Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie - Page 203 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Lubicon · 10-09-2021, 07:58 PM

WestJet has been affected by the same thing many other airlines have been affected by. They shed so many people last year when things were bad and now traffic has rebounded faster than they can rehire. Maybe they shouldn’t have added so many flights so quickly but when your competitors are doing so you have to as well or risk losing market share.

Johnny199r · 10-09-2021, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lubicon

WestJet has been affected by the same thing many other airlines have been affected by. They shed so many people last year when things were bad and now traffic has rebounded faster than they can rehire. Maybe they shouldn’t have added so many flights so quickly but when your competitors are doing so you have to as well or risk losing market share.

I would presume that jerking around all of your customers so that they swear they will never fly with you again will affect your market share.

Why are they having so much of a harder time than Air Canada?

CliffFletcher · 10-10-2021, 07:01 AM

Westjet are deliberately employing a strategy of offering a full schedule of flights, knowing they won’t be able to come close to filing/staffing the planes. Then, as close to the flight date as possible, consolidating and rescheduling the flights to fill planes and drop the under-sold/under-staffed flights.

It’s one way to deal with the air travel crisis. But it’s likely to exhaust whatever remaining goodwill and loyalty customers felt for Westjet.

cam_wmh · 10-10-2021, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Westjet are deliberately employing a strategy of offering a full schedule of flights, knowing they won’t be able to come close to filing/staffing the planes. Then, as close to the flight date as possible, consolidating and rescheduling the flights to fill planes and drop the under-sold/under-staffed flights.

It’s one way to deal with the air travel crisis. But it’s likely to exhaust whatever remaining goodwill and loyalty customers felt for Westjet.

If this remains, are they not liable for a class action?

Cecil Terwilliger · 10-10-2021, 10:33 AM

I’m curious how the flight cancellations work for refunds. Are travellers on the hook for the flights they miss due to the last minute changes?

CliffFletcher · 10-10-2021, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

I’m curious how the flight cancellations work for refunds. Are travellers on the hook for the flights they miss due to the last minute changes?

They weren’t offering refunds back in early summer. Then they caved in after consumer outrage.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/wes...unds-1.6100293

tvp2003 · 10-10-2021, 04:16 PM

We have a domestic WJ flight (to BC) booked in a few weeks… it has already been rescheduled once (for some reason I had kind of expected it), but the difference was negligible and if anything was a net positive.

A last minute cancellation/rescheduling would be more problematic though — keeping my fingers crossed I guess.

Table 5 · 10-11-2021, 08:15 AM

When we flew to the US this summer (with AC though), the flight changed 3 times before the actual date. We bought a direct flight, but at one point they wanted us to fly NY > Atlanta > LA > Calgary. I was understanding with one stopover, but paying for direct and trying to have us do 2 was pretty obnoxious.

Lubicon · 10-11-2021, 11:32 AM

SouthWest cancelled almost 2000 flights this weekend for much the same reasons. It’s happening all across North America. Not saying it’s right, but this is not an uncommon occurrence at the moment and it all boils down to staff shortages.

Amethyst · 10-11-2021, 11:34 AM

One of the reasons I've put any travel on hold for at least a year. Airline issues, changing vaccination and testing requirements, and trying to get a bunch of moving parts working together during a pandemic is just way more stress that I need!

MoneyGuy · 10-11-2021, 11:48 AM

At my age I feel like I have to do whatever travel I can safely and not defer trips. We’re hoping to spend a month somewhere warm in January-February and Australia October-November 2022 when we may circumnavigate AUS.

Amethyst · 10-11-2021, 12:31 PM

I've done a lot of travelling in the past, including living overseas a couple times, so maybe that's why I'm okay with waiting. I don't want to end up stuck in another country for two weeks, because I happened to test positive, despite being vaccinated, before my trip home.

Johnny199r · 10-11-2021, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lubicon

SouthWest cancelled almost 2000 flights this weekend for much the same reasons. It’s happening all across North America. Not saying it’s right, but this is not an uncommon occurrence at the moment and it all boils down to staff shortages.

To me, Westjet to Southwest is Apples to Oranges.

My family has taken lots of Air Canada flights the last few months with no issues at all. I'll fly AC or not at all (can't believe I'm saying that).

Calgary14 · 10-13-2021, 06:07 AM

Sounds like the US land border is set to open to fully vaccinated Canadians starting November

Johnny199r · 10-14-2021, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lubicon

SouthWest cancelled almost 2000 flights this weekend for much the same reasons. It’s happening all across North America. Not saying it’s right, but this is not an uncommon occurrence at the moment and it all boils down to staff shortages.

Southwest is (quietly) doling out 'we're sorry' vouchers to travelers caught in cancellation chaos. Here's how to get one

http://https://www.usatoday.com/stor...gy/8437403002/

Talk about doing the exact opposite of Canadian airlines. Customer service lesson that Canadian flyers could only dream of.

MoneyGuy · 10-24-2021, 05:13 PM

Looking by at spending a few weeks in either Kelowna or Victoria over the winter. Fly in, no car except maybe a few day-long rentals. No hotels; VRBO or equivalent. Which would you choose and why?

shogged · 10-24-2021, 05:30 PM

I’d choose Victoria because Kelowna should not even be in the same conversation when you’re talking about a place to go enjoy yourself over the winter lol

Wormius · 10-24-2021, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Looking by at spending a few weeks in either Kelowna or Victoria over the winter. Fly in, no car except maybe a few day-long rentals. No hotels; VRBO or equivalent. Which would you choose and why?

What do you like to do during winter?

MoneyGuy · 10-24-2021, 08:59 PM

Walking, sightseeing, reading, relaxing, culture, meeting people, musical theatre.

Swift · 10-26-2021, 10:02 AM

Granted I haven't been to Kelowna in years and I just visited Victoria for the first time recently, but surely Victoria blows Kelowna out of the water in all of the above metrics, right guys? (I can't speak for musical theatre, but Victoria seemed like a very arty city. Lots of flyers up for concerts/shows. 7 or 8 bookshops downtown within walking distance of each other)

I absolutely loved Victoria. We stayed in a hotel by the waterfront downtown for a weekend with no car. I think the only time we would've liked a car is to go to the Butchart Gardens but that can be for another time. We'll definitely be going back again, maybe next summer. Based on your criteria, I think you'd love it.