New agent promos, instruments and updates: 9 need-to-knows from WestJet & WestJet Holidays’ Commute Industry Expo

MISSISSAUGA — WestJet and WestJet Holidays hammered house one key message at the day prior to this’s Commute Industry Expo in Toronto – that they love and worth journey brokers.

Again in particular person for the primary time since 2019, the firms’ vastly well-liked, multi-city Commute Industry Expos kicked off the day prior to this, Sept. 12, at The Global Centre in Toronto with over 350 journey brokers, all of whom gained top reward from individuals of the manager groups and discovered about new agent-friendly promotions and sources. Every other 275 brokers are anticipated on the Calgary display on Sept. 14, and 300 extra in Vancouver on Sept. 15.

Regardless that the venue might alternate from metropolis to metropolis, the gratitude proven against brokers will stay the similar, says Chuck Crowder, Vice-President, Gross sales & Distribution, WestJet Holidays and Touch Centres.

“We by no means would had been in a position to get via this summer season with out journey brokers,” he informed Travelweek. “I do notice the strain that journey placed on them as a result of, clearly, we’re seeking to construct again our trade and it used to be simply alternate after alternate after alternate. However we’re in a spot now the place we’ve discovered such a lot and we understand how to actually time table accurately.”

WestJet Holidays’ Director Dave Cecco additionally reiterated Crowder’s sentiments, telling Travelweek that regardless of the “nonstop adjustments and changes” to flight schedules, operations and product lineups, journey brokers stay unwavering of their beef up.

“Thanks for nonetheless being right here and for nonetheless supporting us. All of us needed to paintings in combination to conquer this as it used to be so new for all folks. Whilst you consider what everybody needed to do to get via Covid, it’s relatively emotional. So we’re simply actually thankful to brokers for being there with us – and for us – as our robust companions,” says Cecco.

To learn extra of our interview with Crowder, together with key touchpoints like airport delays, ArriveCAN and the brand new Airline Passenger Coverage Laws, scroll down.

The day gone by’s Expo, which integrated shows from WestJet, WestJet Holidays and key sponsors in addition to a commerce display that includes 67 providers, highlighted a number of agent inventions and promotions that garnered main applause from the target market. Listed here are 9 key takeaways from WestJet and WestJet Holidays:

1. New Are living Chat serve as: To lend a hand alleviate lengthy name centre hang instances, WestJet Holidays introduced Are living Chat on Sept. 12, permitting brokers to are living chat with an organization agent who can lend a hand them with a number of duties and purposes. Those come with making use of WestJet Greenbacks; including, eliminating or enhancing WestJet Rewards; including, eliminating or enhancing a telephone quantity or e-mail; inquiring for e-docs or invoices; making same-day time table adjustments for another flight, in accordance with availability in the similar cabin magnificence; and making requests for reservations, particular services and products and resort personal tastes like mattress configuration, location, adjacent rooms and accessibility necessities. Brokers will have to observe that Are living Chat does no longer maintain any bills and extra assortment refunds because of privateness compliancy.
2. Bonus fee. As a token of gratitude for journey brokers, WestJet Holidays is providing an advantage 2% fee on all bookings made between Sept. 12-30, 2022, for journey from Sept. 12, 2022 to Aug. 8, 2023. The be offering is legitimate for all locations and is eligible for all commerce bookings. Bonus commissions will routinely be showed on brokers’ invoices on the time of reserving.
3. Commute agent air cut price. WestJet introduced a distinct Expo Air Be offering for journey brokers that incorporates 30% off Elementary and Econo fares, to any area, if booked via Sept. 18, 2022, for journey via Would possibly 31, 2023. There are not any blackout dates practice. WestJet additionally has an On a regular basis Be offering that includes discounted charges on Trade, Top class and Econo fares for journey brokers and one spouse.
4. The go back of Amsterdam. WestJet has simply gained airport slots to go back to Amsterdam, the place it in the past introduced seasonal carrier, on a year-round foundation. Plus, with spouse KLM, WestJet passengers will be capable of journey past Amsterdam by way of simple connections. Additional information is predicted throughout the subsequent week.
5. New pamphlet: Scorching off the clicking is WestJet Holidays’ new mini 24-page pamphlet. Rackable and shopper dealing with with house within the again for brokers’ touch main points, the pamphlet doubles as a handy guide a rough reference information that includes the excursion operator’s iciness time table, flights at a look, resort collections together with adults-only, and a QR code that takes shoppers at once to the corporate’s journey coverage plan.
6. COVID WestJet greenbacks and commissions prolonged: At the start set to run out on the finish of September 2022, COVID WestJet greenbacks had been prolonged till Dec. 31, 2022. As well as, WestJet Holidays is paying commissions at the complete worth of the rebooked package deal booked till Dec. 31, 2022 the place COVID WestJet greenbacks are being redeemed.
7. Swoop flights: As in the past reported, WestJet Holidays is now providing Swoop flights as a part of holiday programs, to be had to guide solely via journey brokers. Consistent with Shannon Cunningham, Supervisor at WestJet Holidays, those Swoop flights come with Jamaica, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Las Vegas. Plus, new this iciness are Toronto-Varadero flights with Swoop as a part of a WestJet Holidays package deal, “which gives actually nice, sexy pricing,” mentioned Cunningham. Swoop flights blended with a WestJet Holidays package deal come with one lift on and are commissionable to journey brokers on the similar price.
8. Vacation spot lounges & personal transfers: Along with Membership MoBay in Montego Bay, WestJet Holidays has added different vacation spot lounges in Antigua, Barbados and Punta Cana, and is lately operating on including extra in Mexico. They’re all commissionable and to be had for brokers to guide. Brokers too can guide personal transfers to nearly all of WestJet Holidays’ locations, and even guide a shared direct switch. Top class in-destination lounges in addition to personal and shared transfers are all self-bookable by way of SIREV/REVNET.
9. Rapid financial savings: Shoppers can save as much as $400 on choose seven-night programs to solar locations in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean and Hawaii, if reserving between Sept. 12-30, 2022, for journey between Sept. 12, 2022 to April 30, 2023.

