[Maritime Q-Scout]

I just read through the link comparing the Q400 & ATR72 (I skimmed it the other day). I'm inclined to think that WestJet will go with the Q400

1) Better passenger experience
2) Their competitors (Air Canada Express & Porter) both fly the Q400
3) More passengers can fit on the plane, only need a marginal amount of passengers to make up the economical difference
4) Q400 has a higher ceiling, and a higher single engine ceiling, I would think for a Calgary based airline, they'd want the highest possible ceilings (cause ya know it's not like you're based in North America's largest mountain range)
5) With the Q400's considerably better climb rate, can the ATR72 depart from Toronto City Centre? It probably can, but I don't know what the regulations are for it's climb rates.

Q400's are only $7m more, and with a decent purchase size that will probably be reduced to close the gap even more.

I'd dare say that you'll see WestProp (or EastProp not sure what I'll call the regional carrier until it's officially named) use Q400s.