WestJet announced on Wednesday major organizational changes in order to streamline the carrier and secure its post-pandemic future. The airline will consolidate call center operations in Alberta and contract out some domestic airport operations.
On Wednesday, Canada’s WestJet announced major organizational changes designed to streamline the carrier for post-pandemic success. The airline will consolidate all their call center activities in Alberta and contract out all domestic airport operations except for Vancouver, Alberta, Edmonton and Toronto. Additionally, WestJet will restructure their office and management staff to reflect a leaner and more nimble organization moving forward. Overall, the carrier’s strategic realignment will affect 3,333 Canadian team members and the company has vowed to seek preferential employment opportunities for their staff as they select new airport service partners. In Wednesday’s announcement, WestJet’s President and CEO, Ed Sims said,
“Throughout the course of the biggest crisis in the history of aviation, WestJet has made many difficult, but essential, decisions to future-proof our business. Today’s announcement regarding these strategic but unavoidable changes will allow us to provide security to our remaining 10,000 WestJetters, and to carry on the work of transforming our business. WestJet will once again serve the needs of Canadian travellers with low fares and award-winning service levels tomorrow and years from now.”
Prior to the Global COVID-19 pandemic, WestJet and subsidiary regional airlines, WestJet Encore and WestJet Link, offered scheduled service to over 110 destinations across North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. Throughout the crisis, WestJet and WestJet Encore have continued to operate service to all 38 year-round Canadian domestic airports, ensuring essential cargo and passenger connectivity, though operations have been reduced around 90 percent year-over-year.
Source: WestJet