Southwest Responds to WestJet's Possible Bail

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

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When WestJet revealed on Tuesday that it would most likely abandon a proposed codeshare with Southwest in favor of a similar agreement with Delta, it seemed only a matter of time before Southwest weighed in on the matter.

The inevitable response came yesterday. Take it away, Southwest!

“The Southwest/WestJet project was on target in accordance with a mutually agreed upon timetable,” said Bob Jordan, Southwest’s Executive Vice President of Strategy and Planning. “However, WestJet in recent weeks requested material and significant changes to our agreement that we could not accept. We are, and always have been, prepared to move forward to implement our agreement with WestJet. We have not yet been notified of WestJet’s intent to terminate that agreement. If we are so notified in order for WestJet to consummate its deal with Delta, Southwest remains very interested in offering our loyal Customers service to Canada via the most efficient means possible.”

That’s a bit different from WestJet’s take on the situation, which is basically that Southwest isn’t ready to support a codeshare. Delta, however, is, and presents a tantalizing route network for WestJet to glom onto.

At the moment, Southwest and WestJet do still have a deal in place. Judging from the tone of Southwest’s response, however, that may not be the case for too long.

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