Westjet Fixes Aloha Air Problem
Range has always been a significant issue for transpacific flights using Boeing 737.
When defunct Aloha Airlines was flying between Las Vegas and Honolulu, their solution to the problem was adding a stop in Southern California. This added extra time and wasn’t cost-effective, but was better than an emergency water landing in the middle of the Pacific.
Too bad Aloha didn’t have Canadian Westjet’s idea.
When Westjet begins their new service from Calgary to Honolulu using the Boeing 737, they found a way to fly non-stop.
This creative marketeer and shrewd Air Canada competitor will assure passengers more comfort in the process for only a nominal fee.
WestJet will leave 16 to 20 middle seats vacant on their 136-seat Boeing 737-700’s starting in March.
This is even more creative because Westjet is single class service, which through this addition, can boast business class like comfort. That’s a leg-up over Air Canada, which is still flying two-aisle, two-class 767’s from Western Canada to Hawaii.
For an additional fee of $20 each way, the trial project creates an “empty middle-seat zone” (but not a separate class of service) in the first eight to 10 rows of its Hawaii-bound flights.
According to Bob Cummings, WestJet marketing VP, “it’s an opportunity for us to do some trials without jeopardizing our business model. It’s a small-scale approach.”
737 manufacturer Boeing likes the idea.
The company recently commented on Westjet’s creativity and innovation in extending the flying range of the Boeing 737-700. Now if Aloha only had some of Westjet’s creativity, would they still be in business?
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This is not new. Lufthansa operates Munich-Newark, well over 4,000 miles in 737-700’s with just 47 or so seats.
Check your range circles. WestJet has been operating Vancouver-Hawaii for 3 winters now. Vancouver-HNL is 2,705 miles.
Los Angeles – Honolulu is 2,556 miles, just 149 miles less. The earth bulges around the middle. Remember?
Because of ATC congestion in the LA basin, the actual time in the air is often more than Vancouver-Hawaii.
Don’t forget Alaska operates ANC-HNL, 2,777 miles in 737-700’s.
Copa operates Panama City-Buenos Aires in a 737-700, a flight of 3,300 miles.
Aloha failed because they did not heed the advice to get rid of the 950+ gph, $1,500 per hour maintenance pig, 30 year old fleet of B737-200’s for inter island flying and replace them with newer, more fuel efficient aircraft when they had the chance in bankruptcy in 2005.
The moment oil went over $40 a bbl, it was gameover for Aloha.
Everyone in the industry, including Mesa, knew it was just a matter of time.
Thanks for writing Martin.
Westjet’s new route, Calgary to Honolulu is 3,120 miles, over 400 miles further than Vancouver. Therein the problem, which others have written about, sans the Aloha Air connection.
As for Aloha, certainly there were other issues, and especially the old inter-island planes. The owners ran the business into the ground.
That not withstanding, Aloha’s lack of creativity like that displayed here by Westjet, resulted in unprofitability on their trans-Pacific routes, which contributed to their demise.
Aloha, Jeff