No, Pumpkins, nobody was saying that when Harper appeared at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on Saturday night. In fact, his rendition of the “I get high with a little help from my friends†was … well … it was… good. He carried a tune. Swayed. Was melodious & harmonious. Likeable, even. And he inhales!
OK, enough gushing. Back to the pig. It’s October and a chorus of “get the bookings in before the flu hits†is resonating across the industry. Expedia’s paying for consumers’ cancellation insurance, Sunquest is No No No’ing and as soon as Sunwing and Signature emerge from their matrimonial bed, they’ll likely put some lipstick on the pig too. You can smell the fear in the pen.
The only one whistling a different tune is WestJet. Instead of hunkering down, they’ve lined their pockets with cash and, taking a page out of my hymn book, are going shopping. It’s really the only way to handle an impending crisis, Pumpkins. For what, exactly, nobody knows. Some say a tour op for little WestJet Vacations to play with. Others still hint at Porter. WestJet themselves claim they just want extra padding while they sit out this porker of a season. Maybe buy a plane or two. What else to do with almost a billion dollars in your bank account? In the words of that immortal lyricist, Winnie The Pooh, “Hum, dee, dum, dumâ€.
P.S. Re: Robbie Goldberg’s new tour op announcement. Just speculating here, but perhaps he’s previewing his wares in the hopes of making it onto WestJet’s shopping list. The man never did like to let an opportunity pass. On the other hand, it’s more likely that Skyservice is nervous about its future and has asked Robbie to run a top gun operation with some of those old Conquest planes.Â
