WestJet

Airline Code: WS

About WestJet:
Founded on February 29, 1996 by Clive Beddoe, Mark Hill, Tim Morgan and Donald Bell, WestJet aimed to follow the same path as Southwest Airlines and Morris Air, as a low-cost carrier. Originally meant to be a Western Canada operation, WestJet soon became one of the fastest growing airlines in the world.

On February 29, 1996, the first WestJet flight (a Boeing 737) departed. At that time, the airline served Calgary (the airline's home city and headquarters), Edmonton, Kelowna, Vancouver, and Winnipeg with a fleet of three Boeing 737-200 aircraft and two-hundred twenty employees. By the end of that same year, they had included Regina, Saskatoon, and Victoria. In 1997, service to Abbotsford was added. In addition, 1997 marked the one millionth passenger carried.

In July of 1999, WestJet made its initial public offering of stock at 1.5 million shares, opening at $10 per share. Also in 1999, the cities of Thunder Bay, Grande Prairie, and Prince George were added to WestJet's route map. In 2000, the airline expanded to Canada's eastern region, reaching Hamilton, Moncton, and Ottawa, and choosing Hamilton as the centre of the airline's eastern Canadian operations. In 2001, expansion continued to include Fort McMurray and Comox. WestJet also added Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thompson and Brandon, although service to these four cities was subsequently withdrawn. In 2002, the airline added two new eastern Canadian destinations: the cities of London and Toronto. In April 2003, WestJet added Windsor, Montreal, Halifax, St. John's, and Gander.

WestJet Major Hubs:
Calgary International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport
Vancouver International Airport
Edmonton International Airport
Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport

Member lounge: Executive Lounges operated by Servisair

Aircraft Type:
Boeing 737-600, 737-700, 737-800

Fleet Size: 77 (+44 orders)

No. of Destinations: 55

Airline was founded in: 1996