WestJet accelerates Winnipeg winter schedule

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This article was published 22/07/2024 (471 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WestJet will increase its Winnipeg winter schedule by more than one third compared with the same time last year, the airline announced Monday.

Calgary-based WestJet said it is boosting its schedule by 36 per cent compared to winter 2023, the largest increase among the airline’s Western Canadian network. The increase includes new routes to Montreal, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and San Jose del Cabo, a resort city on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.

While the southern destinations are designed to be seasonal routes, the Montreal route is an extension of what was originally introduced as a summer route that started last month.

Michel Rosset, a spokesman for the Winnipeg Airports Authority, said the strength of the partnership between the WAA and WestJet is such anything is possible.

“Fort Lauderdale, for instance, is expected to be a winter route but really nothing is off the table,” said Rosset. “It’s a true testament of the strength of our partnership.”

Winnipeg Richardson International Airport has been a cornerstone of WestJet’s network since the airline launched in 1996.

Earlier this year, the airline announced it would start non-stop service to Nashville from Winnipeg this fall because of availability of aircraft.

John Weatherill, WestJet executive vice-president and chief commercial officer (who’s from Winnipeg), said the airline has had a great, long-standing relationship with the Manitoba capital.

“Winnipeg is certainly one of our most important markets,” he said in an interview with the Free Press. “We have a strategy now that involves growing our presence to and from and within Western Canada and, of course, that includes Winnipeg.”

Another indication of its importance is while the airline in total is still not back to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels in passenger counts, it is 25 per cent above pre-pandemic levels when it comes to business out of Winnipeg and 36 per cent ahead of last winter.

The airline established a pilot base in Winnipeg in fall 2023 and a flight attendant base in early 2024.

WestJet has launched a flurry of new transborder non-stop destinations from Winnipeg in recent years, including Los Angeles and Atlanta.

The growing volume of traffic in and out of Winnipeg means by the end of the year WestJet will account for 43 per cent of the capacity at Richardson International Airport, compared to 26 per cent from Air Canada.

“This significant increase in flights will not only enhance our connectivity but also strengthen the local economy by providing more opportunities for everyone who lives and works here,” Nick Hays, WAA president and CEO, said in a news release.

The new hot spot routes were announced in May. The airline announced in April it will begin offering daily year-round flights to Montreal and Ottawa, and seasonal flights to Nashville.

“This schedule was thoughtfully designed not only to provide Winnipeggers with unmatched access to transborder and sun destinations, but also to optimize schedules to stimulate critical business ties between the region and major Canadian and U.S. cities,” said Weatherill.

That means the airline now offers same-day return business return service to Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto, and additional non-stop service to Ottawa and Montreal, with schedules friendly to business travellers.

“We are really trying to improve the schedule utility,” Weatherill said. “That is where a lot of the capacity growth is coming from.”

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca