WestJet delays launch of new low-cost airline

CALGARY — WestJet says the launch of its new no-frills, low-cost airline won’t be until next summer after initially announcing plans it would start offering flights later this year.

The delay comes in part after the airline decided to switch to a lower-cost booking system, CEO Gregg Saretsky said Tuesday as the company posted its second-quarter results.

“That adds a little bit of timeline to it, in terms of negotiating of an agreement, and then the physical implementation of all the plumbing that’s required to support it. And we’re taking our time to get it right.”

He said WestJet also doesn’t expect to get regulatory certificates until the first quarter of next year, which is when the airline aims to release an initial flight schedule and start selling tickets ahead of a June launch date for flights.

Saretsky said the delay means the company can use the quieter spring season to reconfigure the 10 Boeing 737s that it will be shifting over to the new carrier.

“They would have to have been done over the Christmas holiday period to be available for flying revenue service in January, and we’d rather not take that hit to capacity during a very strong time of year,” he said.

The service will be separate from WestJet, with a new head-office staff moving to an independent location early next year. The new airline will also be separate from the various stages of union efforts underway at WestJet itself.

The company will start contract negotiations with the Air Line Pilots Association, International in September, after WestJet pilots voted in May to join the union. Five other unions are also campaigning to represent other WestJet employees.

“We’re the largest non-organized enterprise in the country, a very attractive target, but ultimately it will be up to WestJetters to decide,” Saretsky said.

He said he expects the pilot negotiations to be a lengthy process, noting that pilots at JetBlue Airways in the U.S. have gone four years without a first agreement. He did not see any impact on the company this year or next from the unionization of the pilots.