Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
  • News
  • Packaged Travel
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • Air
  • Training & Resources
  • Who We Are
    • Brian Israel
    • Briana Bonfiglio
    • Candace Protzman
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Dori Saltzman
    • Jennifer Arango
    • Kelly Fontenelle
    • Louis Intreglia
    • Tom McCarthy

At Four Years Old, Swoop’s Low Cost Expansion Picks Up Steam

by Daniel McCarthy / June 21, 2022
Travel Swoop U.S. Expansion

Photo: Swoop 


It’s been an impressive start in the life of Swoop, the ultra-low-cost carrier owned by Westjet and headquartered in Calgary.

Monday marked four years since Swoop launched as an airline set on democratizing air travel in Canada. The carrier launched with some key domestic routes in Canada, before expanding internationally. Now, four years in, it is still “growing very, very fast,” according to Bert van der Stege, Swoops head of commercial and finance who spoke to TMR this week.

van der Stege told TMR that Swoop expects to expand its fleet by 60% this year, which lends itself to a rapidly growing route map. This year’s increase includes new flights across Canada, along with 11 total additions this summer to the U.S., including new flights to Nashville, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, destinations that appeal to a population of Canadian travelers who are increasingly looking for low-cost travel options.

“We saw the pent-up demand coming out of the pandemic and saw that there was a need for Canadians to explore not only new destinations domestically but also into the U.S.,” van der Stege said. “Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles—we’re adding popular leisure destinations as well as destinations we know where there is a connection, patricianly leisure driven, and tremendous pent-up demand.”

Travel swoop canadian low cost airline

The growth, he added, fills a gap that Canadian carriers are not yet serving—Swoop is occupying a market that includes airlines like Air Canada Rouge, Porter Airlines, and Canadian Jetlines, but not U.S. carriers like Southwest or Frontier, who haven’t broken into the Canadian market. That means that Swoop can continue to serve consumers from its home country, along with American consumers who want to explore Canada at a low cost.

van der Stege told TMR that Swoop prides itself on keeping things simple—all routes are direct with “simple in and simple out” flights that minimize the risk of delays or cancellations.

“We don’t connect anywhere in our network,” he said. “We have simple in and out point-to-point flights.”

The expansion comes at a time when travel demand, despite rising prices, remains historically high and the left-over COVID restrictions, such as the U.S.’s inbound testing requirement, finally come to an end. It’s a perfect time for expansion on the leisure side, van der Stege added, despite some chaos continuing at select airports in North America

“We’re not happy with the level of services provided by some government agencies and airports right now,” he said, adding that solutions, including more staff being added, “will alleviate” some of those issues.

As for the next four years, Swoop plans to continue on its mission of democratizing air travel, but the long-term future is still hard to predict.

“The one thing we learned over the past four years, in particular, is that it is really difficult to predict what is going to happen – the past few years obviously have been really difficult,” he said.

“The next four years are going to be very growth-centric. We believe the model works in Canada, we believe we’re very well positioned, and we will continue to invest widely, in bases, in new destinations. We look forward to continuing to grow the airline, create jobs, and add destinations both in North America and internationally. “

As for the travel advisor community, Swoop started specifically with its own website that employed direct bookings. Now, four years down the road, it has added a travel agent support desk that van der Stege said is ready and eager to help build its community of travel advisors.

“We welcome their business and we look forward to working with agents,” he said.

  4
  0
Related Articles
ACTA'S 2023 Eastern Summit Industry Panel: Maximizing Return on Effort
ACTA Calls CEBA Extension ‘Not Enough’ After More Details Emerge
Arajet, the Caribbean's Low-Price Carrier, Connects Canada with Argentina and Beyond
Air Canada Adds Year-Round Service to Madrid from Montreal
Porter Airlines to Add Service to Five Florida Cities this Fall
Announcing Travel Market Place Calgary for September 2024
Air Transat Adds Flights to Lima from Two Canadian Hubs
Air Canada Reveals New In-Flight Menu, Expanded In-Flight Entertainment
WestJet to Cease Operating Budget Airline Swoop this Fall
WestJet, Pilots Union Reach 11th Hour Deal to Avert Strike

MOST VIEWED

  1. Maui Fires Update: Which Hotels and Resorts Are Open and Closed After Lahaina Fires
  2. FAA Issues Nationwide Ground Stop for United Airlines Flights
  3. Southwest Airlines Strike Seems Imminent
  4. Hurricane Lee's Uncertain Path Raises Some Travel Concerns
  5. Celebrity Cruises Removes Gratuities from "All Included" Pricing
  6. Hurricane Lee Intensifies to Category 5: Caribbean and U.S. Impact Uncertain


  1. Two Florida Ports Remain Closed After Hurricane Idalia
  2. Updated Cruise Line COVID-19 Vaccination, Booster, & Testing Requirements
  3. Hurricane Lee Update: Storm Poses Threat to New England and Atlantic Canada
  4. Royal Caribbean Monitoring Haiti Violence
  5. Tropical Storm Lee Could Hit the Caribbean this Weekend
  6. Hurricane Lee Forecast to Rapidly Strengthen into the Weekend
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage, analysis of industry news, trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
Club Med’s First South Africa Resort Set to Begin Construction
Club Med’s First South Africa Resort Set to Begin Construction

The first Club Med resort in South Africa is slated to open in 2026.

Read...
Reports: New EU Visa Program ETIAS Won’t Start Until 2025
Reports: New EU Visa Program ETIAS Won’t Start Until 2025

The long-talked-about visa program for inbound travelers to Europe is reportedly delayed yet again.

Read...
Halloween Horror Nights Stages Frightful Scenes at Universal Orlando for 32nd Year
Halloween Horror Nights Stages Frightful Scenes at Universal Orlando for 32nd Year

Here's what travel advisors need to know about Halloween Horror Nights and how to book the horror-filled trip of their clients' dreams.

Read...
Iceland Prime Minister Promises to Increase Tourism Taxes
Iceland Prime Minister Promises to Increase Tourism Taxes

Tourists to Iceland will soon have to pay more to the country in taxes.

Read...
Disney Closes and Reopens Sections of Magic Kingdom After Bear Spotted on Property
Disney Closes and Reopens Sections of Magic Kingdom After Bear Spotted on Property

Disney was dealing with a hairy situation on Monday morning. 

Read...
Sonesta to Build Luxury Development with Two Hotels in Dominican Republic
Sonesta to Build Luxury Development with Two Hotels in Dominican Republic

The Larimar City & Resort will mark Sonesta’s Dominican Republic debut.

Read...
TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
European Travel Trends 2023 Outlook
CP White Paper 1
Cruise Trend Outlook 2023
View All
industry insider
industry-insider.jpg
//services.travelsavers.com/AMGService.svc/REST/GetImage?ImageID=f22339b7-9c5b-ee11-92d0-005056a8720b
What Does Social Media Really Mean?
Advertiser's Voice
//services.travelsavers.com/AMGService.svc/REST/GetImage?ImageID=19a07eaa-b65e-ee11-92d0-005056a8720b
MasterAdvisor 77: Tips for Making the Move to the Luxury Travel Segment
About Travel Market Report Mission Staff Advisory Board Advertise
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events Outlook/Whitepapers Previous Sponsored Articles Previous This Week Articles
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
News |Packaged Travel |Cruise |Hotels & Resorts |Destinations |Retail Strategies |Niche & Luxury |Air |Training & Resources |Who We Are
© 2005 - 2023 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy