Under West Jet's new UltraBasic fare, carry-on baggage is not included in the price and, in fact, UltraBasic riders are not allowed carry-on baggage at all, but they can pay to check their bags.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Good news for frugal travellers who don’t bother themselves with frivolous luxuries like a change of clothes when they travel. If you also get off on feeling slightly degraded in shared spaces, WestJet has a new low-cost fare option for you!
The airline announced this week that it is replacing its previous bottom-tier “Basic” fare with something called “UltraBasic,” which essentially asks passengers to leave everything behind when they come aboard. No longer is carry-on baggage included in the price; in fact, UltraBasic riders are not allowed carry-on baggage at all (with the exception of those on transatlantic or transpacific flights). They may, however, check a bag for a fee, as well as bring along a single personal item like a purse or a briefcase (backpacks, notably, count as “carry-on”).
Passengers who fly UltraBasic cannot change or cancel their flights, cannot collect WestJet points, cannot choose their seats unless they pay extra and (here’s where the little bit of masochism comes in …) must sit at the back of the plane and board the aircraft last. Now, it doesn’t really make sense from an efficiency perspective for those sitting at the back of the aircraft to also board last, but it does make sense if you want your lowest-paying customers to endure something of an onboard walk-of-shame, marching past customers who are not ignoble cheapskates. (Do UltraBasic travellers also have to avert their eyes when passing by higher-tier fliers? WestJet’s literature was unclear).
My only question after hearing this announcement was: Why did WestJet stop there? I know I speak for all Canadians who hate themselves when I say that the airline should have given us an even cheaper option, perhaps one where passengers must hang onto the wings for the duration of the flight. In what I’d call the ExtremeUltraBasic tier, passengers would only be allowed to wear light clothing as to not weigh down the plane, and they would be eligible for additional discounts if they could prove they went to the bathroom just before they boarded the flight (extra points for going #2).
ExtremeUltraBasic passengers would only be allowed into the cabin by performing the score of HMS Pinafore as entertainment for higher-paying travellers, though they’d be banished back to the wing if they fell flat too many times. They would be permitted to eat a small amount of their own food during the flight, but nothing crunchy (too loud), or chewy (annoying mouth noises) or delicious-looking (this tier is to be pitied, not envied).
Most importantly, in case of a water landing, other passengers would be granted the right to use the bodies of ExtremeUltraBasic fliers to build a raft to try to make it ashore. If WestJet is truly “committed to air travel affordability,” as executive vice-president John Weatherill said in a statement, they will make this dream a reality. Until that happens, we must settle for UltraBasic.
UltraBasic is great for WestJet because the airline now gets to advertise a “lowest available” price that very few travellers will actually be in a position to use (perhaps some frequent business fliers need next to nothing when they fly, but I suspect most companies will at least grant their employees the ability to take on a carry-on). WestJet also gets to create the illusion that it is offering an ultra-low-cost-carrier-type fare after absorbing the Swoop airline brand into its regular operations, and acquiring the discount Sunwing Airlines.
It is true that some airlines, such as Flair, Canada’s last ultra-low-cost-carrier standing, already do not allow passengers to bring carry-on baggage on most flights at the lowest economy fare. But it is quite different for low-cost airlines to do what low-cost airlines do, and for one of the few major players in Canada’s uncompetitive airline ecosystem to lower its services for passengers at its bottom tier, even if it lowers that base fare, too. The impression it leaves is of taking something away; exploiting the power that it has acquired in Canada’s air travel duopoly.
A combination of factors such as domestic ownership regulations, high taxes and high fixed fees, has effectively snuffed out the ultra-low-cost competition, allowing WestJet and Air Canada to consolidate, raise prices, and reduce performance and services. Indeed, the two airlines were responsible for 79 per cent of domestic traffic as of March of this year, compared to 74 per cent from March, 2023. With such power over the market, they can now force their customers to walk in a penny-pinchers parade before take-off if they want to save a few bucks. At this rate, we are a few years away from a seat being considered a top-tier perk, and smiles from cabin staff reserved only for business class and above.