WestJet makes a passive-agressive non-bid bid for access to the island airport
The island airport makes some people very, very angry, but for WestJet CEO Gregg Saretsky, the feeling is probably more like mild despair, perhaps mixed with envy and a soupçon of frustration with Porter and Air Canada—the airlines that currently have exclusive dibs on the tiny but oh-so-convenient transportation hub.
WestJet has been angling for slots at the island airport for quite some time, but, with Porter’s jet proposal about to come to a vote at city hall, even the merest whisper about Saretsky’s situation is enough for the media to pile on, as they did yesterday when he told the Globe: “We would like to have the opportunity to fly jets ourselves from that airport.”
The Toronto Port Authority, the airport’s owner and operator, is finding WestJet’s approach kind of puzzling. While Saretsky apparently has no issue with talking to the media, he hasn’t actually, you know, floated the idea with the people who actually have the power to begin granting his request.
“We are delighted WestJet is interested in offering service from the popular Billy Bishop Airport,” says a statement posted to the TPA’s website earlier today, “but [we] find their approach through the media curious.” The statement adds that no new commercial slots are available at the airport. But we guess it never hurts to ask.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/city/westjet-makes-passive-agressive-bid-access-island-airport/&title=WestJet makes a passive-agressive non-bid bid for access to the island airport&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/island-airport-westjet-624x395.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_252128" align="alignnone" width="656"] The island airport, from above. (Image: sean hill)[/caption]
The island airport makes some people very, very angry, but for WestJet CEO Gregg Saretsky, the feeling is probably more like mild despair, perhaps mixed with envy and a soupçon of frustration with Porter and Air Canada—the airlines that currently have exclusive dibs on the tiny but oh-so-convenient transportation hub.
WestJet has been angling for slots at the island airport for quite some time, but, with Porter's jet proposal about to come to a vote at city hall, even the merest whisper about Saretsky's situation is enough for the media to pile on, as they did yesterday when he told the Globe: "We would like to have the opportunity to fly jets ourselves from that airport."
The Toronto Port Authority, the airport's owner and operator, is finding WestJet's approach kind of puzzling. While Saretsky apparently has no issue with talking to the media, he hasn't actually, you know, floated the idea with the people who actually have the power to begin granting his request.
"We are delighted WestJet is interested in offering service from the popular Billy Bishop Airport," says a statement posted to the TPA's website earlier today, "but [we] find their approach through the media curious." The statement adds that no new commercial slots are available at the airport. But we guess it never hurts to ask.){kind=link}
Steve
90 new commercial slots were made available in 2009 at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport by the Toronto Port Authority. Air Canada, Continental and Porter all applied. Each were granted slots by an independent UK-based slot coordinator under ICAO standards. WestJet didn’t apply. In 2010, when Continental declined its slot grant due to its merger with United, those slots were re-offered. WestJet didn’t apply. Porter made its jet proposal public in April. To date, despite engaging lobbyists at Toronto City Hall regarding the jet topic, WestJet has never once contacted the airport’s operator to express an interest in flying any type of aircraft at Billy Bishop.
Not once.
Didn’t ask for slots when they had the chance. Didn’t call after Continental declined. Didn’t call after Porter’s jet announcement. Didn’t call after the TPA’s presentation to the Board of Trade in October pointing all of this out.
All very curious.
MRM
More bending of the facts and misinformation from Porterites who are desperate to maintain their monopoly at Billy Bishop Airport.
Boeing had not made the 737MAX jet available for sale at the last slot
distribution almost 4 years ago. WestJet had not even announced the
concept of Encore, let alone ordered an aircraft yet at that time. Why
would WestJet request slots they couldn’t use?
I’m guessing
Westjet isn’t planning to make overtures for landing slots in Hong Kong
anytime soon on the chance they acquire aircraft with trans pacific
range 4 or 5 years from now. That wouldn’t make any sense either.
The United States Department of Justice demanded that recently merged American Airlines and US Airways give up slots at Washington DC’s downtown airport to low fare airlines because after the merger, they’d have 65% of all the flights there.
Porter has 85% of the flights out of Billy Bishop Airport, and they have a wholesale monopoly on every non stop destination but one from Downtown Toronto to anywhere in North America.
Meanwhile, Porter makes the claim that Porter, and only Porter, expanding on the Island will result in an economic boom to the GTA.
Sure, Porter. Just like Delta Airlines, and only a monopoly of Delta Airlines, at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, would result in an economic boom in New York City.
If the publicly owned airport is to be opened up, it must be opened up to the benefit of all, and not simply as a private playground for the benefit of Porter’s fatcat shareholders to continue to gouge consumers with unnecessarily high fares, courtesy of a convenient little monopoly.
Once you reopen the tripartite agreement, who knows what the slippery slope will look like. It could include slots for Westjets and US airlines which could sue under NAFTA rules, which the current agreement is not subjected to due to its age. Don’t open Pandora’s box by putting jets on the island.
Maybe this article should read Toronto Life makes passive aggressive defence of porter airlines.