. I an outlier rather than the norm.

  9. DID WESTJET SAY…..NO FLYING WITHOUT A VAX PASSPORT EVEN WITH A CREDIT…..WELL IN THAT CASE I AM DEFENITIVELY GOING TO NEED A REFUND…WTF!!!!!!

  10. HOW DOES THE SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES APPLY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES BUT NOT FOR CORPORATE INTERESTS LIKE AIRLINES AND PUBLIC BUSSES. .???

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