Airline Celebrates Significant Milestone In Its 16-Year History

Canadian carrier WestJet completed the one millionth flight of its Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft Tuesday. The milestone flight was WS 612 from Calgary to Toronto, departing Calgary International Airport at 1210 MDT and arriving at Toronto Pearson at 1752 EDT.

WestJet launched in 1996 with a fleet of three Boeing 737-200s, serving five destinations in Western Canada. It began replacing those aircraft with the more fuel-efficient Boeing Next-Generation 737-600, -700 and -800 series in May 2001, becoming a completely Next-Generation fleet in January 2006. Since 2001, WestJet has flown approximately 110 million guests on one million flights with its Boeing Next-Generation aircraft, travelling a total distance of 1.5 billion miles ... or the equivalent distance of 15 trips to Mars and back.

"The one millionth flight for our Next-Generation aircraft is yet another landmark event for WestJet," said Bob Cummings, Executive Vice-President, Sales, Marketing and Guest Experience. "We have been successful because we care, and it is the caring culture of WestJetters that continues to enable us to grow. We thank Canadians for choosing to travel with us time and time again, and we look forward to welcoming even more guests in the future."

Launched with just 220 WestJetters in 1996, the airline now employs more than 8,600 people in 32 cities across Canada. Inducted into Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures Hall of Fame, WestJet consistently ranks as one of the country's top employers and is proud to be Canada's preferred airline.

WestJet has recorded 28 consecutive quarters of profitability and is currently one of the most profitable airlines in North America. Thanks to the efforts of WestJetters, the airline has made a profit in all but two quarters over its 16-year history, sharing more than $220 million in profits among its employees in that time. (Photo: Richard Bartrem, WestJet Vice-President Communications and Community Relations, with WestJet guest Dianne Schlaht of Peterborough, Ontario. Dianne was on board the airline's one millionth flight on its Boeing Next Generation 737 aircraft.)

FMI: www.westjet.com