Thomas Cook flying with WestJet

It appears that the plan is unfolding as … well, as planned. Thomas Cook Canada and WestJet have signed an exclusive partnership that will see WestJet providing all of the airline seats for Sunquest Vacations. The move takes effect for Sunquest’s winter 2012-2013 program which begins in November 2012 and follows on the heels of the already planned summer flying program with WestJet. Thomas Cook North America’s CEO, Dean Moore commented, “Known for its quality, reliability and outstanding customer service, WestJet has been a key partner for Sunquest and the wider portfolio of Thomas Cook brands for the last couple of years.” Moore continued, “Following our recent review of the Sunquest business and specifically its charter flying program, WestJet provides us with the level of flexibility we needed, as well as the opportunity to expand our product offering by taking advantage of the significant scale of WestJet’s fleet and the breadth of their network.” As a result of the new partnership, Sunquest will have access to airline seat capacity from WestJet’s existing flight network and that will offer its customers more competitive pricing, increased value and WestJet’s customer service. Gregg Saretsky, president and CEO of WestJet, said, “We are very pleased to announce this agreement. Thomas Cook’s decision to replace their flying with our aircraft for the Canadian market and allow WestJet to serve their customers speaks to their confidence in what our WestJetters do so well.” Moore also noted that “In light of our recent decision to discontinue deploying Thomas Cook aircraft in Canada, the extension of the WestJet agreement is a natural choice as it has operated a significant portion of Sunquest’s winter flying program since the 2009-2010 season and the full summer program since 2010.” And he added that, “Known as ‘Canada’s preferred airline,’ we are delighted to be able to offer the level of service that WestJet is known for to all of our Sunquest customers. It acts as the perfect complement to our product and enables us to provide exceptional vacation experiences from start to finish.” The new agreement expands the successful, two-year, Canada-wide, partnership with Thomas Cook, and as a result, WestJet will be the only airline providing capacity for Thomas Cook’s tour operator arm in the Canadian market. Saretsky noted that, “Not only will this improve our fleet utilization, it provides further economic justification for WestJet’s fleet growth in the coming years. We have now made the decision to cover a component of the Thomas Cook seat purchase by extending the leases on three aircraft that were due to be returned in early 2013. Together with three new aircraft deliveries in 2012 and five in 2013, our entire fleet of Boeing Next-Generation 737s creates a unique opportunity for WestJet to serve the capacity needs of the Thomas Cook Canada business in a cost-effective way.” Go to http://www.thomascookgroup.ca or www.thomascookgroup.com for more.