Discount carrier seeks alliance

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Friday, July 26, 2002 | 11:10 a.m.

CALGARY, Alberta -- WestJet Airlines Ltd., Canada's biggest discount carrier, wants to team up with another low-cost operator such as Southwest Airlines Co. when it expands into the U.S. in the next three years, the Globe and Mail said.

Company Vice President Mark Hill told the Globe that working with a carrier such as Dallas-based Southwest, the largest discount airline, would expand the number of U.S. destinations WestJet could offer to travelers.

In the past, WestJet and Southwest have both shied away from transferring passengers between airlines or marketing each other's flights through so-called code-share agreements, the Globe said.

Southwest has no plans to enter into any agreements with other airlines at this time, company spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger told the Globe.