Winnipeg to London, non-stop

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This article was published 08/05/2016 (3451 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Among the 245 people boarding WestJet’s inaugural non-stop flight from Winnipeg to London, England was three generations of the Furgala family.

Grandmother Caroline Furgala, her daughter Christine Furgala and Caroline’s granddaughter Sydney Yarmiy waited patiently for their boarding call to cross the pond Saturday night at Richardson International Airport.

For the family, it’s not their first time travelling internationally— they recently visited Switzerland — but it’s their first time travelling as a trio, and they have a purpose to their madness. They’re Girl Guides, and London just happens to house one of the Girl Guides world centres.

“We’re doing an independent travel, and we will be there for three weeks. We plan on doing a bunch of geocaching as well,” Christine said. “This is amazing, to be travelling together.”

WestJet announced the transatlantic, non-stop service last year, with tickets starting at a special introductory offer of $279. A last-minute ticket Saturday night would have cost $777 for one of the remaining 17 seats. Red-eye flights from Winnipeg will take place every Saturday night at 9 p.m. between May 7 and Oct. 1 and will land in London’s Gatwick Airport. WestJet bought four new Boeing 767-300 airplanes, each with a capacity to carry 262 passengers.

“It’s exciting for us because up until now, we were limited on where we could fly,” said Harry Taylor, executive vice-president and chief financial officer at WestJet. “These new planes allow us to fly to a number of new places we previously couldn’t. We want to bring lower fares and our caring and friendly service to those skies.”

Making their trip possible, and a common theme coming from many passengers Saturday, was the non-stop nature of the flight, something the city hasn’t seen in nearly a decade.

“It’s huge. It’s a flight that was in most demand among our customers, so it was just a question of getting the right carrier and the right airport; we wanted it to be London,” said Pascal Belanger, vice-president and chief commercial officer of the Winnipeg Airports Authority. “London is the main market, so it’s of vital importance. It’s one of the services we expect to grow well over the years. We can support the service easily now.”

For Christine Warren, having to lay over in Toronto and get around by wheelchair through busy Toronto Pearson International Airport was more than just an inconvenience.

“I go every two years, and I hate having to go through that airport,” she said. “It’s also more expensive because you have to take two flights to get there.”

Passengers waiting to board were treated to a live band playing selections from some of Britain’s biggest acts, including the Spice Girls. Each passenger also received a gift bag courtesy of WestJet as they boarded.

Shannon and David Golding travel to England each year to visit his family. A normal trip, they said, costs them more than $5,000 through Air Canada. They say they were able to secure round-trip airfare for themselves and their young son for half that cost through WestJet this year.

“We’re thrilled,” Shannon said. “It’s also great for my husband’s parents, who are older, to take just one flight to come over here. And we love the pricing.

WestJet plans to keep those prices as attractive for prospective passengers.

“We have to make sure we keep our costs low, Taylor said. “There has to be enough demand, and we believe there is. We are running this seasonally, and there is a demand right now between now and the beginning of October.”

Mayor Brian Bowman said direct access is great for those in the province and great for tourism.

“Winnipeg is a growing, thriving city, and with that comes the expectations of increased amenities to travel and tourism, he said. “This is something we absolutely welcome, and I’m looking forward to welcoming Londoners to Winnipeg so they can enjoy amenities like the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Investors Group Field, Journey to Churchill and the soon-to-be new Inuit Arts Centre.”

The flight is also offered in five other Canadian cities: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and St. John’s. Come fall, WestJet will point the 767s in the opposite direction with non-stop flights to winter getaway destination Hawaii.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @scottbilleck