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A Westjet Boeing 737-700 taxis to a gate after arriving at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., on Monday February 3, 2014.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press

With five threats in less than a week, WestJet Airlines Ltd. is grappling with a public relations challenge to keep customers flying with the Calgary-based carrier.

WestJet has received four bomb threats and one unspecified threat since June 27, leading to several diverted flights and unplanned landings. The latest threat was for a WestJet flight from Las Vegas to Victoria, which landed safely Thursday.

The danger is that people could avoid flying with the airline.

"The problem here is that, obviously, when it comes to air travel, people have choices. If it seems that WestJet is being targeted for whatever reason, people will … choose other airline carriers," said Wesley Wark, a visiting professor at the University of Ottawa and former member of the prime minister's Advisory Council on National Security.

So far, though, there is little sign that customers have been scared off; nor has WestJet's stock price shown any less confidence on the part of shareholders.

"As far as financial impact, there is a bit of money to set an airplane down a bit early, but we're not talking about any material impact at this point on any quarterly earnings," said Robert Kokonis, head of consulting firm AirTrav Inc.

"There'd have to be a lot more substantive issues with increasing their flights and impacting consumer confidence, but at this point it's simply a non-issue," Kokonis said.

What's more, experts say that, as long as the company handles the situation appropriately, it could turn a bad situation into a public relations win.

"Sure, it's an elevated time of risk for WestJet, but it's also an elevated time of opportunity," said Daniel Tisch, chief executive officer of Toronto-based Argyle Communications, a public relations and crisis management firm.

"For the last decade and a half, there's been a sea change in passenger awareness of airline safety, so WestJet has the benefit of an educated public who will understand that what happened to WestJet could happen to anybody," Mr. Tisch said. "What's important is to take this new spotlight and make sure what you do well shines through."

So far, the company has been diligent about frequently updating its Twitter feed, replying to customer concerns and explaining how it's working with authorities to ensure safety. It has stressed that it believes the threats so far are hoaxes, and has taken measures, such as diversions, "out of an abundance of caution."

It's important to take every threat, whether it's the fifth or the 10th, as seriously as the first, and communicate with the public that you understand their concern and inconvenience, said David Gordon, a managing partner at Cohn & Wolfe, a public relations firm.

"If they are effective in communicating on those two levels, the public will rally behind them and say this is a company I want to do business with and trust my safety with," Mr. Gordon said.

Customers are showing support for the airline. On WestJet's Twitter feed, comments range from encouragement – "Your teams are doing an amazing job! Keep up the great work" to sympathy – "I'm sorry that you're all having to go through this right now."

"They've done well in owning the information," said Jane Shapiro, a crisis management expert at Hill+Knowlton. "They very quickly established themselves as the source, for the big things as well as the little things." She points to an instance where the company quickly replied to passengers wondering what will happen to their luggage. As the situation developed and criminal investigations were declared for the various threats, the company has stuck to sharing only what it knows and what it is doing – a good way to avoid encouraging speculation that could damage the company's reputation.

The current support, Ms. Shapiro adds, comes largely from the reputation that WestJet already has with customers. "In unexpected situations like this, generally, companies with strong brands have a bank of goodwill they can draw on," she said. "Someone even said they are going to make it a point of flying with them next time."

Still, not everyone is happy with WestJet.

Angie Rashbrook, whose flight from Victoria to Las Vegas was cancelled, said she wasn't happy with the way the company dealt with her. She said she tried to make other arrangements, but was only offered another flight the next day through Edmonton. After some negotiating, she managed to get a refund, even though the usual policy is to give credit for future travel.

WestJet "mishandled [my] situation," Ms. Rashbrook said. "Not with respect to security precautions, but from the perspective of the customer experience after the fact. I think they could have done more."

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to say that WestJet has received four bomb threats and one unspecified threat. An earlier version said the company had received five bomb threats.

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