Scotiabank Gold American Express® CardScotiabank Gold American Express® Card•Earn up to 50,000 bonus Scene+ points + no annual fee in your first year†
FR
FR
FRBest offers

Delta and Korean Air invest in WestJet: What’s in it for travelers?

  • Advanced
2 min read
Editorial integrity
Delta and Korean Air invest in WestJet: What’s in it for travelers?
Share

Transaction between WestJet, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air

Delta Air Lines and Korean Air will acquire a combined 25% stake in WestJet, for a total of US$550 million. Under the terms of the transaction, Delta will acquire 15% of WestJet for US$330 million, while Korean Air will invest US$220 million for a 10% stake.

In addition, once this transaction is completed, Delta will have the right to transfer 2.3% of WestJet’s capital to Air France-KLM, its joint venture partner and also a WestJet partner. However, this remains conditional on Air France-KLM approvals.

For several years, WestJet has been working with Delta and Korean Air as part of commercial alliances, allowing code-sharing on their respective flights. This made things easier for passengers, as they could combine different flight segments on a single ticket, and check in their baggage only once.

Now Delta and Korean Air will be more than partners… they’ll be shareholders!

WestJet alliance with SkyTeam?

This is a major transaction for Canadian airline WestJet. Does it pave the way for an alliance with SkyTeam, whose members include Delta Air Lines, Korean Air and Air France-KLM?

For Canadian travellers, this means even more travel options and better integration between the networks of the different airlines. Eventually, there could also be recognition of the WestJet Rewards program between SkyTeam airlines. Perhaps WestJet points could be used to go even further, as well as to travel on other airlines. This will be followed.

Bottom Line

In the short term, this transaction will change nothing. But in the medium and long term, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this transaction and its developments.

This will particularly affect the evolution of the WestJet Rewards loyalty program and the new benefits that could emerge for Canadian travellers. This alliance could also accelerate the harmonization of flights, schedules and connections between these carriers, to simplify international travel for WestJet passengers.

In fact, yesterday we talked about a partnership with WestJet and Canadian Tire (Triangle Rewards). It will be very interesting to see all the possibilities to come between all these players!

This strategic alliance marks a turning point in WestJet’s international strategy, and will strengthen its position vis-à-vis Air Canada, which is with Star Alliance.

Featured

WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard‡

RBCWestJet Rewards
Annual fee
$139
Our valuation
$700
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$700Total$700Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
Up to 70,000 points
Ends Nov 4, 2026
Apply Now

on RBC's website

With the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard‡, you can earn up to 70,000 WestJet points as a welcome bonus:

  • 30,000 WestJet points as a welcome bonus with your first purchase
  • 30,000 WestJet points when you charge at least $5,000 in eligible purchases to your card within the first three months
  • 10,000 additional WestJet points after your credit card account’s first anniversary

The offer ends on November 4, 2026.

The benefits in numbers

An annual companion voucher from $119
Charge at least $5,000 in purchases to your card each year and you receive a World Elite Companion Voucher for a round-trip flight, starting at a $119 base fare, plus taxes, fees, surcharges and other air transportation charges. You can exchange it instead for a 30% flight discount for one traveller, a $200 credit towards a WestJet Vacations or Sunwing Vacations package, or airport lounge passes. The exact number of lounge passes granted is to be verified against the RBC terms in force.

A free first checked bag for up to nine people
The first checked bag is free for the primary cardholder and up to 8 guests on the same reservation, on WestJet flights. For a family of four, that is four bags on every leg.

Status Lift: $200 in tier qualifying spend per $5,000
Your everyday purchases move you towards Silver, Gold and even Platinum status. You earn $200 in tier qualifying spend for every $5,000 in purchases charged to the card, up to 50 times per year.

Up to 2 WestJet points per dollar

  • 2 points per dollar on WestJet flights, WestJet Vacations and Sunwing Vacations packages
  • 2 points per dollar at grocery stores and on transportation, including gas, EV charging, public transit and rideshare
  • 1.5 points per dollar on all other everyday purchases

The annual fee is $139, plus $59 per additional card.

Finally, you benefit from extensive insurance coverage: out-of-province or out-of-country emergency medical insurance, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance, flight delay and delayed baggage insurance, hotel or motel burglary insurance, rental vehicle collision and damage insurance.

Legal

® / MC Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada.

‡ All other trademarks are the property of their respective owner(s).

1 To benefit from this offer, your application must be received and approved by Royal Bank of Canada (“Royal Bank”) between June 16, 2026 and November 4, 2026 (“Offer Period”). This offer only applies to new applications for a WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard.

