Tick Tock, Tick Tock

In response to concerns about what it describes as “guest confusion,” WestJet today announced it is changing the way it displays its flight schedule, switching from its current system of “a.m.” and “p.m.” to metric time.

The change takes effect immediately (April 1, 2014).

Richard Bartrem, vice-president, communications and community relations for WestJet, explained: “This has long been a source of confusion for a number of our guests. Some are used to the traditional ‘a.m.’ and ‘p.m.’ designations while others live their lives on the 24-hour clock, particularly those with medical, military or law enforcement backgrounds.”

Bartrem explained that: “The confusion stems from the fact there is no one universally-accepted way to express time and as a result, unfortunately, sometimes guests miss their flights.”

He continued: “We hope that by converting our flight schedule to metric time, it will simplify things for our guests and ensure they arrive for their flights with lots of time to spare.”

To further assist its passengers, WestJet has also provided a metric time conversion formula and an explanatory video on its web site.

With a change as significant as this, Press Today highly recommends that you visit http://www.westjet.com/metrictime to view the video …

Oh, and remember, it is Tues., April 1, 2014 … hint, hint, nudge, nudge …