OTTAWA — WestJet Group CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech is speaking out about what WestJet sees as growing consensus and concern amongst industry stakeholders surrounding the proposed Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) reforms.
In Ottawa this week to share news of WestJet’s service improvements and coast-to-coast growth with government officials and parliamentarians, von Hoensbroech took the opportunity to also emphasize the need for shared accountability and reconsideration of APPR reforms.
He also spoke to the need to resolve the Canadian Transport Agency’s (CTA) complaint backlog, which recently hit a high of 57,000. He noted that thousands of cases await a final decision by the federal regulator, with many WestJet guests waiting over 18 months for a response. Meanwhile WestJet is required to respond to all APPR claims within 30 days.
“We’ve heard from our guests that there are too many loopholes under the current Air Passenger Protection Regulations and we agree,” said von Hoensbroech. “Currently, airlines are the only service provider within the air travel ecosystem that are held accountable to their failures. This results in confusion and frustration for our guests when their travel doesn’t go as planned as a result of missteps by any other service provider within the aviation industry.”
Von Hoensbroech’s recommendations to improve travel across Canada include the following policy priorities for parliamentarians to consider …
- Strengthen and amend Bill C52 to ensure any entity whose operations result in delays and cancels have clear performance metrics, communication and equal compensation requirements to that of airlines.
2. Review and address the growing consensus that APPR reforms, if realized, would a) contradict Canada’s aviation safety culture; b) negatively impact regional connectivity and airfares in Canada, and c) diminish progress made across Canada’s recovering and now stable aviation industry
3. Clear the complaint backlog at the CTA by imposing an equal service standard to that of airlines, which requires airlines to provide a response within 30 days, to ensure passengers do not wait 18 months for resolution.
“We accept and remain accountable to compensating our guests when we are at fault for impacting their travel journey, however, to ensure meaningful improvements for our guests, APPR must provide a shared accountability framework and a service standard that results in the timely resolution of all complaints,” said von Hoensbroech.
SUMMER PERFORMANCE
Von Hoensbroech also spoke to WestJet’s successful summer performance. Alongside record-setting demand that surpassed pre-pandemic levels, the WestJet Group maintained stable operations, delivering upon its commitment to meaningful improvements, he said.
“Following the pandemic, as travel demand returned in full force, the aviation industry faced immense challenges and WestJet was not immune. We responded to these hurdles with a commitment to do better, investing in our guests, our people and technology across all touchpoints of the travel journey, to safeguard travel plans and enhance our operational resiliency. This summer we’ve demonstrated that we have collectively improved and are taking major strides to rebuild trust among our guests through our operational performance.”
WestJet improved its on-time performance by 7% and baggage handling performance by 54.2%. The airline also hired 2,000+ employees across Canada in 2023, to further support its operation.
Heading into the fall, the WestJet Group continues to execute upon its new strategy to affordably increase Canada’s connectivity from coast-to-coast “and cement its position as the country’s leading leisure airline,” according to the airline. Swoop’s integration into WestJet will wrap up Oct. 28. The integration of Sunwing Airlines is ongoing as well.