You will receive up to 30,000 welcome WestJet points upon your first purchase (“Welcome WestJet Points”) distributed as follows: (i) 25, 000 Welcome WestJet Points up to six (6) weeks after your first purchase transaction date; and (ii) 5,000 Welcome WestJet Points up to twelve (12) weeks after your first purchase transaction date, provided your first purchase gets posted to your WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard credit card account (“Credit Card Account”) within the first three (3) months of your Credit Card Account opening date (“Period”).

You will receive an additional 30,000 WestJet points (“Additional WestJet Points”) provided a total of $5,000 (“Qualifying Transaction Amount”) or more in qualifying net purchases and/or pre-authorized bill payment transactions (“Qualifying Transaction(s)”) are posted to your Credit Card Account within the Period. The Additional WestJet Points will be awarded approximately six (6) weeks after the date you reach the Qualifying Transaction Amount. Qualifying Transactions exclude cash advances (including balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant), interest charges and fees, and credits for returns and adjustments posted to your Credit Card Account during the Period will reduce the amount of your Qualifying Transactions.

The transaction posting date of each Qualifying Transaction, not the transaction date, will determine whether the transaction will count towards the Qualifying Transaction Amount. This means that Qualifying Transactions that take place prior to the last day of the Period will not count towards the Qualifying Transaction Amount if they have not yet been posted or processed by the merchant, the payment network (Mastercard) or Royal Bank by the last day of the Period.

You will receive an additional 10,000 WestJet points (“Anniversary WestJet Points”) up to sixteen (16) weeks after your Credit Card Account has been open for one (1) year.

Welcome WestJet Points, Additional WestJet Points and Anniversary WestJet Points will be awarded to your WestJet Rewards account, accessible at westjet.com/account, and appear on your monthly credit card statement, provided your Credit Card Account is open and in good standing at the time they are awarded to your WestJet Rewards account, “good standing” meaning that your Credit Card Account must not be past due for more than two (2) consecutive Credit Card Account statement periods, closed, charged off or in credit revoked status at that time.

Only the primary cardholder on the Credit Card Account is eligible for this offer. Additional cardholders(s) (co-applicant and authorized user(s)), as well as existing cardholders on any RBC Royal Bank personal credit card account, transferring to a WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard during the Offer Period, are not eligible for this offer.

If you close your Credit Card Account or change it for another type of RBC Royal Bank credit card before the Welcome WestJet points, Additional Welcome WestJet points or the Anniversary WestJet points have been awarded to your WestJet Rewards account, you may not receive the points. This offer may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer. Royal Bank and WestJet reserve the right to modify, cancel or withdraw this offer at any time without notice, even after your application has been approved, including if we suspect that you may be manipulating or abusing it, or engaging in any suspicious or fraudulent activity, as determined by us in our sole discretion.

Annual fee

Primary card$139
Additional card$59

Annual income required

Individual$80,000
Household$150,000

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

  • 2xGroceries
  • 2xGas & EV
  • 2xTransit
  • 2xWith the partner brand
  • 1.5xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,098
2nd Year Value$263

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Included
Travel medical (55-64)Included
Travel medical (65+)Included
Trip CancellationUp to $1,500
Trip InterruptionUp to $5,000
Delayed BaggageUp to $500
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $2,500
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Mobile DeviceIncluded
Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

Our featured card

Featured

WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard‡

RBCWestJet Rewards
Annual fee
$139
Our valuation
$700
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$700Total$700Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
Up to 70,000 points
Ends Nov 4, 2026
Apply Now

on RBC's website

With the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard‡, you can earn up to 70,000 WestJet points as a welcome bonus:

  • 30,000 WestJet points as a welcome bonus with your first purchase
  • 30,000 WestJet points when you charge at least $5,000 in eligible purchases to your card within the first three months
  • 10,000 additional WestJet points after your credit card account’s first anniversary

The offer ends on November 4, 2026.

The benefits in numbers

An annual companion voucher from $119
Charge at least $5,000 in purchases to your card each year and you receive a World Elite Companion Voucher for a round-trip flight, starting at a $119 base fare, plus taxes, fees, surcharges and other air transportation charges. You can exchange it instead for a 30% flight discount for one traveller, a $200 credit towards a WestJet Vacations or Sunwing Vacations package, or airport lounge passes. The exact number of lounge passes granted is to be verified against the RBC terms in force.

A free first checked bag for up to nine people
The first checked bag is free for the primary cardholder and up to 8 guests on the same reservation, on WestJet flights. For a family of four, that is four bags on every leg.

