What viewers on The Westjet Channel might be watching - a WJ 737 leaves the gate at Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. (YOW)

What viewers of The WestJet Channel might be watching – the ramp crew waves goodbye to a
departing WJ 737-700 at Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. (YOW)

Earlier this month, WestJet Airlines launched a new way to connect with prospective customers, reaching TV viewers in the Canadian provinces of Ontario, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland.

The WestJet Channel is now available to approximately 2.2 million subscribers on Rogers Cable Channel 206. The 24/7 content includes video of WestJet’s vacation destinations, including Grand Cayman, Bermuda, Puerto Plata, Holguin, and St. Martin-St. Maarten. I wonder – will they have shots from Maho Beach of their 737s landing at SXM?

Tied in to the channel’s 13-week run, viewers will be able to enter three Twitter contests (#TweetTheBeach) for a chance to win a trip for two with WestJet. For Canadian AvGeeks, The WestJet Channel also includes coverage of the airline’s ramp operations.

There wasn’t a note in WJs press release to suggest that the ramp ops would be live, but we can hope. Watching ops at YYZ or YYC on a wintery January afternoon might be a perfect way to zone out in front of the TV for a couple of hours.

Here’s a short promo for the channel:

This isn’t the first time that Rogers has provided so-called “atmospheric” content. You’re probably familiar with The Fireplace Channel, which has become a Christmas favorite for many viewers, worldwide. Rogers also has The Aquarium Channel, which was used in 2012 to promote Disney’s Finding Nemo 3-D.

In the case of the latter, viewers saw an animated Nemo swimming alongside the fish in the aquarium. In 2011, The Rotisserie Channel premiered on Rogers, showing chickens cooking on a spinning rotisserie (as the name suggests). Naturally, it was sponsored by Canadian BBQ chicken restaurant Swiss Chalet.

What do you think about The WestJet Channel? Is it a smart alternative to traditional TV advertising? Have you watched it? Would you watch it? (Sorry to our readers from the U.S. and beyond; it’s only available in Canada.)  Let us know – leave a comment!

 

CORRESPONDENT - VANCOUVER, BC. Howard's lifelong passion for aviation began when he was a kid, watching TCA Super Connies, Viscounts, and early jets at Montreal's Dorval Airport. Heâ€s based in Vancouver, BC, so when Howard isnâ€t writing, heâ€s probably plane-spotting at YVR, PAE, BFI or SEA.

http://www.wingborn.aero
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3 Comments
Corey Rust

Another lovely piece Howard! WestJet is awesome…I just wish they flew to PDX

Steve Zwerin

I would TOTALLY watch this if it were offered in the U.S.! I can’t get enough of the airport/airline shows like the ones the Discovery or Travel channels have put on, and this is sort of along those lines. Thanks for the article!

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