At the same time that Clive
Beddoe was establishing
WestJet in 1996, Greyhound Canada was establishing its own
airline, Greyhound Air. It was centred in Winnipeg and was to
offer flights from Vancouver, Kelowna, Calgary, and Edmonton in
the West, and Ottawa, Hamilton, and Toronto in the East.
Greyhound was operated by Dial Corp out of Phoenix, which made a
deal with Kelowna Flightcraft Air Charter limited, in British
Columbia.
The plan was to have the existing Greyhound bus system linked
to an airline to provide effective, rounded service to
passengers. The Greyhound system of ticket agents were to
provide scheduling and marketing, while Kelowna Flightcraft Air
Charter was to operate the fleet composed of seven Boeing 727s.
The service was launched on 8 July 1996, and began with a
good record, integrating bus and air service, and moving
travellers efficiently to their destinations. But high start-up
costs and the unexpected delays caused by the Canadian
regulatory system caused the airline to shut down on 21
September 1997.
It is said that WestJet has survived thus far by keeping
expenses as low as possible in the face of expansion.
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