Status Lift: $200 in tier qualifying spend per $5,000
Your everyday purchases move you towards Silver, Gold and even Platinum status. You earn $200 in tier qualifying spend for every $5,000 in purchases charged to the card, up to 50 times per year.

Up to 2 WestJet points per dollar

  • 2 points per dollar on WestJet flights, WestJet Vacations and Sunwing Vacations packages
  • 2 points per dollar at grocery stores and on transportation, including gas, EV charging, public transit and rideshare
  • 1.5 points per dollar on all other everyday purchases

The annual fee is $139, plus $59 per additional card.

Finally, you benefit from extensive insurance coverage: out-of-province or out-of-country emergency medical insurance, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance, flight delay and delayed baggage insurance, hotel or motel burglary insurance, rental vehicle collision and damage insurance.

Legal

® / MC Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada.

‡ All other trademarks are the property of their respective owner(s).

1 To benefit from this offer, your application must be received and approved by Royal Bank of Canada (“Royal Bank”) between June 16, 2026 and November 4, 2026 (“Offer Period”). This offer only applies to new applications for a WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard.

You will receive up to 30,000 welcome WestJet points upon your first purchase (“Welcome WestJet Points”) distributed as follows: (i) 25, 000 Welcome WestJet Points up to six (6) weeks after your first purchase transaction date; and (ii) 5,000 Welcome WestJet Points up to twelve (12) weeks after your first purchase transaction date, provided your first purchase gets posted to your WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard credit card account (“Credit Card Account”) within the first three (3) months of your Credit Card Account opening date (“Period”).

You will receive an additional 30,000 WestJet points (“Additional WestJet Points”) provided a total of $5,000 (“Qualifying Transaction Amount”) or more in qualifying net purchases and/or pre-authorized bill payment transactions (“Qualifying Transaction(s)”) are posted to your Credit Card Account within the Period. The Additional WestJet Points will be awarded approximately six (6) weeks after the date you reach the Qualifying Transaction Amount. Qualifying Transactions exclude cash advances (including balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant), interest charges and fees, and credits for returns and adjustments posted to your Credit Card Account during the Period will reduce the amount of your Qualifying Transactions.

The transaction posting date of each Qualifying Transaction, not the transaction date, will determine whether the transaction will count towards the Qualifying Transaction Amount. This means that Qualifying Transactions that take place prior to the last day of the Period will not count towards the Qualifying Transaction Amount if they have not yet been posted or processed by the merchant, the payment network (Mastercard) or Royal Bank by the last day of the Period.

You will receive an additional 10,000 WestJet points (“Anniversary WestJet Points”) up to sixteen (16) weeks after your Credit Card Account has been open for one (1) year.

Welcome WestJet Points, Additional WestJet Points and Anniversary WestJet Points will be awarded to your WestJet Rewards account, accessible at westjet.com/account, and appear on your monthly credit card statement, provided your Credit Card Account is open and in good standing at the time they are awarded to your WestJet Rewards account, “good standing” meaning that your Credit Card Account must not be past due for more than two (2) consecutive Credit Card Account statement periods, closed, charged off or in credit revoked status at that time.

Only the primary cardholder on the Credit Card Account is eligible for this offer. Additional cardholders(s) (co-applicant and authorized user(s)), as well as existing cardholders on any RBC Royal Bank personal credit card account, transferring to a WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard during the Offer Period, are not eligible for this offer.

If you close your Credit Card Account or change it for another type of RBC Royal Bank credit card before the Welcome WestJet points, Additional Welcome WestJet points or the Anniversary WestJet points have been awarded to your WestJet Rewards account, you may not receive the points. This offer may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer. Royal Bank and WestJet reserve the right to modify, cancel or withdraw this offer at any time without notice, even after your application has been approved, including if we suspect that you may be manipulating or abusing it, or engaging in any suspicious or fraudulent activity, as determined by us in our sole discretion.

Annual fee

Primary card$139
Additional card$59

Annual income required

Individual$80,000
Household$150,000

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

  • 2xGroceries
  • 2xGas & EV
  • 2xTransit
  • 2xWith the partner brand
  • 1.5xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,098
2nd Year Value$263

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Included
Travel medical (55-64)Included
Travel medical (65+)Included
Trip CancellationUp to $1,500
Trip InterruptionUp to $5,000
Delayed BaggageUp to $500
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $2,500
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Mobile DeviceIncluded
Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

Our editorial integrity

Our reviews and rankings are based on an objective assessment. Advertisers do not influence our content. We may receive compensation through some links; our analysis and opinions remain independent.