Fifteen new routes in Western Canada. Eleven new ones for Eastern Canadians. And improved connections to Ireland and the UK, as well as sun destinations like Hawaii, Florida and California.
The return to coast-to-coast service options signals an about-take on the strategy adopted in early 2023 when Open Jaw reported Canada’s two national carriers were essentially carving up the country - with Air Canada hunkering down in the east and WestJet in the west.
In a post-pandemic environment, the financial gains from growing one’s home market made sense.
For this summer, WestJet has announced a significant increase in coast-to-coast travel options with the initial release of its 2024 schedule. The airline is set to introduce 10 new routes and return or extend 16 routes that will continue to connect Canadians as part of its robust growth strategy.
Publication of WestJet's full summer schedule will be completed over the coming week.
"Our 2024 summer schedule continues to deliver on our commitment to make critical investments across Canada, providing more affordable options for Canadians and international visitors to connect with the people and places that matter the most," said John Weatherill, WestJet Group Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer. "This summer will see the return of seasonal, leisure-focused flying, to connect Eastern and Western Canada, and substantial growth in service to sun destinations, further cementing our position as Canada's leading leisure airline.
“At our global hub in Calgary and cities across the country, WestJet's schedule supports Canada's visitor economy with more than 75,000 seats arriving each week from Europe, Asia and the United States."
Connecting Canadians Across the Country
In addition to the continued expansion of WestJet's network with 15 new routes to and from Western Canada, this summer, Eastern Canada will benefit from 11 new routes, including:
- New direct seasonal service between Calgary and Deer Lake, Nfld.
- The return of seasonal non-stop service between Toronto and Deer Lake, Nfld., Moncton, N.B., Charlottetown, P.E.I., and Victoria, B.C.
- Return of transatlantic flying between Halifax and Dublin, Edinburgh and London, and St. John's and London (Gatwick)
- 44% growth in Halifax, N.S. and 60% growth in St. John's, Nfld. compared to Summer 2023
Leading in Leisure
As Canada's top choice for leisure travel, the WestJet Group will offer more capacity than any other airline for Canadians looking to fly to popular sun destinations this summer. Highlights include:
- 57% growth in Latin and Caribbean routes over summer 2023
- 56% increase in capacity from Toronto to sun destinations
- More flights between Hawaii and Canada than any other airline, and the only airline providing year-round service between Canada and Maui-Kahului, from both Calgary and Vancouver
Transborder Growth and Expanded Access to Delta hubs
Providing increased opportunities for two-way travel between Canada and the United States, WestJet will grow transborder seat capacity by 26% this summer, including 70% growth to Delta hubs.
Highlights of the transborder schedule include:
- New service between Regina and Minneapolis, Vancouver and Detroit and Edmonton and Atlanta
- Direct connectivity between Edmonton and San Francisco and Nashville
- Return of summer seasonal service between Halifax and St. John's to Orlando, Florida
- More direct flights to Phoenix and Las Vegas from Western Canada than any other airline
Through WestJet's longstanding codeshare partnership with Delta Air Lines, guests can access more than 100 U.S. destinations when connecting through the U.S. airline's hubs in Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Seattle.
WestJet guests can reach Delta's expansive U.S. network on a single purchased ticket with check-in for all flights at the first departure, baggage tagged to their final destination and lounge access for select guests. Additionally, frequent flyers of both airlines will continue to enjoy extensive reciprocal benefits anytime they fly with either carrier, including earning and redeeming WestJet dollars across the entire itinerary.
