When passengers on British Air arrive at Canadian airports next year, they will be able to seamlessly transfer to WestJet flights under a new deal that has landed the Calgary-based carrier its biggest overseas partner.
The "interline" agreement clears the way for WestJet and British Airways to co-operate on ticketing and baggage handling in early 2011, making it easier for customers flying to Canada to hop aboard a connecting flight operated by WestJet.
WestJet spokesman Robert Palmer said Wednesday that customers will be able to buy seats through a single British Airways booking to Canada. British Airways serves airports in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.
WestJet will focus on collecting some of the estimated 3,400 British Airways customers who fly to Canada daily on average, capturing connecting traffic that should bolster WestJet's revenue and also hoist British Airways bookings. "Seats are not available for sale until early next year," a British Airways spokeswoman said.
The WestJet-British Airways pairing has taken years to come to fruition, delayed while WestJet weathered woes with upgrades to its computer reservations system. In late 2006, British Airways chief executive officer Willie Walsh paid a courtesy visit to Calgary for talks with WestJet chairman Clive Beddoe.
WestJet already has inbound interline deals in place with Air France-KLM, Taiwan's China Airlines and, effective last month, American Airlines Inc. of Fort Worth, Tex.
Another prospective partner is Dubai-based Emirates Airline, but Mr. Palmer said there are "no negotiations with them at the moment."
Interlining is seen in the airline industry as the first move toward even closer ties down the road, often leading to full-fledged "code-sharing," where airlines are able to sell fares on each other's flights through electronic ticketing. Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. started a code-sharing arrangement with WestJet in October.
WestJet now has agreements with British Airways, American Airlines and Cathay, which are three of the founding members of the Oneworld alliance of global carriers. Canadian Airlines International Ltd. belonged to Oneworld before Air Canada acquired the money-losing carrier in 2000. Air Canada is part of the rival Star Alliance.
An official in WestJet's investor relations department informed Mr. Murray that British Airways is in the midst of developing marketing efforts to support ticket sales in 2011.
PI Financial Corp. analyst Chris Murray said WestJet's link with British Airways is notable because of the carrier's passenger traffic. The London-based airline transports roughly 1,200 more travellers daily on average into Canada than Air France's 2,200 passengers a day. "This is the first step amongst many, and these relationships will evolve over time," he said, adding that connecting traffic is important for WestJet because of the higher-yielding business customers arriving from foreign flights.
An official in WestJet's investor relations department informed Mr. Murray that British Airways is in the midst of developing marketing efforts to support ticket sales in 2011.
WestJet is seeking to lure more business travellers with new partnerships and the introduction earlier this year of its frequent flier program, hoping to poach Air Canada customers from 26-year-old Aeroplan. Other interline deals could emerge with foreign carriers such as Shanghai-based China Eastern.
Although it offers flights to Hawaii and the Caribbean, WestJet doesn't fly overseas to Asia or Europe.