Big plans for a once small airline

Calgary’s low cost carrier, Westjet, is looking to spread its wings and fly further abroad in the future.
Westjet’s president Sean Durfy announced on Monday that he would like to see the company become a major international airline by the year 2016.

Durfey spoke at the airline’s first investor day and told his shareholders, “We believe we can be an international player within 10 years. Our goal is to be one of the top five airlines internationally by 2016.”

Westjet has been operating out of it’s base in Western Canada for eleven years and is often hailed as a success story in an industry where airlines more often sink than swim. The airline started out small with only a few destinations and has grown, now offering flights to America and most recently, to the Bahamas.

Durfey said the new flights to the Bahamas were very good for the company’s profits. “The other guy was flying there for $1,200 return and we flew there for $550 to $600 and we had great load factors and we made wonderful margins,” he said.

“We haven’t even tapped the market,” he added, referring to a wealth of international opportunities the airline is only beginning to explore.

Other areas that Westjet may be expanding in the future include vacation packages linking flights with hotels and car rentals.

Westjet currently flies to 24 locations across Canada and eight destinations in the United States. It is the second largest airline in the country with around 5,000 employees.

www.westjet.com