Through the strategic review, the airline looked to historical strengths to secure future success, honing in on a focused network and strategy; an unrelenting cost commitment; and a consistent, superior guest experience.
To build upon the reasons why guests choose WestJet and drive future growth, WestJet will renew its focus on:
Growth as a low-cost carrier that is friendly, reliable and modern
Shifting resources to significantly grow its presence and network in the West, fostering its undisputed status as the home-team carrier of Western Canada offering more direct, non-stop flights to communities
Investing further in leisure and sun flying as a priority across Canada, including through the acquisition of Sunwing, following regulatory approval
Investing in technology and radical digitalization to improve guest experience and simplify internal processes to ensure meaningful and engaging jobs for its people
Redoubling efforts to maintain its successful and highly productive low-cost structure and culture, to ensure relentless competitiveness and affordability for guests
To match its commercial strategies, the airline will centre its existing widebody 787 Dreamliner fleet around Western Canada and, for the time being, pause further investment into incremental Dreamliners to focus instead on additional narrowbody growth. In addition to the more than 30 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that the airline will receive over the coming years, including 15 in 2022 alone, WestJet is working towards a substantial additional narrow body order.
The airline will maintain its current premium offerings, with a focus on strengthening its premium leisure segment and corporate premium in the West. The focus of WestJet’s regional fleet of De Haviland Q400 aircraft will be shifted and rightsized to focus on Western Canada, removing complexity from operations, and prioritizing the airline’s commitment to enhance Western Canada’s connectivity.
Currently in DFW hoping my flight doesn't get delayed again, and I'm sitting in terminal D next to a British Airways A380-800 that's being prepped for departure (it's delayed too). Such a cool looking beast. Lots of people who have stopped to look at it and/or take a picture. Unfortunately the jetway is blocking the lower portion and pilots windows.
I don't know how accurate the flight info is on the WestJet app but our pilot today from YYC to YYZ was hauling ass in a 737-800 to make up time for a two hour delay. At one point in the app is said we were doing 998km/h. That is incredible if true.
I don't know how accurate the flight info is on the WestJet app but our pilot today from YYC to YYZ was hauling ass in a 737-800 to make up time for a two hour delay. At one point in the app is said we were doing 998km/h. That is incredible if true.
Was this WestJet 646 that left at 2:48am?
Looking at the Flightaware log for it there were ground speeds in excess of 900km/h for quite a bit of the flight. Some hits at 573 knots which is 1061km/h.
I don't know how accurate the flight info is on the WestJet app but our pilot today from YYC to YYZ was hauling ass in a 737-800 to make up time for a two hour delay. At one point in the app is said we were doing 998km/h. That is incredible if true.
I’ve think I hit speeds close to that before coming back on a flight from Vegas once, and there being an announcement of a medical emergency asking for doctors on board. Could hear the engines increase power shortly after. Arrived nearly an hour early.
Looking at the Flightaware log for it there were ground speeds in excess of 900km/h for quite a bit of the flight. Some hits at 573 knots which is 1061km/h.
For some more info on what I wrote earlier, speed is limited at altitude by Mach buffet, which depends on the design of the specific airplane. As altitude increases, the low speed stall speed increases which eventually creates a ‘coffin corner’. The window between the high speed and low speed limits can become quite narrow (depends on weight and altitude), and the speed that is flown needs some margin on either side. Turbulence causes greater speed fluctuations so can require a larger speed window to operate in.
Normal cruise speed on a 737 is Mach .77 or .78, limit is .82 (in smooth air). If you want to speed up by going from .78 to .80, as long as it’s fairly smooth, it only increases speed a little over 2%. So on a 5 hour flight, it would save less than 10 minutes. But fuel burn would increase significantly more than 2% (I don’t have specific numbers handy).
While there is some ability to bias between speed and fuel economy, it isn’t something dramatic like 20-30% different in speed.
If a flight is significantly under or over block (scheduled flight time) it is likely because of ground congestion (taxi times less or more than typically expected) or winds different than usual. If a flight is planned based on 50 knot headwinds, but today there are 50 knot tailwinds, we suddenly are doing a ground speed (which is what shows up on flight tracking sites) that is 100 knots faster than planned. Thats a 20~% increase and would save significant time.
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I don't know how accurate the flight info is on the WestJet app but our pilot today from YYC to YYZ was hauling ass in a 737-800 to make up time for a two hour delay. At one point in the app is said we were doing 998km/h. That is incredible if true.
Sorry your plane broke and y'all had to walk across the whole airport to gate 33, we tried to fix it. That plane broke the day before too. Tail 820 is garbage.
Sorry your plane broke and y'all had to walk across the whole airport to gate 33, we tried to fix it. That plane broke the day before too. Tail 820 is garbage.
Yeah it sucked but at least it happened overnight while other tails were sitting idle and a swap could easily happen. If that was during the day it could have been a cancellation and all sort of chaos.
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Wouldn't it be more accurate to say not all direct flights are non-stop, but all non-stop flights are direct flights? I.e. transatlantic flights no longer have to refuel in Gander and Shannon, Ireland, but they're still 'direct'...?
Wouldn't it be more accurate to say not all direct flights are non-stop, but all non-stop flights are direct flights? I.e. transatlantic flights no longer have to refuel in Gander and Shannon, Ireland, but they're still 'direct'...?
Non-stop is what the industry has gone with, so I'll stick with that.
