WestJet Airline was founded in 1994 in Canada as a low-cost carrier (Mark and Crossan 60). At the moment, WestJet provides charter and scheduled air services to over 71 destinations within Canada, Mexico, the United States, and the Caribbean. WestJet is ranked as the second largest air carrier in Canada, after Air Canada. WestJet carries more than 40,000 passengers and operates more than 380 flights every day. WestJet relies on the Boeing 737 Next Generation as the sole aircraft of choice.
The airline’s headquarters and main hub are located in Alberta, at the Calgary International Airport. Over the last four years, WestJet has realized huge success because the management has been open to expansion strategies (Mark and Crossman 60). This is a clear indication that the passengers are receptive to the schedule and route network that WestJet has laid out in its expansion program.
However, the airline still continues to provide exceptional customer service, even as it still embraces a low-fare structure. The success behind WestJet as a low-cost carrier is mainly attributed to the quality of service that the airline provides to its passengers. The essay therefore endeavors to examine how customer service has impacted on the operations of WestJet airline.
Over the years, WestJet has gained recognition due to its light-hearted attitude and friendliness of the staff. At WestJet Airline, quality customer service is regarded as more of a legendary activity. As such, the management regards it as an important component of the airline’s promise of no-hassles to its guests.
Not only is the staff helpful and friendly, but adore their jobs as well. Accordingly, they tend to approach their jobs with an infectious positive attitude. At WestJet, the management upholds customer experience, because it is the very foundation of the success of the airline. Even when faced with the challenge of expanding, WestJet is always committed to upholding the customers’ experience.
Therefore, the top management has deemed it necessary to balance its numerous business demands with experience perspective of the airline’s customers (Norma 6). WestJet Airline also has a mile reward system to its passengers. All you need to do is book for flights at the airline’s website: www.westjet.com. This is part of the airline’s corporate social responsibility in order to ensure a safer and friendlier flying environment, and to encourage passengers to take part in the fight against global warming.
Flying with WestJet guarantees a passenger of a comfortable ride. In addition, the airline also values the time of its passengers and as such, the company recognizes on-time performance. The company has also made it a habit to publish the statistics of its various flights on-time performance.
Owing to the airline’s superior customer service that has become almost legendary, within a very short time, WestJet has managed to snatch a sizeable market share from Air Canada (Brent 1).
For this reason, the airline management is very committed to ensuring that its customers always gets the best service because this is the only way that WestJet can maintain a competitive edge in the face of mounting competition.
Passengers traveling with WestJet airline are guaranteed of an outstanding customer service at very affordable prices. The airlines operate over 60 flight destinations, both locally and internationally.
Moreover, passengers who chose to fly with WestJet have an opportunity to sample some of the customer-made travel packages that the airline has to offer. These packages cover more than 30 destinations in the United States and Canada. Other than the vacation packages, teams, schools groups and other forms of groups may also travel at affordable group rates (WestJet para. 5).
Passengers who choose to travel with WestJet also stand out to benefit from additional features that the airline has to offer them as part of its extended customer service. They include baggage and flight tracking, travel insurance, partnerships with car rental companies and hotels, as well as accommodation facilities for those people who have disabilities.
WestJet has hugely invested in its culture and employees and as a result, the airline has managed to provide its customers with exceptional service. The airline’s reputation is founded on four fundamental keys to success and second on this list is guest service. The airline has a slogan, “Care-antee” , which is a promise that the airline makes to its passengers to provide them with professional and friendly service with a smile (Brent 1).
Indeed, this promise reverberates quiet well with the employee satisfaction at WestJet and in return, employees always ensure that they enhance the quality of service delivers to customers. 82 % of the employees at WestJet are also shareholders in the company and for this reason they are more motivated to provide superior service to the passengers with pride.
If I worked with WestJet, I would ensure that I maintain a direct contact with the airline’s customers. I would endeavor to know more about their families, and their occupations. This is likely to win the trust of the customers, thereby ensuring their loyalty with the airline. I would also encourage customers to get actively involved in the establishment of customer service standards.
This way, it shall be easier for the airline to find out exactly what kind of service that the customers would expect to receive from the airline, instead of merely assuming. I would also encourage the employees at WestJet to actively participate in the planning and implementation exercises of the proposed customer service standards.
This will help to further cement the relationship between customers and employees. I would also participate engage in ensuring that customer service at the airline is given priority over the other activities.
Works Cited
Brent, Jang. Canadian money-losing air Canada takes a cue from WestJet. Global & Mail, Nov 11, 2008, pBb1.
Mark, Ken and Crossan, Mary. WestJet airlines: The culture that breeds a passion to succeed. (The Ivey Case Study[C]). Ivey Business Journal, 66.4(2002): 60. CPI.Q (Canadian Periodicals). Web.
Norma, Ramage. Customer services WestJet Airlines Ltd. Quality of service and consumer satisfaction. Marketing Magazine, 112.17(2007): 6. Canadian Reference Centre (EBSCO).