Presenters: Vivian, Victoria & Julie

Size and range of the company - In 2001, Westjet’s expansion continued with routes to Fort Mc Murray and Comox. It also added Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, Ontario, as well as Thompson and Brandon, Manitoba, but service to each other of these four cities was subsequently withdrawn. In 2002, the airline also added another two new Eastern Canadian destinations: the Ontario cities of London and Toronto. In April 2003, Westjet added Windsor, Montreal, Halifax, St. John’s and Gander.

Major markets serviced by company - Westjet provides the most Canadian flights to Las Vegas and Orlando, offering non-stop routes (some of them seasonal) from eleven Canadian cities to Orlando and twelve to Las Vegas. Since 2008, Westjet is the largest international carrier, by volume of passengers, flying into Las Vegas. Westjet also serves 19 destinations in the Caribbean and six in Mexico, some on a seasonal basis.

Description of the major product(s) - In 2005, Westjet introduced in-flight entertainment from LiveTV on board its and -800 fleet. The system utilizes the Bell TV satellite network, and channels include Global TV, CTV, CBS, Citytv, Treehouse TV, ABC, NBC, CBC, TSN and a Westjet channel, which shows a regional map with the aircraft’s location, GPS derived altitude, and groundspeed. Westjet added LiveTV onto their aircraft beginning in the 2007/2008 Winter Season.

Recent history of the company – During the 2000s, WestJet made significant gains in domestic market share against Air Canada. In 2000 it held only 7% to Air Canada's 77%, though by the end of 2009 WestJet had risen to 38%, against Air Canada's 55%. In 2007, WestJet announced that they would begin flights from Deer Lake Regional Airport in Newfoundland, Saint John in New Brunswick, and Kitchener-Waterloo in Ontario. Also added seven new international seasonal flights to Saint Lucia, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico as well as a third Hawaiian destination; Kona. Plus, commissioned the construction of a new six-storey head office building, next to their existing hangar facility at the Calgary International Airport. In 2008, WestJet launched daily non-stop service to Quebec City. The next month, WestJet commenced seasonal service between Calgary and New York City via Newark Liberty International Airport. In 2009, WestJet announced 11 new international destinations for its winter schedule. These included expanded services to the… o United States: Atlantic City, New Jersey; Lihue (Kauai), Hawaii and Miami, Florida. o Caribbean: Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands, St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles; Freeport, Bahamas; as well as the cities of Varadero, Holguín, and Cayo Coco in Cuba. WestJet announced service to the British island territory of Bermuda, which commenced in May o Also Ixtapa and Cozumel in Mexico

During this year Westjet launched new seasonal service to the cities of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and Sydney, Nova Scotia; service to Yellowknife was later extended through the winter of In 2010, WestJet declared service to Santa Clara, Cuba, New Orleans and Grand Cayman bringing the total number of destinations to 71. In 2011, WestJet had plans to enter service to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California from Vancouver and Calgary starting May of the year. In November, WestJet successfully won an auction for time slots at New York's LaGuardia Airport ushering in a return to service to New York. In February 2012, WestJet proclaimed that its employees approved forming a regional airline to serve smaller communities in Canada. The airline is set to start operations in 2013, using a fleet of up to 45 Bombardier Q400s. WestJet listed several communities in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec which could see service.

Future Plans of the company –  Future plans for this company is to have an additional 39 aircraft through 2018 and to strive to be one of the five most successful international airlines in the world.

How does the company meet the needs of their customers?  The company meets the needs of customers by ensuring great service to their customers and by trying to make the best possible prices for air travel that they possibly can.  They make an effort to provide their caring experience to their guest; they listen to their feedback to make sure that the customers experience with West Jet is always getting better.

Three to five employee positions found within the company –  Flight Crew / Pilot  Cabin Crew / Flight Attendant  Aircraft Maintenance

Interesting facts about the company – WestJet is one of the most profitable airlines in North America. It was inducted into the corporate culture hall of fame after being named one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures in 2005, 2006, 2007 and It was named as J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champion. WestJet employs more than 8,000 WestJetters. It flies a modern fleet of fuel-efficient Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft. The longest flight on WestJet is approximately seven hours and two minutes from Montego Bay to Edmonton. WestJet has three sizes of planes; (119 seats), (136 seats) and (166 seats). WestJet flies an average of 420 flights everyday. Approximately 85 per cent of eligible WestJetters own shares in the company through the employee share purchase plan (ESPP).

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