‘For that, we apologize’: WestJet president addresses ‘tough’ summer

WestJet “didn’t meet the expectations of travellers” during a difficult summer season which included a strike and hailstorm that damaged part of its fleet, the airline’s president says in a letter to customers.

Diederik Pen said the company is working to improve and he also announced some changes for the airline.

“As we transition out of a tough summer and into the fall, we’re pleased to share that our operations have returned to stability, thanks to the dedicated efforts of over 14,000 WestJetters,” Pen said.

“We do understand, however, that recently we didn’t meet the expectations of travellers during the summer season, and for that, we apologize.”

WestJet’s aircraft maintenance engineers were on strike at the start of the summer, which Pen said caused “significant disruptions” and took weeks to fully recover from.

Then on Aug. 5, a hailstorm in Calgary damaged 10 per cent of the airline’s fleet.

“While we’ve made progress and safely returned more than half of the affected aircraft to service, repairs are ongoing. As a result, you might see some minor midterm adjustments to our schedule,” Pen said.

He also talked about some changes the airline is making, which include “enhancements” to self-serve functions for guests to rebook, accept changes, or cancel.

Pen also said WestJet is improving its inflight experience, noting free internet for WestJet rewards members. He said their narrowbody fleet will be fully equipped with Starlink internet by the end of 2025, followed by the 787 fleet in 2026.

As well, the airline is working to reconfigure all of its aircraft to a “consistent standard.”

“The integration of Swoop and Sunwing Airlines and the acquisition of aircraft formerly operated by Lynx Air is causing an inconsistency of the cabin layouts across our fleet,” Pen said

Updates will include Wi-Fi access and in-seat power in all planes, Pen said.