SHIFTING FOCUS: WESTJET’S ROUTE NETWORK

Chatting with journey brokers at once, Crowder mentioned that so to stay its aggressive benefit, WestJet can be moving its footprint out of jap Canada to center of attention extra on its hubs out west.

“This doesn’t imply we’re leaving behind the east – we’re in reality going to develop the east, particularly within the recreational marketplace the place it is smart,” he mentioned. “However we’re going to shift extra of our flying and actually construct out what that advanced looks as if west of Winnipeg.”

This, he added, comes to transferring all of WestJet’s 787s to center of attention within the West in an effort to keep watch over prices.

“We have now a fleet of 7 however while you unfold the ones throughout Canada, we additionally must have staff bases, repairs, spare portions – that provides complexity and value that we don’t need to do,” mentioned Crowder.

WestJet’s way can even see the airline shift its Q400 flying from the east to pay attention within the west, or even cut back the collection of Q400s that it lately flies as a result of “in accordance with the best way we’re construction out the advanced, we can want better airplane to fill that up and we all know we will be able to power that call for,” he added.

THE RETURN OF LEISURE & SUN

What’s actually been spearheading WestJet’s restoration is the recreational marketplace, which in step with Crowder has been the section that has bounced again the quickest and most powerful within the ultimate 12 months, even surpassing 2019 ranges in lots of circumstances. Compared, Company, despite the fact that appearing indicators of restoration, isn’t rebounding as temporarily as WestJet anticipated. It’s going to perhaps take every other two years for Company to completely get well, mentioned Crowder.

To fulfill expanding call for for recreational journey, WestJet can be construction out its community no longer solely within the east but additionally within the west, with new locations, new carrier and extra point-to-point flying.

“What you’re going to see is, flights like inter-province will move away, however what we will be doing is including extra east-west flying,” mentioned Crowder. “So suppose Ottawa to Calgary, to Vancouver, or out of Montreal as opposed to the triangle between Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.”

Final month, WestJet unveiled its iciness solar program for 2022-23, which contains the go back of 17 solar and recreational routes that it didn’t serve ultimate iciness.

“We have now 45% extra ASMs (To be had Seat Miles) to recreational and solar locations, which can be reserving temporarily,” he added. “We all the time say guide early as a result of capability in resorts are filling up.”

Crowder additionally informed advisors to be expecting an build up in trans-border flying, which ties in with WestJet’s alliance with Delta, first introduced again in October 2020.

“We’re including extra codeshare carrier and extra connectivity to their hubs and past, and we’re repeatedly including extra loyalty advantages, reciprocity and incomes alternatives inside WestJet rewards on Delta flights,” mentioned Crowder.

