WestJet to cut another 100 jobs and axe services to Fredericton, Moncton, Sydney, Charlottetown and Quebec City
The staff and customers of Canadian carrier WestJet we dealt another bitter blow on Wednesday when the airline announced it will be indefinitely suspending operations to Moncton, Fredericton, Sydney and Charlottetown. The airline also confirmed it would also be significantly reducing service to Halifax and St. John's.
These drastic measures will see more than 100 flights a week disappear from the schedule, slicing almost 80 percent of WestJet's seat capacity in the Atlantic region starting November 2. If that wasn't a bad enough blow, the airline will also suspend operations at Quebec City, by axing the Toronto service.
"It has become increasingly unviable to serve these markets," said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. "Since the pandemic's beginning, we have worked to keep essential air service to all of our domestic airports, however, demand for travel is being severely limited by restrictive policies and third-party fee increases that have left us out of runway without sector-specific support."
All flights to and from Moncton, Fredericton, Sydney, Charlottetown and Quebec City will be discontinued as of November 2. So far WestJet hasn't given a date for the flights to be put back in the schedules, but, it shouldn't be expected for at least 18 months.
Many had thought Westjet was going to service the current pandemic without significantly reducing its operating schedules. and until the announcement yesterday, it had been the only Canadian airline that maintained 100 per cent of its pre-COVID domestic network.
"We understand this news will be devastating to the communities, our airport partners and the WestJetters who rely on our service," continued Sims. "While we remain committed to the Atlantic region, it's impossible to say when there will be a return to service without support for a coordinated domestic approach. Our intent is to return as soon as it becomes economically viable to do so."
In addition to the Atlantic Canada service changes, WestJet today also announced the airline will be laying off an additional 100 corporate and operational support employees as prospects for any near-term recovery continue to fade and demand remains weak across its operations. These permanent layoffs do not include airport staff from affected Atlantic airports due to WestJet's previous airport transformation announcement.
Route Suspensions:
Route | Planned 2020 (Pre-COVID) | Current Frequency | Frequency Effective |
Halifax – Sydney | 1x daily | 2x weekly | Suspended |
Halifax - Ottawa | 1x daily | 2x weekly | Suspended |
Moncton - Toronto | 3x daily | 4x weekly | Suspended |
Fredericton – Toronto | 13x weekly | 4x weekly | Suspended |
Charlottetown – Toronto | 3x weekly | 2x weekly | Suspended |
St. John's – Toronto | 1x daily | 5x weekly | Suspended |
Quebec City – Toronto | 3x daily | 4x weekly | Suspended |
Planned service in Atlantic Canada as of Nov. 2, 2020:
Route | Frequency Effective Nov. 2, 2020 |
Halifax – Toronto | 2x daily |
Halifax - Calgary | 9x weekly |
Halifax – St. John's | 11x weekly |
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