Today I had a chat with WestJet's CEO about UltraBasic
Today, I expressed my disappointment with WestJet's recent changes directly to WestJet's CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech, including the recent introduction of UltraBasic fares and the lack of being able to effectively apply a companion voucher to bookings (due to "Other ATC" charges).
His response was one of defense for WestJet, rather than empathy. Maybe it's the European way. He tried to highlight how UltraBasic unbundling has brought prices down by about 12%, however I responded that as a frequent flyer, I'm paying more now than ever for a service that offers less and I notice this directly in my month-over-month travel spend.
One other talking point I found interesting was expressing my concern on the fare gap between UltraBasic and Econo now (verses the old Basic and Econo), and how the gap has increased substantially; he did not seem to know the gap was so substantial. Maybe that's the perk of never having to book and pay for your own flights when you're the CEO.
His belief is that UltraBasic has improved operational efficiencies, which I don't disagree with when you've got less cabin baggage ... but this also never used to be an issue when WestJet never previously charged for checked baggage either (2014, wow ten years ago).
In any event, he thanked me for flying WestJet. I let him know he was welcome, for now.
Today, I expressed my disappointment with WestJet's recent changes directly to WestJet's CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech, including the recent introduction of UltraBasic fares and the lack of being able to effectively apply a companion voucher to bookings (due to "Other ATC" charges).
His response was one of defense for WestJet, rather than empathy. Maybe it's the European way. He tried to highlight how UltraBasic unbundling has brought prices down by about 12%, however I responded that as a frequent flyer, I'm paying more now than ever for a service that offers less and I notice this directly in my month-over-month travel spend.
One other talking point I found interesting was expressing my concern on the fare gap between UltraBasic and Econo now (verses the old Basic and Econo), and how the gap has increased substantially; he did not seem to know the gap was so substantial. Maybe that's the perk of never having to book and pay for your own flights when you're the CEO.
His belief is that UltraBasic has improved operational efficiencies, which I don't disagree with when you've got less cabin baggage ... but this also never used to be an issue when WestJet never previously charged for checked baggage either (2014, wow ten years ago).
In any event, he thanked me for flying WestJet. I let him know he was welcome, for now.