On Friday, June 9, WestJet announced that it will fully integrate Swoop into its mainline operations later on this year. Once this happens, Swoop will no longer exist on its own, and its entire fleet will join WestJet’s.
This development comes on the heels of WestJet’s pilots ratifying a new collective agreement, and also marks the loss of one of Canada’s ultra-low-cost carriers.
WestJet to Fully Integrate Swoop
WestJet has announced that it plans to fully integrate Swoop into its mainline operations later on this year. At that point, Swoop will cease to exist on its own, and all of its fleet and crew will join WestJet.
It’s expected that the integration will be complete by the end of October, and until then, Swoop flights will continue to operate as scheduled. As it stands, Swoop’s published schedule is slated to end on October 28, 2023, and by this point, the integration will have been finished.
There is a total of 16 all-economy aircraft in Swoop’s fleet, and these will all become enveloped within WestJet’s fleet once the integration takes place.
Swoop flies to 32 destinations across Canada, the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and has operated on an ultra-low-cost model since its inaugural flights in 2018.
Rumours of the integration came after a copy of the tentative deal with the pilots was leaked several weeks ago; however, it wasn’t officially confirmed until the collective agreement was ratified.
The agreement places Swoop pilots in a similar position to WestJet’s mainline pilots in terms of compensation and other factors.
WestJet acquired Sunwing earlier this year; however, there aren’t any details about plans to fully integrate Sunwing at this time.
One Less Option
It remains to be seen whether WestJet will continue to offer similar fares as to what Swoop has been offering.
In the statement, WestJet’s CEO said that the airline will continue to give passengers ultra-affordable options, as well as a more premium experience, such as on its flights with business class.
WestJet began as a regionally focused airline that tended to offer passengers lower prices, but has since moved away from this model. In the recent past, it has been shifting its focus away from Eastern Canada and back to its hub airport in Calgary, and now only offers long-haul flights to Asia and Europe from Calgary.
Swoop currently operates a modest number of flights out of Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Hamilton (YHM), including flights to some cities in Eastern Canada.
What’s certain is that passengers will have one fewer choice when it comes to selecting an airline once the integration takes place.
For ultra-low-cost carriers, Canadians will be able to choose from Flair, Lynx, and Canada Jetlines once Swoop no longer exists in its current state.
Conclusion
WestJet has announced that it will fully integrate Swoop into its mainline operations, and it’s expected to be complete by the end of October 2023. At this time, all of Swoop’s aircraft and crew will become part of WestJet, and Swoop will no longer exist as a separate entity.
This news comes after WestJet’s pilots ratified a new collective agreement, which brings compensation for Swoop and WestJet pilots closer in alignment.
Once the integration takes place, passengers will have one less choice when it comes to choosing an airline in Canada.
