On November 15, the Globe and Mail had reported that “WestJet’s first transatlantic offerings will begin in June with seasonal, non-stop flights between St. John’s and Dublin, and direct flights from Toronto to Dublin that will stop in St. John’s for refuelling.”

Is this a sign of WestJet’s attempt to grow international? It could be. However, with WestJet’s fleet of Boeing 737-700 planes, each holds only 136 passengers, WestJet might encounter difficulties to grow beyond the domestic flight market. Nonetheless, this new tactics of WestJet can be seen as a good start for testing the European market. At the same time, WestJet can acquire more connections in Europe and building brand recognition. Overall, this tactics is beneficial to WestJet from a marketing perspective.

On the other hand, “Air Canada recently announced a major expansion of its European offerings.” A tactics of Air Canada to counteract the threat brings by WestJet’s new route to Europe.

To compare, WestJet is considerably more economical, but all its planes are single-aisle Boeing 737-700, so this might be a major disadvantage for it. That being said, Air Canada still has its significant position maintained – but the threat is building up!

Reference:

Keenan, Greg. “WestJet to Test Its Luck in IrelandAdd to …” The Globe and Mail. N.p., 15 Nov. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/westjet-goes-trans-atlantic-with-new-dublin-flight/article15455464/>.