WestJet budget carrier Swoop carrying mostly new flyers: company president

WestJet Airlines’s new no-frills carrier Swoop said on Wednesday that most of its passengers are either new or infrequent flyers, helping the Canadian company’s two airlines avoid competing for the same passenger. Swoop President Steven Greenway said that more than 50% of its travellers had either never travelled by plane, or would not normally fly with WestJet or its domestic rival Air Canada. “Given our model we are not cannibalizing, we are creating a new market,” Greenway said. Swoop, launched in June 2018 as an ultra low cost carrier will grow from six to 10 aircraft in 2019 as it adds frequency. But the airline will add fewer routes compared with the 19 it launched last year, he said. WestJet said earlier this month it would take a prudent approach to adding capacity in 2019. WestJet is counting on Swoop to help drive higher revenues this year after a turbulent 2018. Greenway said about 20 percent to 30 percent of Swoop’s travellers to warm destinations such as Las Vegas or Mexico are “repatriated Canadians” who used to cross over the border to fly from US airports on low cost rivals like Allegiant Airlines and Spirit Airlines.<br/>