WestJet optimistic about future, doesn't rule out Vancouver to Asia flights: CEO

VANCOUVER -- There is not much standing in the way of WestJet one day offering direct service to Asia from B.C., but it will have to be a carefully planned chapter if it is to become part of WestJet's "great Canadian success story."

Prior to celebrating the airline's 20th anniversary on Monday, WestJet CEO Gregg Saretsky sat down with Postmedia on Thursday to discuss a range of topics relating to air travel and where the airline might go — literally and figuratively — in the next two decades.

"What would prevent us from going to Asia? Not much. We want to prove that we can be successful in points of sale outside of Canada — we're a household name. You can go to any city in Canada, even not served by WestJet, and WestJet is a household name," said Saretsky in Vancouver this week.

"The same is not true if we go ... anywhere in China — even in Beijing."

In September 2015, the airline announced a new foray into the international market, introducing a non-stop route from six Canadian cities to London by way of Gatwick Airport.

It is estimated that two million people travel between Canada and London annually.

"It's the largest international air market for Canada, mostly because that's where our historic ties are," said Saretsky. "The face of that is changing because Canada has changed so much from Asian immigration. And so there are more and more, every year, people who are making trips to Asia to visit family and relatives, and the economic ties are getting bigger. You've now got connections between Western Canada and multiple cities in China, for example."

Saretsky noted that it is very much a matter of "supply and demand," and whether there are Asian markets that are underserved or that are priced so high that a new competitor would be welcome.

Beginning in June, WestJet will be partnered with Hainan Airlines to offer direct flights from Calgary to Beijing.

"They're coming to Calgary because Vancouver is pretty well served. The logic is that they're partnered with us and if they drop off their guests in Calgary, we can carry them to Edmonton, to Saskatoon, to Regina, Winnipeg," said Saretsky.

With that partnership in hand, and the new London route set to take off this spring, it will be a while before WestJet can seriously consider bringing B.C. to Asia, although Saretsky acknowledged "there's conversations going on right now."

Despite a weak Canadian dollar and Alberta's declining economy, Saretsky said the airline remains positive and optimistic about its future.

"Planes are fundable assets — you can move them around," he said. "We're really trying to think how we can take transportation and make it a bigger part of the Canadian and North American economy.

"We know that there is a very strong correlation between access to markets at the right price and economic development."

In 1996, WestJet started with just three planes. Today, the airline boasts 140 planes in its fleet, which transported more than 20.3 million passengers in 2015. Its staff has also grown from 220 employees to more than 11,000.

In 2015, the airline earned $4 billion in revenue.

Source: WestJet optimistic about future, doesn't rule out Vancouver to Asia flights: CEO