#LoveMyJob! That's how WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech described swapping the C-suite for the drinks cart on a recent flight between Canada's capital and WestJet's home base of Calgary, in a show of appreciation for the work of the airline's cabin crew.
The CEO posted a photo of himself serving drinks and chatting with guests in the aisles of a WestJet flight on 27SEP on his linkedin profile:
As Open Jaw has reported, von Hoensbroech was in Ottawa this week to update parliamentarians about recovery - and voice the concerns of all of Canada's airlines, demanding changes to policies that hold airlines solely accountable for air industry performance.
His gesture in support of cabin crew on what was apparently his return flight from his appearance on Parliament Hill reflects a 'leading by example' style of management reflective of the CEO's tenure with WestJet.
von Hoensbroech has been CEO of the airline since FEB, 2022. Earlier this year, on MAY's International Flight Attendant Day, WestJet hosted an event for its flight attendants at its hub in Calgary.
The airline CEO's hands-on solidarity with his front-line workers this week comes as he reiterated in Ottawa the airline's commitment to continuing to improve passenger service. It also comes during historic labour tensions post-pandemic, with staff shortages, performance challenges and new contracts being negotiated. It could be an effort to win good will from both pax and the airline's staff as WestJet continues its recovery.
WestJet's CEO isn't the first airline head to take a turn with the drinks cart. In AUG, SimpleFlying reported that the CEO of Germany’s flag carrier Lufthansa, Jens Ritter, served as a flight attendant during two international flights. At the time, he said he wanted to gain firsthand knowledge of both the challenges of flight attendants as well as his airline's customer experience.