WESTJET & SUNWING

It’s been six months since information broke that WestJet can be obtaining Sunwing Holidays and Sunwing Airways, a deal that Crowder mentioned will give journey brokers extra thrilling alternatives to promote. Nonetheless below overview via Shipping Canada and but to be licensed via the government, WestJet has finished all regulatory filings and is anticipating a solution from the feds via finish of October, mentioned Crowder.

“We do imagine that this may occasionally get licensed with none problems after which the arduous paintings begins with integrating the whole lot,” he added. “Sunwing is so robust within the east and we’re robust within the west. They’re the #1 excursion operator in Canada however in addition they have this airline with 18 airplane that they’re just right at working. However whilst they’re actually just right on the land portion aspect of items, managing the airplane isn’t their specialty. So this merger will actually result in further advantages, no longer solely alternatives so that you can promote, however for Canadians to get the place they need to move.”

Crowder informed brokers that each airways will function as two separate manufacturers “for relatively some time” below one management team. “Till we get via that, there are numerous issues that experience to occur to combine them into the WestJet Crew of Firms,” he mentioned.

AIRPORT DELAYS, ARRIVECAN & MASKING

When requested via Travelweek whether or not WestJet is happy with the growth being made at Canada’s main airports, specifically Toronto Pearson, in relation to assuaging large delays, Crowder mentioned that the placement has hugely advanced because the summer season when delays have been at its height. With labour shortages in large part responsible, airports had been slowed down via lengthy lineups and flight disruptions for months now, not able to stay alongside of document journey call for following the easing of journey measures, together with the reducing of Canada’s journey advisory.

“Pearson has accomplished a really perfect process at seeking to repair the whole lot, nevertheless it’s actually been a joint effort,” mentioned Crowder. “Everyone seems to be dedicated – no longer solely the airport but additionally CATSA (Canadian Air Shipping Safety Authority), Customs Border Patrol, US Customs Border Patrol and the entire airways – to solving the problems right here. We’ve noticed important enhancements week over week.”

Crowder famous that runway development at Toronto Pearson right through the summer season months compounded the problem, however the problem has levelled off heading into the all-important iciness season, with “all airways that fly out of Pearson being arrange for good fortune.”

As for Canada’s ArriveCAN app, which is obligatory for any individual getting into Canada via air, land, rail or marine vessel via a minimum of Sept. 30, Crowder, like many within the journey trade, believes it will have to be eradicated if it has outlived its objective of facilitating COVID-19 touch tracing and tracking vaccination statuses amongst air arrivals.

“WestJet’s stance is, if it drives worth and does no longer hang up the method for us, then sure, it serves a objective. But when it serves no objective, figuring out the place we’re lately within the pandemic, we want to get started eliminating those problems.”

Those problems additionally come with obligatory protecting at airports and in airplane, added Crowder, which range from airport to airport, province to province.

“At Pearson you must put on a masks. However Calgary simply removed their masks mandate within the airport, aside from when going via safety or immigration,” he mentioned. “So there are these kinds of competing rule in each and every province, in accordance with whether or not it’s federally managed or provincially managed. That confuses visitors and makes it tough to move throughout the journey ecosystem.”

 

NEW APPR RULES NOW IN EFFECT

With broader laws below the Air Passenger Coverage Laws (APPR) now in impact, WestJet and all different airways flying to, from and inside Canada will indubitably be impacted. As the brand new laws state, airways should supply passengers with both money back or rebooking within the tournament of a flight cancellation or a long lengthen, because of a state of affairs out of doors the airline’s keep watch over.

Is that this truthful to airways? Unquestionably that’s up for debate, however Crowder did tension the significance of transparency for all gamers concerned.

“We as an airline must be very clear with visitors about why there could also be a lengthen or cancellation as a part of the principles. However the individuals who additionally carrier us, whether or not that be the caterers, Nav Canada or safety, aren’t held to the similar reporting protocol that airways are,” he mentioned.

When requested why he thinks airways are held to another same old, Crowder mentioned they just have transform a very easy goal.

“Airways are simple for the federal government to indicate to as a result of we’re normally one of the most longest portions of the adventure and the place folks spend numerous time. So I believe it’s simple for the federal government to head down that trail, to turn that they’re supporting Canadians and shopper rights. However if you happen to’re going to carry us to that normal, you will have to hang everybody else to the similar same old as a result of we will be able to’t keep watch over what occurs at, say, Nav Canada. In the event that they’re quick staffed and we will be able to’t function the flight, then our visitors want to know that,” he added.