Return of service connecting two cities comes just in time to support business and leisure travel to and from Okanagan region through winter season
KELOWNA, BC, Aug. 16, 2023 /CNW/ – WestJet today announced the addition of non-stop service between Kelowna and Toronto to the airline’s 2023/24 winter schedule. Operating twice weekly, WestJet’s winter service between Kelowna and Toronto will begin November 5, 2023.
“WestJet is pleased to offer enhanced connectivity between Kelowna and Toronto now on this winter which will provide a convenient and affordable travel option for our guests travelling between these two cities for business or leisure,” said Jane McCurdy, WestJet Director, Network Planning and Alliances. “The addition of this new route to our winter schedule, is a further continuation of our growth strategy’s focus on providing non-stop service connecting eastern and Western Canada twelve months of the year.”
Details of WestJet’s winter service between Kelowna and Toronto
Route
Days of Week
Depart
Arrive
Kelowna – Toronto
Monday & Friday
10:00 a.m.
5:13 p.m.
Toronto – Kelowna
Sunday & Thursday
7:30 p.m.
9:24 p.m.
Reaffirming its commitment to providing connectivity from Eastern to Western Canada as part of the airline’s growth strategy, the addition of service between Kelowna and Toronto marks WestJet’s nine non-stop routes from Kelowna and 40 non-stop routes from Toronto as part of its upcoming winter schedule.
About WestJet
In 27 years of serving Canadians, WestJet has cut airfares in half and increased the flying population in Canada to more than 50 per cent. WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees and more than 110 destinations in 24 countries.
Richmond, BC – Pacific Coastal Airlines is thrilled to announce the introduction of two new routes at the Nanaimo Airport, further enhancing its commitment to connecting communities and providing convenient travel options for passengers.
Starting Tuesday, September 12, 2023, Pacific Coastal Airlines will operate daily non-stop flights on the Nanaimo – Vancouver South Terminal and Nanaimo – Kelowna routes, utilizing the 19-passenger pressurized turboprop Beechcraft 1900 aircraft. This aircraft offers passengers comfortable seating, a spacious 6-foot cabin height, and ample cargo capacity, ensuring a pleasant and convenient travel experience.
The flight schedules for the new routes are as follows:
Nanaimo – Vancouver South Terminal:
Flight Number
Route
Departure
Arrival
Effective Date
8P1710
Nanaimo (YCD) – Vancouver (YVR South Terminal)
7:45
8:15
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
8P1715
Vancouver (YVR South Terminal) – Nanaimo (YCD)
14:55
15:25
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Nanaimo – Kelowna:
Flight Number
Route
Departure
Arrival
Effective Date
8P1857
Nanaimo (YCD) – Kelowna (YLW)
15:50
16:55
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
8P1858
Kelowna (YLW) – Nanaimo (YCD)
17:20
18:25
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
“We are thrilled to announce these two new routes and add Nanaimo as a new destination to our route network,” said Johnathan Richardson, VP of Customer & Commercial. “Our unique Nanaimo – Vancouver South Terminal service will provide seamless connections to other destinations in our network and offer customers a new option of travelling with ease from the South Terminal, while our Nanaimo – Kelowna service will provide the only non-stop flight option enabling customers to travel between these communities in just over an hour.”
Dave Devana, President and CEO at Nanaimo Airport Commission said, “We are very pleased to partner with Pacific Coastal to bring direct services to both the South Terminal (YVR) and Kelowna (YLW). This partnership will allow our customers to access all of BC through Pacific Coastal’s extensive network of routes within BC. We are very excited to expand the route options for our customers.”
Russ Atkinson, Director of Air Service Development at Vancouver Airport Authority, expressed enthusiasm about Pacific Coastal Airlines’ expansion: “We welcome Pacific Coastal Airlines’ new route from YVR’s South Terminal to Nanaimo as part of its growing service between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. This new service further connects our communities, giving British Columbians and those who travel here another option to visit Nanaimo and other destinations on the Island, while providing important air access for the region to Vancouver and beyond.”
“We are so excited to be offering Nanaimo as a new destination and provide expanded regional service for Okanagan residents,” says Sam Samaddar, Kelowna Airport Director. “Pacific Coastal has been operating out of YLW for 10 years, and we are happy to be able to continue to have them as a valued partner.”
Tickets for the new routes are now available for purchase. Passengers can book their flights by visiting pacificcoastal.com, contacting the Call Centre at 1-800-663-2872, or reaching out to their preferred travel agent.
As a special promotion to celebrate the launch of these routes, Pacific Coastal Airlines is offering a 20% discount on bookings using the promo code: WELCOMENANAIMO. Visit pacificcoastal.com for more details.
As part of establishing new routes at the Nanaimo Airport, Pacific Coastal Airlines has introduced a new pilot base at the Nanaimo Airport and is currently recruiting for pilots to fly the Beechcraft B1900 who wish to be based on Vancouver Island. Interested applicants can learn more here.
About Pacific Coastal Airlines
Pacific Coastal Airlines is a privately-owned British Columbia-based regional airline operating from Vancouver International Airport’s South Terminal (YVR) that currently flies to 17 airports in British Columbia. Connecting to additional destinations along the south coast of British Columbia through its affiliate airline Wilderness Seaplanes, located in Port Hardy on northern Vancouver Island.
