WestJet Flight Privileges Who gets Travel Privileges? Standby Travel
50% off Confirmed Travel Buddy Passes Employee Interline Travel
Dress Code Aircraft Grooming WestJet Responsibilities
Travel
Onboarding 2023
WestJet Flight Privileges
WestJet flight privileges start within 14 days of employment. You, your companion, and any
dependents can fly anywhere WestJet/WestJet Encore/Swoop flies, standby, on an unlimited basis
for $0 base fare plus applicable taxes.
Each employee receives a defined number of standby buddy passes per year (pro-rated) after 90
days, which can be gifted, and 8 one way 50% off confirmed flights.
After 6 months of employment, you can fly with our partner airlines for a reduced base fare,
standby.
WestJet has a process in place that actively engages our employee associations in the annual salary
planning review and subsequent recommendations. In addition, WestJet openly communicates its
compensation policies and salary structures with employees on an ongoing basis. Transparency is
an essential part of compensation design. All general bands and step bands can be found in the
People Portal within WestNet.
Who gets travel privileges?
As an employee, some of your family and friends can enjoy your travel privileges too!
One travel companion: A spouse or any person designated. Your companion can be changed two
times during a calendar year.
Dependent children: Belonging to the employee or employee’s spouse’s unmarried child. The
dependents must be under the age of twenty-one. OR dependents under the age of twenty-five (or
twenty-six for Quebec residents for Health benefits) is a full-time student attending an educational
institution.
Two Parents: Belonging to the employee or employee’s spouse. Parents can be changed two times
during a calendar year.
Buddy Passes: A one-way pass for a friend or family member to travel at a reduced rate.
Below is an overview on who gets travel privileges and when:
WestJet Flight Privileges Who gets Travel Privileges? Standby Travel
50% off Confirmed Travel Buddy Passes Employee Interline Travel
Dress Code Aircraft Grooming WestJet Responsibilities
Standby travel on WestJet
What exactly is standby travel? Standby travel, allows us to book on a flight and confirm at the gate
if there is space (seats) available for a discounted ($0 base fare plus applicable taxes) rate. WestJet
does have a Travel Privileges Tool that allows employees to see the seat availability on every flight
and decide which flight to book on.
In the example below, we are looking for a flight from YYC to YVR and it lists all the flights on that
particular day. The first column in teal (standby travel) is all the open seats available (unsold) and
under the second column it lists how many people have listed standby for this flight and how many
have checked in already (Listed/Checked in).
So in the second flight listed, it’s showing there is 12 unsold seats and there are 2 people listed and
all 2 are checked in already.
WestJet Flight Privileges Who gets Travel Privileges? Standby Travel
50% off Confirmed Travel Buddy Passes Employee Interline Travel
Dress Code Aircraft Grooming WestJet Responsibilities
For standby, the price is $0 base fare + taxes and the priority list for standby goes by time stamp of
checking in.
50% off confirmed travel
You will receive 8 one way 50% off confirmed flights annually. Instead of flying standby, you can
actually confirm your booking at half off.
In the example below, we are looking for a flight from YYC to YVR and it lists all the flights on that
particular day. The last column in blue (confirmed travel) is the base price at 50% off and under the
second column how many seats are left at that price.
WestJet Flight Privileges Who gets Travel Privileges? Standby Travel
50% off Confirmed Travel Buddy Passes Employee Interline Travel
Dress Code Aircraft Grooming WestJet Responsibilities
Buddy Passes
Share the perks with your buddies! After 3 months, each employee receives a defined number of
standby buddy passes per year (pro-rated). Share the rules and dress code with your buddies as
failure to comply with the dress code may result in the suspension of your travel privileges.
Employee Interline Travel
After 180 days of employment, you will eligible for Employee Interline travel. WestJet has 100+
Interline staff travel agreements with other airlines, providing the benefit of world-wide non-
revenue standby leisure travel for you and your eligible designates. Most of our agreements are
ZED (zonal employee discount) agreements and travel is booked using the self-service platform,
myIDTravel.com. A detailed list of all the airlines and fares can be found in the People Portal on
WestNet.
Dress Code
The WestJet dress code dictates what is appropriate to wear in WestJet’s world. Its purpose is to
help guide WestJetters on what is considered acceptable attire for both travel and in the workplace.
When you are at work, or travelling our network, you are a WestJet representative. WestJetters,
family and friends travelling standby (and all employee travel, including 50-per-cent-off confirmed)
are asked to wear business casual attire. Failure to comply with the dress code may result in the
suspension of travel privileges.
Dress Code Mantra:
My outfit allows me to represent WestJet well. I look ready for the public and work. I blend in with
the business casual set, and my attire doesn’t cause a distraction to anyone around me. When
travelling, for work or leisure, we all represent WestJet.
Our dress code aims to create a balance between travelling in comfort and reflecting our brand
image. Keep your appearance well-groomed, neat, and clean from head to toe!
Any clothing that is stained, dirty, sheer, ripped, offensive, or revealing is not permitted. The style
counts, NOT the designer. For example, designer jeans that are ripped are not permitted. All
employees are personally held accountable for their attire and the attire or their friends and family
members travelling on privileges.
Infants and children under twelve (12):
WestJet Flight Privileges Who gets Travel Privileges? Standby Travel
50% off Confirmed Travel Buddy Passes Employee Interline Travel
Dress Code Aircraft Grooming WestJet Responsibilities
We recognize that children’s clothing is more casual in nature. As long as the child’s clothes are
clean, neat, and in good repair, in addition to the list above, children under twelve can also wear
short, leggings, hoodies and sleepwear for children under two.
Aircraft Grooming
Grooming of the aircraft is an important aspect of our overall guest experience. Aircraft
appearance is split into two categories employee aircraft tidying duties completed by
crewmembers and contracted aircraft grooming completed by a 3rd party contractor. Employees
are required to complete aircraft tidying duties whenever they are on active duty, deadheading,
commuting, and anytime using employee travel.
The standard for employee aircraft tidying duties is as follows:
WestJetter Responsibilites
WestJet Flight Privileges Who gets Travel Privileges? Standby Travel
50% off Confirmed Travel Buddy Passes Employee Interline Travel
Dress Code Aircraft Grooming WestJet Responsibilities
WestJetters are responsible for keeping the cost of travel privileges down. Self serve options like
the travel privileges portal brings cost down significantly. Each call to the call centre costs $6 so
making a standby travel call should be a last resort. You can use the portal if you are looking to
check standby availability, list for standby flights, book 50 per cent off confirmed travel, view your
itinerary and priority status, cancel your standby listing, check in, manage your travel designates,
and manage your buddy passes.
Don’t be late. We all know how important SPOT (safely performing on time) is. Being through
security and at the gate with time to spare is a good thing and contributes to the costs savings of
SPOT. Every additional minute a flight is delayed costs WestJet. Remind your travel designates to be
on time as well.
Pack light and even you can reduce fuel burn! Although there’s no maximum weight for your carry-
on baggage, think about the fuel we’d save if every standby guest packed five pounds lighter? A
few years ago United Airlines reduced the olive count from their martinis from three to one. This
saved the airline $2 million a year in operating costs. It’s economies of scale – just think about it.
Please tell your travel designates to be conscious, too.
Educate your buddies! WestJetters should take every opportunity to educate travel designates and
buddy pass holders on how to keep costs down. Packing light and being on time are two easy ways
they can contribute to WestJet’s success, so take the time to let them know, whether it’s through
the “message” field on the electronic buddy pass form or in person.
