AV俱乐部

Sean Durfy is a proud Dal grad. He hosts functions for Calgary high-school students contemplating going to AV俱乐部. (Danny Abriel Photo)

The guy driving the baggage cart is whistling.

The customer service representative click clacks on high heels around the counter to lift a heavy bag on the carousel for an elderly man.

The flight attendant cracks jokes on the trip across the country: 鈥淟et me remind you this is a nonsmoking flight, as are all WestJet flights,鈥� she says as the airplane lifts off. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e caught smoking, you鈥檒l be asked to leave the aircraft immediately.鈥�

And, at WestJet鈥檚 head office in Calgary, the front-desk receptionist sings out a sunny 鈥済ood morning!鈥� When comedian Rick Mercer investigated the 鈥渉ysterically happy WestJetters鈥� phenomenon on his TV show, he approached a smiling ticket agent for the airline with some frustration: 鈥淗as a memo gone out?鈥�

Rest assured, says the Dal grad in charge of the place, there鈥檚 no Kool-Aid in the water coolers, no 鈥渄on鈥檛 worry, be happy鈥� memo. But with a wry smile, Sean Durfy professes to bleeding corporate-coloured, teal blood.

鈥淵ou either believe in the place or you don鈥檛; you鈥檒l know pretty much within the first six months of working here,鈥� says Mr. Durfy (BCom 鈥�89), president and CEO of WestJet.鈥淚t is really is about aligning the interests of our people with the interests of the company. It鈥檚 all about our culture.鈥�

WestJet鈥檚 mission, vision and value statements鈥攖he same ones mounted and displayed in the lobby鈥攈ang from the lanyard around his neck. The mission is 鈥渢o enrich the lives of everyone in WestJet鈥檚 world by providing safe, friendly and affordable air travel.鈥� The vision is to be one of the five most successful international airlines in the world by 2016.

Top five in the world鈥攊sn鈥檛 that overreaching? Just on the basis of its bottom line, WestJet has already achieved its vision. With a 16 per cent operating margin, WestJet ranks as the fourth most profitable airline in the world, behind Ireland鈥檚 Ryanair, Panama鈥檚 Copa and Malaysia鈥檚 AirAsia. It鈥檚 an amazing accomplishment, given that the upstart company only took to the skies 12 years ago with three planes flying to five destinations. Now having a market value at more than $2 billion, the low-cost carrier has 74 Boeing next-generation 737s, employs 7,000 people and has played host to 11.9 million 鈥済uests,鈥� in WestJet lingo.

The company recently underwent an expansion with the launch of WestJet Vacations; it now flies to 27 destinations in Canada, 12 in the United States and seven hotspots in the Caribbean, including Mazatlan, Mexico; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Nassau in the Bahamas.

WestJet鈥檚 carefully managed growth is all the more impressive considering the turbulence that鈥檚 plagued the airline business in recent years, including the security and safety concerns raised in the wake of 9/11.Indeed,WestJet has survived and thrived when many other low-cost airlines鈥擥reyhound Air, Roots Air, Royal, CanJet, Jetsgo and Canada 3000鈥攚ere grounded when profits never took off. Even Air Canada was affected, filing for bankruptcy protection in 2003 after suffering a string of heavy losses, emerging as a leaner, more efficient airline. But now as the skies clear over Canada, the turbulence continues south of the border, with a downturn in the U.S. economy cutting into travel demand. Delta,one of the biggest U.S. airlines, has just cut back on its workforce. American Airlines recently had to cancel more than 3,000 flights because of maintenance issues.

Airline Weekly, the trade paper for the airline industry, documented WestJet鈥檚 success in March under the headline, 鈥淏estJet: What makes WestJet one of the world鈥檚 most successful airlines?鈥� With the salutation 鈥淗ello WestJetters,鈥� Mr. Durfy forwarded the story to every employee. He鈥檚 tickled about 鈥淏estJet鈥� and likes to use it himself.

鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 never been about nice planes and comfortable leather seats,鈥� says Mr. Durfy, 42, a Calgarian by way of Corner Brook, Nfld.鈥淚 just get juiced by the people we鈥檝e got here and what we鈥檙e offering.鈥�

He鈥檚 actually still settling into the place and the position 鈥� the corner office with the sign in the hallway which simply says 鈥淪ean and Hugh.鈥� (Hugh is Hugh Dunleavy, executive vice-president for commercial distribution.) The windows, offering a scenic view of the parking lot below, are lined with photographs: five-year-old daughter Kennedy at the Calgary Stampede; Kennedy at a Calgary Flames game; 15-month-old son Reilly in wife Tracy鈥檚 arms; Mr. Durfy and Mr. Mercer taken during the fellow Newfoundlander鈥檚 WestJet 鈥渋nvestigation鈥�; and with friends at a Great Big Sea concert in Calgary. He has another photo of himself that he keeps close by but tucked away in a desk drawer鈥攈e鈥檚 10 years younger and 50 pounds heavier.

