There’s something special about doing an interview in the subject’s natural element, and that’s what happened when we spoke with Sanjay Kopalkar, Canada Jetlines’ Director Sales and Business Development, at 35,000 feet as the airline escorted agents home from the Sandos Hotels and Resorts FAM last week.
Canada Jetlines Director of Sales Sanjay Kopalkar with Sandos BDM Juan Carlos Ruiz (Photo Credit: Marsha Mowers)
Kopalkar was in his element; on a flight escorting Sandos Hotels and Resorts’ top agents back home to Toronto Pearson after an intensive five-day FAM. Good thing we were in an enclosed space because even on an airplane this man was hard to keep still –another group of agents were also returning from a FAM and he seemed to know each and every one of them.
TravelPulse Canada learned that just as Kopalkar was in motion, so is Canada Jetlines, with a “big announcement” coming in mid-January.
“I can assure you that probably by the second week of Jan, you will hear something new which is happening with Jetlines,” he smiles.
That announcement would be on the heels of the inaugural flight from Toronto to Montego Bay on December 9 and news of a strong overall performance in 2023. Canada Jetlines began with one aircraft and quickly grew to three in total. They started flying domestically into Calgary and Vancouver and then launched their first international flight, Las Vegas. Cancun followed in the spring and the airline continues to ramp up in terms of aircrafts and destinations, launching four destinations and a tour operator program.
In 2024 they are anticipating a minimum of six aircrafts in total and launching at least another three destinations.
An important vertical of their business is supplementary flying. Earlier this year, Jetlines did a very short term (four month) contract with a charter company into Georgestown, Guyana, to be a bridge for what Kopalkar says is sizeable demand from Canada. The airline is looking into how they can connect countries and cities with the convenience and options of flying.
“I say with pride that we are the only one of the airlines who are profitable in the first year of operation,” Kopalkar says. “We have done 52% higher in terms of revenue compared to last year’s third quarter. That gives us a lot of confidence from the investor community as well as our customer and that is helping us to acquire more aircrafts and look at more destinations.”
Canada Jetlines Director of Sales Sanjay Kopalkar (centre) with the Sandos FAM group (Photo Credit: Marsha Mowers)
Kopalkar says Canada Jetlines was launched to be the travel agent friendly airline, the only airline in operation he says proudly is a full-service airline operating out of Pearson and into all the distribution platforms such as Sabre and Amadeus.
“One of the most important aspects is knowing what happened after the pandemic. We stood by our agency partners to ensure that they get rewarded when they sell Jetlines. We offer generous commissions up to 10% and 5% on all the ancillaries they sell depending on the fare family. Every agency registered in Ontario and across Canada, can earn when they sell and promote Jetlines.”
The agent relationship also extends to suppliers, such as the partnership the airline had with the Sandos Resorts and Hotel Group to assist with seats for the FAM. For Xavier Ulloa, Chief Marketing Officer of the Sandos Hotel Group, that relationship is mutually beneficial.
“We’re trying to spread the news about Sandos Hotels and Resorts to the Canadian market, which saw a decrease of course because of the pandemic, but is now increasing every year,” Ulloa tells TravelPulse Canada. “Canada Jetlines is a new partner for us, and we’re very happy to start working with them.”
Ulloa says the agent connections are equally as important.
“Our properties are very vast: each one of our four in Mexico offer something unique to clients; gorgeous views on a cliff at Finesterra Los Cabos, outdoor adventure in Caracol, family-fun in PlayaCar and a boutique experience in Cancun. Working with agents is very important, because they are the ones who can become specialized in our products to better inform and serve their clients so they can have their best vacation.”
Kopalkar says the FAM was an “amazing event” and they will continue to do FAM trips with their esteemed partners.
“It was very good opportunity to showcase not only the hotel partners, but also the showcase the Jetlines hospitality on board, and what we offer to the customer at every touchpoint. We ensure they get a proper reservation experience, ensure check-in is done properly and ensure they have a great experience on board to and from the destination.
We look after the requirements as the agents would themselves, and that's a very important aspect for us that throughout the journey. We want to make sure that we capture those moments and that kind of experience to ensure that the customer comes back to the agent with repeat business.”
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