Their future is so bright, they had to wear shades. They also gave them out.

WestJet on Thursday night held a love-in for Canadian agents at the Carlu event space in downtown Toronto, piling on the food and drinks and then handing out Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses as holiday gifts.

Several speakers, including Richard Bartrem, Vice President Marketing and Communications, and Tim Croyle, Executive Vice President, Commercial, took time out during their speeches to thank agents for their time and energy as WestJet transitions from low-cost airline to a global carrier that is now chasing premium and business customers and their valuable spending habits.

“It was a challenging year for us,” said Croyle, citing labour uncertainty with pilots, changes to the WestJet leadership team, skyrocketing fuel prices and increased competition. “And it was difficult for agents.”

Bartrem said WestJet is entering an exciting chapter. “And we hope you love where we’re going,” he said.

In an interview with TravelPulse Canada, Bartrem said WestJet returned to profitability in the third quarter of this year. “It’s a new era for us, and the 787 is emblematic of that. We’ll take delivery next month and start flying commercially between Calgary and Toronto in February as we transition to a global, full-service carrier.”

Bartrem’s speech was interrupted when his cell phone rang. It looked like he was going to turn it off but noticed it was his mother-in-law calling. Just for fun, he took the call and explained he was in the middle of delivering a speech to 250 people. The audience roared its approval, and Bartrem later explained she was calling to wish him a Happy Birthday.

Bartrem told agents that WestJet feels obligated to go after higher-spending customers. He cited a study that said premium fliers represent 26 per cent of travellers but 56 per cent of total spending.

He also talked about the new WestJet Rewards program, which we covered off in our TravelPulse Canada newsletter on Thursday.

WestJet also showed off a fun video that has comedian Gerry Dee pretending to be the owner of a certain airline rewards card that has been in the news a great deal of late. Dee visits psychics and spiritualists so he can find out what might to his airline points, which appear to be in flux. Finally, he decides it’s better to use a secure WestJet rewards/credit card. It’s quite a good spot.

Chris van Rensburg, Director Guest Experience for WestJet, told agents that flight attendants who will be working in the new business class have been given training by folks who run five-star hotels, as that’s the kind of service they’re aiming for on board the new 787 Dreamliners.

Another WestJet manager, Alfredo Tan, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer, gave a great talk about WestJet’s use of their chatbot, called Juliet, and the oncoming wave of Artificial Intelligence that he said will sweep unprepared companies out of existence.

Tan said WestJet is working with some of the best designers in the world as it re-imagines its digital products. He also talked about using facial recognition technology for entry into WestJet lounges.

“This is our future, and we’re very close,” Jane Clementino, Director, Agency Sales, said in closing remarks. “We want you to come on the journey with us.”