WestJet's Bryan Wolfenden addresses NYC agents
The chic rooftop patio of the Ganservoort Hotel
New York agents, Terry Ritsos of ProTravel, with Shikha Gomes & Isabel Periera of Altour
Bryan Wolfenden, WestJet’s Acting V.P. Sales & Cargo, addressed a sold-out New York City crowd at the swanky Gansevoort Park Avenue Hotel last week. Old blue eyes had eager U.S. travel agents applauding the code share with Delta as though Frankie himself had delivered the message.
Agents attending the event are already big fans of Delta, so the WestJet duet is seen as an opportunity for added revenue. Terry Ritsos of ProTravel on Madison Avenue had this to say: “Anything I can do to sell more Delta is good news. The service is phenomenal. If I have a problem, Delta takes care of me.”
As Bryan launched into WestJet’s “We focus on making money” theme song, agents cheered. Ritsos said it makes selling Canada so much easier to have a strong partner. Agents also learned that WestJet is no understudy – the airline takes the largest deliveries of Boeing 737 aircraft in the world, has been profitable for 28 consecutive quarters, and WestJet Vacations is the biggest international tour operator into Vegas.
Since everyone in New York has an angle, the benefits of accumulating or redeeming frequent flyer points on each carrier was not lost on the audience. Neither was the value of a gift of a free WS ticket from New York to any WS destination in Canada.
New York! If WS can make it there – can they make it anywhere?
For the airline that never sleeps, the La Guardia hub is seen as a key growth strategy into international markets. And over breakfast the following morning, the WestJet team explained that Canadian agents can now sell seamless connections on Delta to secondary U.S. destinations.
The only weak review comes from the WS service to LGA only being available ex YYZ due to the La Guardia Perimiter Rule not allowing flights from YYC. From YUL, travel agents can sell Delta flights and still earn WS commissions.
When asked specifically about WestJet’s relationship with Canadian travel agents, Bryan responded emphatically “One third of our annual revenue comes from the trade. We have always been committed to travel agents. We always will be.”
Encore! Encore!
