Bob Cummings, Executive Vice-President, Strategy and Guest Services for WestJet

CALGARY — Low-cost carrier veteran Steven Greenway has been appointed President of Swoop while long-time WestJet executive Bob Cummings, who took over as Executive Vice-President of Swoop in May 2017, is taking on a new role as Executive Vice-President, Strategy and Guest Services for WestJet, reporting to WestJet Group President and CEO, Gregg Saretsky.

Greenway’s appointment takes effect March 5. Reporting to Saretsky, Greenway will have end-to-end accountability for all strategic aspects of Swoop, including short and long-term planning, branding, pricing, product development, and operationalization of the ultra-low cost carrier in 2018 and beyond.

Greenway brings expertise in ULCC operations including sales, distribution, planning, revenue management, as well as loyalty and commercial strategy, says Saretsky, “all expertise that we welcome to the table.”

Saretsky adds: “Swoop’s brand and booking launch, successfully led by Bob Cummings, has provided an excellent foundation and we look forward to having Steven’s vast experience and drive to take Swoop from here.”

Greenway joins Swoop with more than 20 years of airline, loyalty and advisory experience with an emphasis on low-cost carriers. His most recent stints include CEO of reward-U, HK Express’ LCC loyalty program. He has also worked in a variety of executive roles at airlines including Japanese LCC Peach Aviation, Virgin Blue, Virgin Atlantic and Qantas. More recently he was a founding member and Chief Commercial Officer for Scoot, Singapore Airlines’ mid-to-long-haul LCC.

“It’s thrilling to be part of the Swoop story and to have the chance to drive Swoop to change the Canadian travel market in the same way that WestJet did two decades ago,” says Greenway. “Being part of an airline start-up is a magical experience as our team looks to make their mark on an airline that will last well into the future of Canadian aviation.”

As Executive Vice-President, Strategy and Guest Services for WestJet, Cummings will assume responsibility for business development, strategy execution, including oversight of key in-year strategic initiatives, and guest services, including WestJet’s contact centre and guest relations and consumer research.

Cummings joined WestJet in 2005, and has almost 12 years at the EVP level in a variety of commercial roles. “I would like to thank Bob for the excellent foundation he and the Swoop team have built over the past number of months,” said Saretsky, adding “I look forward to Bob continuing to leverage his vast experience and deep understanding of WestJet as we continue to grow the company and improve service to our guests.”