In addition to non-stop flights to Houston, growth in Western Canada includes new daily non-stop flights from Calgary to Yellowknife and Terrace, BC, launching May 3, 2015. WestJet Encore service between Edmonton and Kamloops, BC, announced early last year, is set to begin on February 15, 2015.
CALGARY – WestJet announced two new destinations – Houston, Texas and Gander, Newfoundland – as part of the 2015 summer schedule release. The airline adds a total of nine new routes and increased frequency on 15 established routes.
“We know that 2015 will be driven by competition on every level, and we are ready,” said Bob Cummings, WestJet Executive Vice-President, Sales, Marketing and Guest Experience. “Houston and Gander will connect more people, more often, to established and emerging energy markets, and we continue to improve service for our growing number of business travellers. WestJet resumes service to Dublin and launches service to Glasgow this spring as we further build our European presence, while WestJet Encore now reaches across Canada with the routes announced today. We are an airline experiencing a very exciting evolution that will bring the strength of our low-cost, people-driven guest experience into more markets.”
Houston and Gander may seem like they sit on opposite ends of the spectrum, but the two destinations have more in common than expected. Houston is a big player in the global energy sector, making it a natural choice for new, non-stop jet service from Calgary. Gander is a small but mighty town, now the third WestJet destination in the province, set to benefit from the growth of Newfoundland’s offshore oil boom and the established business-traveller market between Alberta and the “Rock”. Service to Gander from Toronto and Halifax completes WestJet Encore’s progression across Canada – now operating coast-to-coast while bringing lower fares and better connections from British Columbia to Newfoundland.
“As an airline, WestJet takes the route less travelled by preparing in good times for the potentially tough ones ahead,” said WestJet Vice-President, Revenue Management, Paul Harvalias. “Last year we promised we would drop fares, and we followed through by lowering the price of more than six million seats across our network. The fares offered today also reflect on that promise; in addition to ultra-low introductory fares for routes like Houston and Gander, or for our European destinations, we have incredibly competitive pricing across the network throughout the year.”
Guests in Atlantic Canada benefit from a market stimulated by lower fares, more flight options and greater connectivity as WestJet introduces more flights. WestJet launches its second year of competitive rates to Europe when flights resume between St. John’s and Dublin on May 1, 2015, and new flights between Halifax and Glasgow begin May 29, 2015. Halifax sees its largest increase in service beginning July 15, 2015, with new routes to Gander and Deer Lake, Newfoundland, and Sydney, Nova Scotia, as well as increased frequency to St. John’s, Ottawa and Toronto. New WestJet flights between Toronto and Gander begin May 3, 2015, a new WestJet Encore route between Ottawa and Moncton begins July 15, 2015, and service between Toronto and Fredericton, announced last July, begins April 15, 2015.
In addition to non-stop flights to Houston, growth in Western Canada includes new daily non-stop flights from Calgary to Yellowknife and Terrace, BC, launching May 3, 2015. WestJet Encore service between Edmonton and Kamloops, BC, announced early last year, is set to begin on February 15, 2015.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
