WestJet is betting on a strong domestic travel recovery and has announced it’s adding 11 direct flights in Western Canada in June. The company will add the following flights:Toronto to Fort McMurray, Kelowna to Saskatoon, Kelowna to Regina, Saskatoon to Victoria, Winnipeg to Victoria, Edmonton to Kamloops, Edmonton to Penticton, Edmonton to Nanaimo, Prince George to Abbotsford, Ottawa to Victoria and Toronto to Comox. Many of those are new flights and CEO Ed Sims said the start is timed to take advantage of the wind down of COVID-19 restrictions. “We are at an inflection point; one that is buoyed by the rollout of vaccines, months of learning how to take appropriate precautions,” he said.
Earlier this week WestJet announced it plans to restore service to smaller airports in Atlantic Canada in late June. Cities served will include Charlottetown, Fredericton, Moncton, Sydney and Quebec City. “We committed to return to the communities we left as a result of the pandemic, and we will be restoring flights to these regions in the coming months of our own volition,” said Sims.”These communities have been a crucial factor in our success over our 25 years and it is critical for us to ensure they have access to affordable air service and domestic connectivity to drive their economic recovery.”