Cummings homecoming demonstrates confidence in Canadian ultra-low-cost travel market
CALGARY, AB, April 13, 2022 /CNW/ - The WestJet Group today announced the return of Bob Cummings to the airline's Executive Leadership Team as President of Swoop, WestJet's ultra-low-cost carrier. Cummings will begin his role on Monday, April 18, 2022.
"I am delighted to welcome Bob back to the WestJet Group to lead Swoop through this pivotal time for affordable air travel in Canada," said Alexis von Hoensbroech, Chief Executive Officer, the WestJet Group. "Bob's passion and knowledge of the ULCC market, his strength in leading high-performing teams and his impressive track record with the WestJet Group, will ensure that Swoop continues to lead the way in providing Canadians with access to ultra-low fare travel."
"Swoop was created to make travel affordable and accessible for the most price-conscious travellers, and as we continue to expand and offer more schedule options, people can book with confidence when choosing our Canadian, ultra-low-cost airline," said Bob Cummings, President of Swoop. "I am elated to return to The WestJet Group's leadership team and am looking forward to working alongside Swoopsters to bring more choice, lower fares and certainty to the market."
Most recently, Cummings spent two years at the helm of Central Mountain Air as Chief Executive Officer. In this role, he led through pandemic turbulence and positioned the regional airline for success in recovery, while building the airline's culture. Prior to Central Mountain Air, Bob spent 13 years with the WestJet Group, spanning several notable Executive Vice-President positions, including President of Swoop in 2018, where he was responsible for the start-up and launch of Canada's first successful ultra-low-cost airline.
During his tenure with WestJet, Bob led the growth of WestJet Vacations, WestJet Rewards, and was integral in the launch of WestJet Encore, WestJet's regional airline. As WestJet's Chief Commercial Officer, Bob grew the airline's revenue from just over one billion to more than $4.5 billion. Prior to joining WestJet, Bob spent more than 13 years in leadership positions in the utility and telecom markets.
With his extensive North American commercial aviation experience, Bob will continue to build on Swoop's strong foundation in recovery.
"I would like to thank Charles Duncan for his leadership of Swoop over the past two years," continued von Hoensbroech. "Charles has played a key role in Swoop's expansion and recovery and will now transition into a new role supporting various strategic projects and initiatives as Executive Vice-President, Integration and Strategic Projects."
In 26 years of serving Canadians, WestJet has cut airfares in half and increased the flying population in Canada to more than 50 per cent. WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees and more than 100 destinations in 23 countries, pre-pandemic.
Since the start of the pandemic the WestJet Group of Companies has built a layered framework of safety measures to ensure Canadians can continue to travel safely and responsibly through the airline's Safety Above All hygiene program. During this time, WestJet has maintained its status as one of the top-10 on-time airlines in North America as named by Cirium.
For more information about everything WestJet, please visit www.westjet.com.
- 2020/2019 Number-One Ranked Canadian Airline Loyalty Program in Member Engagement (Bond Brand Loyalty)
- 2019/2018/2017 Best Airline in Canada (TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice awards for Airlines)
- 2019 Winner Among Mid-Sized Airlines in North America (TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice awards for Airlines)
- 2019/2018 Number-One-Ranked Airline Credit Card in Canada (Rewards Canada)
Swoop is on a mission to make travel more affordable and accessible for all Canadians. Established in 2018 as an independent subsidiary of the WestJet Group of Companies, Swoop is Canada's ultra-not-expensive airline. Offering scheduled service to destinations in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean, Swoop's unbundled fares put travellers in control of purchasing only the products and services they desire.
Swoop's modern fleet of ten Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft, will grow to 16 with the addition of six Boeing MAX-8 in 2022. At FlySwoop.com travellers can quickly and easily book flights, manage bookings, check-in, view boarding passes, track flights and access Wi-Fi service in-flight.
***MEDIA AVAILABILITY Bob Cummings will have media availability on Monday, April 18. Please contact [email protected] and [email protected] to request an interview.***
SOURCE WESTJET, an Alberta Partnership
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