oneworld and WestJet introduce global travel programme for businesses in Canada

2008 年 11 月 5 日

oneworld®, the leading quality global airline alliance, is linking up with WestJet, Canada's leading high-value low-fare airline, to help businesses throughout Canada make their budgets for worldwide travel stretch as far as possible.

Their new canadaconnect corporate travel programme combines WestJet's comprehensive Canadian network with oneworld's transborder and international reach to offer companies across Canada special rates on their business air travel right around the globe with some of the best airlines in the world.

It provides flights to almost 600 destinations in nearly 130 countries worldwide with more than 900 international departures a week from Canada.  canadaconnect offers departures from more than 25 cities across the country.

Alongside WestJet, seven oneworld member airlines are participating in the programme - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, LAN, Qantas and Royal Jordanian.  Other oneworld members may join in the future.  To make using canadaconnect as simple as possible, the participating airlines will nominate a single point of contact to co-ordinate each customer's needs. 

oneworld Vice-President Commercial Nicolas Ferri said: "As Canada's leading domestic carrier, WestJet makes a natural partner for oneworld.  In difficult financial times like today, it's more important than ever for every business to make the very most of every dollar they spend.  canadaconnect will help companies across Canada achieve just this on all their air travel."

WestJet Vice-President Sales and Airline Partnerships Duncan Bureau added: "Through canadaconnect and WestJet's new sales link with oneworld, Canadian business travelers now have real choice for their travel right around the world, with outstanding value on flights with some of the world's best airlines."

Both oneworld and WestJet stressed that there are no plans at present for the Canadian airline to join the alliance.  A number of airlines that are not oneworld members already participate in several of the alliance's other fare products.

Cities in Canada with flights covered by the canadaconnect programme include:  Abbotsford, Charlottetown, Calgary, Comox, Deer Lake/Corner Brook, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Grand Prairie, Halifax, Hamilton, Kamloops, Kelowna, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Prince George, Quebec City, Regina, Saint John, St John's, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria and Winnipeg.         

For more details, see oneworld.com/canadaconnect

About oneworld

oneworld brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian, and around 20 affiliates including American Eagle, Dragonair, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru.  Mexicana and its affiliate Click Mexicana will join the alliance in 2009.  Between them, these airlines:

  • Serve almost 700 airports in nearly 150 countries, with more than 9,000 daily departures.
  • Offer nearly 550 airport lounges for premium customers.
  • Carry some 320 million passengers a year.
  • Employ 250,000 people.
  • Operate almost 2,500 aircraft.
  • Generate more than US$100 billion annual revenues.

It is the only alliance with any airlines based in Australia, South America or Asia's Middle East.

The alliance enables its members to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own.  These include a broader route network, opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and points across the combined oneworld network and more airport lounges.  

oneworld was voted the World's Leading Airline Alliance for the fifth year running in the latest (2007) World Travel Awards.

About WestJet

WestJet is Canada's leading high-value low-cost airline offering scheduled service throughout its 51-city North American and Caribbean network. Named Canada's most admired corporate culture in 2005, 2006 and 2007, WestJet pioneered low-cost flying in Canada. WestJet offers increased leg room and leather seats on its modern fleet of 76 Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft, and live seatback television provided by Bell TV. With future confirmed deliveries for an additional 45 aircraft, bringing its fleet to 121 by 2013, WestJet strives to be the number one choice for travellers.