WestJet introduces WestJet Link

[sanjet]

WestJet today introduced WestJet Link, a new regional air service operating under a capacity purchase agreement (CPA) with Pacific Coastal Airlines.

All WestJet Link flights will be operated by Pacific Coastal using its fleet of 34-seat Saab 340B aircraft

http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/we ... =eml_mycnw

[ahramin]

No wonder PASCO has been desperate for new hires.

[brooks]

Darn, beat me to it.
Sounds like a great idea. Hopefully Pasco doesn't skimp on the maintenance and training.

[final28]

Very interesting!
So is PASCO setting up a Calgary base?

[Checklist]

So how many lists are there now? I’ve lost track.

[yycinformer]

Very interesting!
So is PASCO setting up a Calgary base?

They'd have to and soon if they're starting in March. Nothing on the PASCO site yet thou

[flyer 1492]

PASCO can't crew what they fly now.

[yhz41]

I think they might have a bit of an easier time getting crews now. I know that's what stopped me from going to pasco was that I couldn't commute from yyc. I know a few others that feel the same.

[infiniteregulus]

1900D (GGN) or Saab 340 (Link). Let the Alberta regional battles begin!

[Mach1]

Are they ALPA yet?

[Inverted2]

Hmmm.
Westjet unionizes: Swoop.
Encore wants to unionize: Westjet Link.

[DropTanks]

What does WJ Link have to do with Encore and unionization exactly? Not like it's stealing flying from Encore. Those markets are way too small for a Q400. I've been wondering for quite a while what the strategy was for taping into those smaller markets. Now we know. WJ is clearly setting up a feeding machine for the WB and NB growth at mainline. This is only a good news story for all at WJ. I only hope to see more of this on the East coast as well.

[goingnowherefast]

Now we know why they're expecting the WJ ALPA negotiations to take so long. It's going to be one of the most complicated CBA's in history.

[altiplano]

I don't think it's a good news story anytime your flying gets farmed out.

That flying belongs to Westjet pilots.
Were they consulted?

Even if they agreed that the turboprop flying could go to Encore, now you've introduced another airline to do 705 flying for you, this isn't a commuter airline ie. 1900s, how long before Pacific Coastal gets Q400s too? or take the regional flying outright?

Westjet, Encore, Swoop, now Pacific Coastal... management making huge reaches over your career without consultation - lots going on there to @#$! your future if you're a mainline Westjet guy...

[HansDietrich]

I don't think it's a good news story anytime your flying gets farmed out.

That flying belongs to Westjet pilots.
Were they consulted?

Even if they agreed that the turboprop flying could go to Encore, now you've introduced another airline to do 705 flying for you, this isn't a commuter airline ie. 1900s, how long before Pacific Coastal gets Q400s too? or take the regional flying outright?

Westjet, Encore, Swoop, now Pacific Coastal... management making huge reaches over your career without consultation - lots going on there to @#$! your future if you're a mainline Westjet guy...

Right on! Agreed100%

How does the Kool Aid tastes now, "OWNERS"?

[goingnowherefast]

Regionals are struggling to find pilots. If mainline companies keep going this direction, they will too. You can only screw your pilot workforce so many times before you create your own shortage...and help the competition recruit. We're already seeing this with WJ "being the new flow" to AC.

[HansDietrich]

Regionals are struggling to find pilots. If mainline companies keep going this direction, they will too. You can only screw your pilot workforce so many times before you create your own shortage...and help the competition recruit. We're already seeing this with WJ "being the new flow" to AC.

Yeah. I haven't heard of anyone from Jazz going to AC recently. Guess what, two of my friends, one from Sunwing, one from Porter are now at AC.

[plhought]

Good news for those YYC Integra guys who got all dialed-up on the Saab only to see it leased (eventually sold) to Pasco.

I'm curious if any 'local' operators (Cariboo, Sunwest, etc) were chatted up as well.

[Ah_yeah]

I wish my professional colleagues at WJA well. Please learn from the mistakes that us red guys made and don't let it happen to you. From a distance it's easy to see that corporate culture of old is no longer a concern in comparison to the cult of corporate cash.

[yhz41]

Regionals are struggling to find pilots. If mainline companies keep going this direction, they will too. You can only screw your pilot workforce so many times before you create your own shortage...and help the competition recruit. We're already seeing this with WJ "being the new flow" to AC.

Yeah. I haven't heard of anyone from Jazz going to AC recently. Guess what, two of my friends, one from Sunwing, one from Porter are now at AC.

A guy I used to fly with is in this current AC groundschool off of the RJ at Jazz so that's not accurate.