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Swoop celebrated its one-millionth traveller on a flight from Edmonton to Hamilton earlier this week. William and Emily Burchat were surprised to be selected as the lucky recipients of a round-trip for two on Swoop and a commemorative, Swoop branded model aircraft. The pair travelled to Hamilton with their twin infant daughters who were meeting their grandparents for the first time.
“It was an awesome experience. They were all super helpful, every single one of them,” said William. “Their prices are cheap, but the quality isn’t. We save as much money as we can to give them [the twins] a better future. Every penny counts with them.”
“Both of us and the girls flew here for half the price it would have cost,” said Emily about why they chose Swoop. “We wouldn’t have been able to actually make the trip. It’s hard to travel as a family.”
A small Swoop team was on hand in Edmonton to kick-off the festivities, which included celebratory décor and refreshments at the gate. Travellers were encouraged to record their favourite travel stories at the Swoop stories video booth to be shared on the Swoop social channels. Every traveller received an exclusive Swoop luggage tag, promo code and the hugely popular, Swoop piggy bank.
Swoop President Steven Greenway was waiting in Hamilton to surprise the millionth traveller.
“We suspected the millionth traveller would be flying this week, so we decided to have some fun and share the experience with an entire flight,” said Greenway. “After all, every traveller is equally as valued and we were eager to show our appreciation in a unique way.”
“The best compliments we receive are affirmations from word-of-mouth referrals,” said Karen McIsaac, senior advisor of Communications for Swoop. “Of those who try us, more than 94 per cent say they would fly with Swoop again. This kind of awareness and endorsement has been our biggest ally in bringing more affordable air travel to everyone.”
“Swoop’s success at EIA shows they are meeting the needs of the travelling public,” said Tom Ruth, president and CEO of Edmonton International Airport. “Their growing list of Canadian and U.S. routes include some of the most sought-after destinations for residents of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region.”
“Reaching one million passengers is a monumental achievement for Swoop and affirms that Canadians are embracing low-cost travel,” said Cathie Puckering, president & CEO, John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport. “This accomplishment is particularly impressive considering the airline has only been operating for 11 months. We are so thrilled to be Swoop’s base in Eastern Canada and look forward to welcoming even more Swoop passengers to our airport in the coming years.”
Swoop is a month shy of reaching one full-year of operation, having begun flights on June 20, 2018 with an initial fleet of three aircraft and a network of five Canadian cities. Since then, the airline has quickly expanded service to include 16 destinations across four countries. The Edmonton base has seen an exponential increase in weekly flights and now employs 104 Swoopsters. Hamilton has almost quadrupled its weekly flights since launch and currently employs 166 Swoopsters.
Swoop’s winter schedule is expected to be released in the coming weeks, which is welcome news for travellers who are looking to book their holiday travel early.
