Airline announces new flights in Alberta and Saskatchewan
CALGARY, Feb. 19, 2013 /CNW/ - WestJet today announced it will use its
new fleet of Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft to enhance its schedule
in Alberta and Saskatchewan beginning this spring.
Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie and Saskatoon will see an increase in
the number of flights to their cities this summer on a year-over-year
basis.
"This type of flying demonstrates the versatility of the Q400 aircraft,"
said Ferio Pugliese, President, WestJet Encore and Executive
Vice-President, WestJet. "In addition to new destinations, we are now
able to effectively connect cities that have WestJet service but not
between each other or, in some cases, now offer service year-round. It
also allows us to operate more efficiently, since these aircraft have
the right amount of seats needed on certain routes or at certain times
of the day. This versatility opens up many new possibilities to serve
even more Canadians in the future, as well as increase frequency of
flights to better serve business travellers."
WestJet will extend service between Calgary and Grande Prairie to
year-round from seasonal, adding one new daily flight in August,
operated by WestJet Encore. WestJet will also increase the number of
daily flights between Calgary and Edmonton to nine from seven by
September. Both new flights, as well as two existing flights on
WestJet's Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft, will be operated by
WestJet Encore.
Between Edmonton and Grande Prairie, WestJet will increase the number of
daily flights to three from two by September, and all flights between
the two cities will be operated by WestJet Encore.
There are also a number of changes to flights between Alberta and
Saskatchewan. WestJet will increase the number of daily flights between
Calgary and Saskatoon to five from four. The new flight will be
operated by WestJet Encore beginning June 24, 2013. Between Calgary and
Regina, one of the four daily flights between these cities will be
operated by WestJet Encore beginning in August.
As part of WestJet's 2013 summer schedule, both Saskatoon and Regina
also see the addition of three more flights per week to Toronto.
WestJet Encore will take delivery of its first two Canadian-built,
78-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft in June 2013 and add five
more by the end of the year. WestJet has firm orders for a total of 20
Q400s and options for an additional 25 over the next six years.
"Last week's announcement of the first two destinations, Fort St. John
and Nanaimo, B.C., as well as schedule improvements in Alberta and
Saskatchewan, are really just the beginning of things to come for
WestJet Encore," said Ferio Pugliese, President, WestJet Encore and
Executive Vice-President, WestJet. "As we take delivery of additional
aircraft in the years to come, we will add more destinations and
continue to enhance our schedule to serve our guests."
About WestJet
WestJet is Canada's most preferred airline, offering scheduled service
to 85 destinations in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Powered by an award-winning culture of care, WestJet pioneered low-cost
flying in Canada. Recognized nationally as a top employer, WestJet now
has more than 9,000 WestJetters across Canada. Operating a fleet of
more than 100 Boeing Next-Generation 737 and Bombardier Q400 NextGen
aircraft, WestJet strives to be one of the five most successful
international airlines in the world.
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SOURCE: WestJet
