Arved von zur Muehlen, Chief Commercial Officer, WestJet.
Partnership extended to provide certainty, value and growth.
CALGARY – Amid the turbulent loyalty landscape in Canada, WestJet announced the long-term extension of its partnership agreement with Mastercard on its travel rewards credit card, WestJet RBC Mastercard.
"WestJet RBC Mastercard cardholders have always had choice, flexibility, certainty and convenience," said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. "Our long-term partnership with Mastercard ensures that our card members continue to get exceptional value and outstanding flight and travel benefits. As WestJet moves to become a premium global network airline, our partnership with Mastercard and RBC provides best-in-class value to our guests."
"Consumers today look for products and services that simplify their lives while bringing them closer to the experiences they seek," said Iain McLean, Senior Vice-President, Market Development for Mastercard in Canada. "We're pleased to extend and deepen our partnership, allowing WestJet RBC Mastercard cardholders to continue earning more WestJet dollars on their everyday purchases."
"As one of the top travel rewards cards in Canada, the WestJet RBC Mastercard will continue to give our clients who fly with WestJet benefits that enhance their overall travel experience," said Athena Varmazis, Senior Vice-President, Cards, RBC. "We know that Canadians appreciate consistency and transparency in their loyalty program, so we're thrilled that our key partners, WestJet and Mastercard, have extended their agreement which ensures we can continue to deliver unparalleled value to our cardholders."
The number-one-ranked airline credit card in Canada+, WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, allows the primary cardholder to take a companion on an annual round-trip flight on the same itinerary starting from $99*. In addition to the companion voucher, the card also provides the first checked bag at no charge for the primary cardholder as well as up to eight additional guests travelling on the same reservation and offers a welcome bonus of 250 WestJet dollars. WestJet dollars act as cash and can be redeemed anywhere WestJet flies, at any time.
WestJet welcomes Arved von zur Muehlen as Chief Commercial Officer
WestJet also announced the appointment of Arved von zur Muehlen to the position of Chief Commercial Officer. Arved joins WestJet on January 2, 2019, subject to Canadian Immigration approval.
"Arved is an accomplished and successful commercial leader with deep expertise in aviation," said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. "We welcome Arved at this important moment in time for WestJet as we position ourselves as a premium global carrier. His experience leading the transformation of global aviation brands will be vital and we are thrilled to welcome Arved to our team."
Reporting to President and CEO, Ed Sims, Arved will lead WestJet's commercial team with responsibility for all aspects of the commercial function including sales, marketing, product, network planning, revenue management, corporate development, airline partnerships and WestJet Vacations.
Arved brings more than 20 years of commercial aviation experience to WestJet and will be joining the airline from Malaysia Airlines, where he served as Chief Commercial Officer responsible for the sales, revenue management, network planning, marketing and branding, product development, digital and customer experience. Prior to his role at Malaysia Airlines, he served as the Senior Vice-President of Commercial Network Operations at Qatar Airlines and the Vice-President of Sales and Marketing Intercontinental Markets at Swiss International Airlines. Arved also spent over 15 years with Lufthansa German Airlines where he took on various leadership roles.
Arved is fluent in both German and English and will be relocating to Calgary with his wife and three children pending immigration approvals.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
