Swoop was a Canadian ultra low-cost airline owned by WestJet. The airline was headquartered in Calgary, Alberta and was named after WestJet's desire to "swoop" (or jump) into the Canadian market with a new business model. It was officially announced on September 27, 2017,[4] and began flights on June 20, 2018.[5] The Airline had bases In Hamilton (ON), Toronto-Pearson, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Abbotsford. However, Swoop’s bases in Winnipeg and Edmonton closed on October 20, 2023; the Toronto base closed a few days later on October 25. Swoop was integrated into WestJet’s mainline operation on October 28, 2023.[6]
History
In April 2017, WestJet announced that it was planning to launch a new airline to enter the growing ultra low-cost carrier (ULCC) market and compete against NewLeaf (now Flair Airlines). The airline was planned to launch in late 2017,[7] but in August 2017 it was delayed to June 2018 after switching to a lower-cost booking system. The delay also allowed WestJet to reconfigure aircraft for Swoop over the spring 2018 season.[8]
Swoop was officially announced on September 27, 2017, and was expected to have base fares 40% lower than WestJet's fares. It was announced that Swoop would launch with six Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Tickets first became available for sale on February 1, 2018.[4] Following its announcement, WestJet announced that Swoop's flights would not be based in Calgary, but in another nearby market such as Edmonton, Abbotsford, Hamilton or Winnipeg.[9] On February 1, 2018,[5] Swoop officially began selling tickets to the public, announcing John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport as its main base and Edmonton International Airport as its western base.[10]
On August 2, 2018, Swoop announced that it was to become the first Canadian ultra low-cost airline to fly to the United States, launching service to Las Vegas, Phoenix (Mesa), Tampa, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale throughout the month of October 2018.[13] However, prior to launching service in October, Swoop announced service to four more Mexican and Caribbean destinations launching in December 2018 and January 2019; Puerto Vallarta, Montego Bay, Cancun and Mazatlan.[14] On October 20, 2018, Swoop delayed launch of its flights to the United States until October 27, 2018, due to its lack of U.S. federal approvals.[15] Starting April and May 2019, Swoop began launching service to London and Kelowna.[16] On June 24, 2019, Swoop announced Los Cabos as a new destination, which commenced in November 2019.[17] On December 19, 2019, Swoop announced three new summer seasonal destinations including Victoria, Kamloops, and one U.S. destination, San Diego.[18] On January 9, 2020, Swoop expanded its East Coast network with three new destinations to St. John's, Charlottetown, and Moncton.[19] In October 2020, Swoop switched its eastern base to Toronto Pearson International Airport.[20]
In February 2022, Swoop announced that it would add 6 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to its fleet,[21] subsequently announcing that it planned to begin operating the aircraft during June 2022.[22]
On June 9, 2023 it was announced that Swoop would be integrated and shut down at the end of its current published schedule on October 28, 2023.[23]
Prior to October 28, 2023, Swoop's route network consisted of destinations across North America and the Caribbean. The airline focused on point-to-point flying and did not offer connections. The airline additionally had an agreement with Sunwing Travel Group that allowed passengers out of Hamilton, Abbotsford, Winnipeg and Edmonton to book Sunwing vacation packages with Swoop flights.[24]
Swoop's fleet of aircraft was painted with the Swoop logo large across the fuselage, and a pink tail with a white line leading up to a silhouette of an aircraft. The winglets were painted in a similar pattern to the tail, pink with a white stripe through it. This pattern was the same on the inside and outside of the winglets. Each aircraft was given a name painted in pink below the windows of the cockpit on both sides of the aircraft.[26]
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