statement

BTC Applauds Wal-Mart / WestJet Agreement

Radnor, PA., March 21, 2007–The Business Travel Coalition (BTC) applauds WestJet’s newly announced preferred airline relationship with Wal-Mart.   WestJet clearly understands and is responsive to the needs of business travelers, and the corporations that fund business travel activities.  Wal-Mart’s decision is a clear endorsement of that fact.  

BTC also believes Wal-Mart’s move is the tip of the iceberg in Canada.  Hundreds of empowered major corporations are letting Air Canada, and other airlines around the world, know that they do have a choice in air travel, and they that they are prepared to direct business to those airlines that commit to corporation-friendly distribution policies.  

WestJet has stepped up to that challenge; a very good airline is about to be made stronger.   Air Canada should carefully consider its current distribution policies, particularly its continuing unconscionable content fragmentation program, in light of the unambiguous vote of the world’s largest corporation.”