Air North is teaming up with WestJet to offer some enhanced flight services beginning tomorrow.
Passengers who are planning to travel to Canada’s rural northern areas will be able to purchase their tickets within one itinerary if they use the new service.
This is possible because of a new interline agreement that directly connects both carriers’ networks. The announcement of the partnership was made Monday.
For passengers, this means a couple of things. They could potentially save on ticket prices, as it avoids the duplication of some charges like airport improvement fees and taxes.
At the same time, passengers only need to check in their baggage once, as it will be transferred directly to the final destination.
“It also ensures passenger protection in the event that one of the flights is delayed,” said Joe Sparling, Air North’s CEO and president.
“Passengers can be rebooked on the next available flight as opposed to potentially having to buy a new ticket.”
He said he believes this agreement is “huge” for northern and regional residents. Not being able to check their bags through to their final destination is a problem or an impediment for some people, and could cause them to miss their next flight.
Sparling gave an example of what people will be expecting on their future flight.
“If you’re connecting from Phoenix to Whitehorse and you go through Calgary, we have to charge for an airport improvement fee, which is $30 to $50,” he said.
“On a through ticket, single itinerary, you will not have to pay that fee, so you are going to save that amount of money on your ticket.”
Air North reached out to WestJet at least a year ago to start discussions on the partnership.
From the business development standpoint, such an agreement means Air North and WestJet will be able to share passengers to increase ticket sales.
“This is really a triple-win situation. Two airlines benefit from it and consumers benefit,” Sparling said.
This wasn’t the first time that Air North has collaborated with other airlines for an interline agreement. The company also has agreements with Alaska, Philippine, and Condor airlines.
Another agreement with Air Canada applies to baggage transfers.
