WestJet to shut down Sunwing Airlines, merge it with mainline business

WestJet is planning to wind down Sunwing Airlines, integrating the low-cost carrier into its mainline business within two years as part of a plan to streamline operations. "While we can confirm the eventual integration of Sunwing Airlines into WestJet, the anticipated timeline to do so has not been determined at this time," Julia Kaiser, spokesperson for WestJet, said in an email. "WestJet will eventually move to a one jet aircraft operating certificate (AOC) model and Sunwing Airlines will be integrated into WestJet," Corrado said in the memo, dated Wednesday. Swoop Airlines hosts a media day before the launch of its ultra low-cost service on Tuesday at Hamilton International Airport. The memo gave no indication that Sunwing Vacations would also shut down, suggesting that WestJet planes could be flying Sunwing tour package customers to their sun-soaked getaways.