CALGARY- WestJet says its move to add two higher-priced ticket choices was prompted by customer demand.
On Saturday, the Calgary-based airline rolled out three-tiered airfare options, breaking its longtime ‘one price for all’ model. The change means anyone booking a flight can now choose from Econo, Flex and Plus fares. While the original no-frills fare hasn’t changed, the Flex and Plus options are aimed at frequent flyers and business travellers.
“It’s not that the fares are different, the fares are the same,” explains WestJet spokesperson Robert Palmer. “Essentially what we’re doing is we’re packaging them and selling them with a bundle of services that people are asking for, because they want additional flexibility. Their needs have changed.”
Those services include free cancellations or flight changes, and the option of pre-selecting your seat.
Industry analysts say the move is a big shift from the WestJet’s original model, and it remains to be seen if it will work.
“Not everyone is willing to pay for all of these different services and it often depends upon the price that you have to pay,” says marketing expert Debi Andrus. “So we’re looking at price and whether that particular service is going to be worth it.”
She adds there is a risk that flyers won’t be able to find the low priced seats for the days they’d like to travel, though WestJet maintains there won’t be fewer lower priced seats.
The airline flew 17 million passengers in 2012.
With files from Tony Tighe
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