WestJet sets sights on Air Canada’s title

Karl Moore, a professor at McGill University's Desautels Faculty of Management, said Mr. Saretsky understands the challenges because he worked at Seattle-based Alaska Airlines Inc. It flies Boeing 737s, but its affiliate, Horizon Air, operates Q400 turboprops.

"Certainly, you can see the success of the Q400 for thinner routes," Prof. Moore said. "If you can have a plane that better matches the volume of passengers, it would be a winner."

For WestJet, the key will be to selectively add domestic routes while overcoming the complexity of training pilots and having new aircraft parts on hand for the smaller aircraft, he said. WestJet will be able expand with new planes, but "it's getting away from the business model of simplicity with the Boeing 737."

Read full article: The Globe and Mail, January 1, 2012