WestJet creates new role to “re-design” the guest experience

WestJet has named Colleen Tynan as vice-president, experience management – a newly-created role that falls under the airline’s new “Operational Excellence” program, which aims to improve the air travel experience.

The announcement, made Wednesday (March 1), came with the acknowledgment of enhancing aspects of the travel journey – citing this past holiday travel season, a period that saw many operational breakdowns, as an example

“We were reminded this past holiday season just how fragile the aviation ecosystem is across Canada and the role we as an airline play in safeguarding the travel plans of our guests,” said Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of the WestJet Group, in a statement. “At WestJet, our priority is to provide our guests with a seamless and enjoyable travel experience and this year, our commitment is returning WestJet to the friendly, reliable, affordable airline that Canadians know and love.”

Re-design the guest experience

As WestJet embarks on its new strategic direction, the airline’s Operational Excellence program will encompass the strategy and re-design of the guest experience across all touchpoints of the travel journey with a strategic focus on digital enhancements, IT infrastructure management and operational resilience, the airline says.

WestJet’s new Experience Management team, under Colleen Tynan’s leadership, will play a “critical role” in delivering this program through innovation and investment that will “take the WestJet travel experience to new heights.”

Tynan has been a WestJetter for 20 years and has held a variety of roles across the corporate, commercial and operations teams at WestJet.

Most recently, Colleen oversaw WestJet’s international and domestic airport operations as vice-president, airports.

“I am thrilled to lead this new team that will bring the best of WestJet together to deliver upon a renewed vision for our guest experience,” said Tynan in a statement.

“Whether it is a disruption to a guest’s travel plans, a delayed bag, or how we communicate, we are making investments across our business to better improve on self-serve functionality, guest communication and providing WestJetters across our organization with the tools they need to best assist our guests when they need us most.”