WestJet Comes Out Strongly Against Air Transat-Air Canada Deal | Canada News Media
Connect with us

Business

WestJet Comes Out Strongly Against Air Transat-Air Canada Deal

Published

 on

Archrival to Air Canada, Canadian carrier WestJet has finally spoken out publicly on its rival’s acquisition of leisure carrier Air Transat. WestJet’s CEO issued a public statement on the airline’s blog, expressing disappointment over the government of Canada’s recent approval of the deal. Stating that Canadians will see higher fares and reduced service, let’s look further into WestJet’s dismay and if the airline’s claims have merit.

WestJet says the merger will lead to a less competitive market, primarily with transatlantic and sun destinations. Photo: WestJet

“I am deeply disappointed with the approval by the government of Canada on February 11 of the acquisition of Transat by Air Canada, without meaningful remedies. The real losers in all of this are Canadians who believe in open and healthy competition. According to the Competition Bureau, what they will get by contrast is higher prices and reduced service.”  – Ed Sims, president & CEO, WestJet, via a statement seen by Simple Flying.

Increased fares and reduced competition

In a multi-front campaign, WestJet posted to social media while elaborating further with an official press release and lengthy message (blog post) from the airline’s chief, Ed Sims.

The Twitter post plainly states that the government’s approval of the merger will lead to increased fares and reduced competition, followed by a link to the airline’s official press release.

On the blog post, Sims blasts the government for not heeding the findings of Canada’s Competition Bureau. The Bureau reviewed hundreds of thousands of documents and heard from dozens of stakeholders on the proposed acquisition and noted that “Eliminating the rivalry between these airlines would result in increased prices, less choice, decreases in service and a significant reduction in travel by Canadians on a variety of routes where their existing networks overlap.”

Competition concerns not addressed

Sims goes on to point out that the Commissioner of Competition saw significant deficiencies in what Air Canada was proposing to address competition concerns, finding that the proposed measures:

  • Were inadequate
  • Did not conform to the principles of merger remedy design
  • Were unlikely to result in effective entry for new competitors

“For the relatively low cost of $190 million (essentially the cost of a single wide body aircraft like WestJet’s 787 Dreamliner), years of effort to foster true competition has been undone.” –Ed Sims, President & CEO, WestJet

WestJet had asked the government of Canada for the following concessions with regards to Air Canada’s acquisition of Air Transat:

Advertisement:

  • Air Canada’s prohibition from using its Aeroplan loyalty program on Air Transat routes, or from using exclusivity agreements or similar incentives with travel agencies. Loyalty programs lock customers in by creating significant costs to switching carriers, while similarly increasing competing airlines’ costs for acquiring such passengers.
  • Critical slots and infrastructure must be made available to Canadian airlines at London Heathrow (LHR) and Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) to help offset the international travel market dominance of a merged Air Canada/Air Transat.
  • Prohibition from operating at Terminal 3 of Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ). Terminal 1 boasts 3.7 million square feet with only 14 airlines operating, whereas Terminal 3, built 30 years ago, has 28 airlines operating in 1.9 million square feet.

Looking at the terms of the approval, it doesn’t look like WestJet got much of what it had requested.

A term of the acquisition will see the Air Transat brand retained in Quebec. Photo: Air Transat

Will Air Canada actually dominate?

WestJet also says that once this merger is complete, Air Canada will hold 94% share of Canadian carrier capacity to Europe. Out of Toronto, Air Canada will have nearly 70% market share on routes to London, Paris, and Rome and over half of the market share to select sun destinations.

Advertisement:


Stay informed: Sign up for our daily aviation news digest.

While the numbers presented by WestJet’s CEO point to a combined Air Canada/Air Transat holding significantly more market share, the numbers miss out on some other factors. It should be noted that in the transatlantic market, European and US carriers remain as competitive forces. Whether it’s British Airways, Air France, KLM, or Lufthansa, the non-stop-flight competition on the other side of the Atlantic will still offer travelers a wide variety of options.

Air France serves both Montreal and Toronto. Photo: Getty Images

The same goes for sun destinations as US carriers could also provide enough competition to fight off fare increases. In this case, however, transferring through a US airport is much more of a process (without US border pre-clearance at the origin airport). This is definitely a drawback for US carriers competing against Canadian airlines.

Advertisement:

Therefore, in referencing the Competition Bureau’s findings, WestJet’s CEO has a point in showing reduced competition among Canadian carriers. However, one would hope that the presence of international carriers would maintain at least a little competition in the absence of an independent Air Transat.

What do you think? Do you agree with WestJet and its CEO on this merger? Let us know in the comments.

Source: – Simple Flying

Source link

Continue Reading

Business

Telus prioritizing ‘most important customers,’ avoiding ‘unprofitable’ offers: CFO

Published

 on

 

Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.

The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.

Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.

The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.

Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”

“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.

“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”

Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.

The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.

It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.

Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.

It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.

“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.

Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.

The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.

Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.

The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.

“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.

Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.

“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.

“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”

Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.

On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.

That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.

Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”

“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”

French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.

“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.

“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:T)

Source link

Continue Reading

Business

TC Energy cuts cost estimate for Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico

Published

 on

 

CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.

It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.

The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRP)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Business

BCE reports Q3 loss on asset impairment charge, cuts revenue guidance

Published

 on

 

BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.

The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.

“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”

Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.

BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.

The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.

BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.

It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.

The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”

Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BCE)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version