鈥淚 was 33 years old and I looked like I was 50. I was told at the Foothills Medical Centre that I was bound for a heart attack unless I made some dramatic changes. So I try very hard to keep a balance in my life,鈥� he says. He runs most mornings before arriving at work around 9 a.m. and returns home in time to give the kids their baths and read their bedtime stories. During this interview, he sips vegetable juice from a rinsed roll-up-the rim cup.

Mr. Durfy arrived at WestJet four years ago on the invitation of the company鈥檚 energetic founder Clive Beddoe, a real-estate developer and pilot who led the company through a period of explosive growth. At the time, Mr. Durfy had spent 10 years in the Alberta energy industry, where he was president and chief operating officer of ENMAX Corporation, the energy utility for the City of Calgary. He and Tracy were looking for a change; they had drawn up a business plan and were going to buy and operate a hotel in the Caribbean when a friend called with a suggestion, 鈥淲hy don鈥檛 you meet this guy Clive Beddoe?鈥�

A 20-minute meeting turned into two hours and by the end of it, Mr. Durfy wanted to join WestJet鈥檚 executive team.聽 He did in December 2004, as executive vice-president for sales, marketing and airports. He became WestJet president in September 2006 and added chief executive officer to his title last September, as Mr. Beddoe moved to become chairman of the company鈥檚 board of directors.

He winces as he admits it, but he didn鈥檛 really get WestJet鈥檚 down-home corporate culture at first. Within months of his arrival, he was ready to go ahead with a multi-million dollar, national advertising campaign dubbed 鈥淲est Jetiquette.鈥� Described as witty and tongue-in-cheek, the campaign included three TV spots outlining the dos and don鈥檛s of flying on WestJet. In one ad passengers are told: 鈥淒o love WestJet鈥檚 leather seats, but don鈥檛 get romantic with them.鈥�

鈥淜ind of at the last moment, we thought, 鈥楲et鈥檚 show our folks,鈥� and we had a big meeting in the hangar,鈥� recalls Mr. Durfy. 鈥淭he reaction was very strong鈥攖hey thought I was making fun (of them). I thought I was going to be killed by the angry mob.鈥�

He pulled the campaign the day before it was due to air, and rolled up his sleeves to lead development on聽 a new one.

鈥淚t was a hard lesson. They were telling me,鈥榊ou don鈥檛 get us yet.鈥欌��

Within six weeks, the marketing team shaped the highly successful 鈥淏ecause Owners Care鈥� campaign, with the now-familiar line, 鈥淲hy do WestJetters care so much? Because we鈥檙e also WestJet owners.鈥� Folksy, fun, even a little corny, the campaign reflects the pride employees have in the company; more than 84 per cent of them are WestJet shareholders. They can dedicate up to 20 per cent of their salary in share purchases, an amount matched by the company. They鈥檙e also encouraged to offer input on how the airline runs. One of the ads features a flight attendant rocking a crying baby in the aisle; when she returns the baby to arms of the exhausted parents, everyone in the cabin is snoozing, too. Another ad鈥攖he one mercilessly parodied on This Hour Has 22 Minutes and the Rick Mercer Report鈥攆eatures the efficient flight attendant who not only returns a passenger鈥檚 briefcase left behind on the plane, she pumps up his power-point.

Sean Durfy (in brown jacket) talks with maintenance workers in the WestJet hangar. (Danny Abriel Photo)

The ideas behind Because Owners Care have led WestJet to top the annual list of Canada鈥檚 10 most admired corporate cultures three years in a row. Other companies to receive the designation, from Waterstone Human Capital, include Four Seasons Hotels, Boston Pizza International and the Royal Bank of Canada. When Mr. Durfy heard about the latest honour, he was in a customer-service-rep鈥檚 uniform at the Calgary airport pitching in during the holiday rush.

WestJet鈥檚 caring attitude is not for show, like the best set of china that gets dusted off for company. It鈥檚 something the airline鈥檚 employees believe in passionately. And, since Mr. Durfy 鈥渓earned his lesson,鈥� they believe in him, too.

In the hangar, scene of his comeuppance, maintenance workers checking over a 737 are聽 heckling their boss as he gets his photograph taken for聽 the magazine.

鈥淭his place is a lot different from other companies. I mean, look at the guy,鈥� says Duane 鈥淧otts鈥� Potekal with a glance in Mr. Durfy鈥檚 direction鈥攈e鈥檚 standing on the wing of the plane. 鈥淵ou never see the bigwigs unless they鈥檙e coming to say 鈥榃e鈥檙e shutting you down.鈥� He knows our names. He comes and talks to us.鈥�

WestJetter Vern Guenther admits to some apprehension when he heard the respected Mr. Beddoe was stepping down.

鈥淪ean had to learn the WestJet culture, but (Clive Beddoe) taught him well,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat campaign聽 he showed us, oh it was funny and all that, it just聽 wasn鈥檛 us. But he nailed it on the head with the Owners Care campaign.鈥�

鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to work at an airline, you want to work at WestJet,鈥� adds Lorraine Stewart, from Cape Breton, while cleaning the cockpit. 鈥淗e sets the pace. From us little old cleaners to the pilots, we all really like being WestJetters.鈥