To celebrate, Lynx is launching a seat sale, offering up to 50 per cent off base fares on Hamilton and Kelowna routes
CALGARY, Alberta, March 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lynx Air (Lynx) today announced the addition of two new routes from Hamilton to Vancouver and from Toronto to Kelowna, providing new ultra-affordable options between these popular destinations.
Canada’s leading ultra-affordable airline will offer seasonal summer services between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Kelowna International Airport (YLW) starting April 13, 2023, and between Hamilton’s John C. Munroe International Airport (YHM) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR) starting April 16, 2023. Both services will operate as “through flights” via Calgary International Airport (YYC), providing a seamless service with a single boarding pass and the ability to check bags through to the final destination.
Tickets go on sale today, and the fares are truly ultra-affordable, starting from $89* one way between Hamilton and Vancouver and $85* one way between Toronto and Kelowna, including taxes and fees. To celebrate, the airline has launched a limited-time seat sale, offering up to 50 per cent off all base fares on all Hamilton and Kelowna routes. The sale will run from March 23, 2023, ending at 11:59 PM EDT on March 25, 2023, and can be accessed with the promo code: FLYSUMMER. For complete details and to book an ultra-affordable fare, visit FlyLynx.com.
“As Canadians look to book their Summer vacation, we are excited to offer more ultra-affordable links between the communities of Kelowna, Toronto, Hamilton and Vancouver,” said Merren McArthur, CEO of Lynx. “We know the airline industry has had some challenges over the last 12 months and we want to assure Canadians that they can book with confidence on Lynx. I am proud to say that since our launch in April 2022, Lynx has had the lowest cancellation rate in Canada. Whether you are flying to visit loved ones or for a well-earned vacation, Lynx Air will provide a great flying experience at an ultra-affordable price.”
“Vancouver is a destination that our passengers have requested year over year, so we are very excited that Lynx is adding a Vancouver connection and expanding its services from Hamilton International Airport. The addition of this long-awaited destination provides travellers from across Southern Ontario another low-cost, affordable option to explore the beautiful landscapes and rich history of Canada’s west coast,” saidCole Horncastle, Executive Managing Director of John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport.
“April is our one-year anniversary of having Lynx operating at YLW and providing affordable options for Okanagan residents,” says Sam Samaddar, Airport Director, Kelowna International Airport. “I am happy to see Lynx expand and offer routes to popular destinations, such as Toronto.”
Lynx Air has recently announced the addition of Montreal and Fredericton to its network of destinations. This brings the total number of destinations on Lynx’s network to 16. By Summer 2023 Lynx will offer over 240 flights per week across North America, which equates to over 45,000 seats.
Lynx Air Summer Schedule
Calgary to/from Fredericton**
Toronto to/from Edmonton
Calgary to/from Halifax**
Toronto to/from Fredericton
Calgary to/from Hamilton
Toronto to/from Halifax
Calgary to/from Kelowna
Toronto to/from Kelowna**
Calgary to/from Las Vegas
Toronto to/from Orlando
Calgary to/from Los Angeles
Toronto to/from St. John’s
Calgary to/from Montreal
Toronto to/from Vancouver
Calgary to/from Phoenix
Toronto to/from Winnipeg
Calgary to/from St. John’s**
Montreal to/from St. John’s
Calgary to/from Toronto
Vancouver to/from Winnipeg
Calgary to/from Vancouver
Vancouver to/from Hamilton**
Calgary to/from Victoria
Edmonton to/from Halifax**
Calgary to/from Winnipeg
Edmonton to/from St. John’s**
*Available for a limited time; fares are accurate at the time of release and include taxes and fees; fares vary by destination and date. Visit the website for full schedule details. **Operating as through flights with a single boarding pass and baggage transferred to the final destination.
About Lynx Air
Lynx Air (Lynx), Canada’s leading ultra-low-cost airline, is on a mission to make air travel accessible to all, with ultra-affordable fares and a customer-focused flying experience. The airline was recently awarded Youngest Fleet in North America by ch-aviation and has achieved the lowest cancellation rate in Canada since its launch in April 2022. Lynx operates a brand-new fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, bringing an elevated customer experience to low-cost travel in Canada. These ultra-efficient and reliable aircraft reduce Lynx’s carbon footprint, making Lynx one of Canada’s most sustainable airlines. Lynx is a privately owned Canadian airline with the financial backing and industry expertise required to transform the Canadian aviation landscape.
WestJet Group Chief Executive Officer Alexis von Hoensbroech today joined Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas and Airport Director Sam Samaddar to meet with valued partners and leaders across Kelowna’s business, travel and tourism sectors. Those gathered discussed the importance of WestJet’s investments in the region and the airline’s renewed focus on Kelowna as the airline’s ambitious growth strategy takes flight. “WestJet is a highly valued partner at Kelowna International Airport and for our entire City,” said Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas. ”I am excited to see this relationship continue to grow through additional air service to support development of our local community”
This summer, through the resumption of service to popular domestic destinations and enhanced frequencies on existing routes, WestJet’s total seat capacity to Kelowna International Airport will increase by 28 per cent compared to 2022 and further strengthen the region’s visitor and business economies. Through today’s visit to the region, WestJet remains committed to continuing to work alongside key partners to further build upon its 27-year legacy of serving the community. “WestJet has been part of the Kelowna community for 27 years,” said Samaddar. “WestJet’s commitment to Kelowna has allowed us to grow exponentially to become the 10th busiest Airport in the country.”
“WestJet is incredibly proud of our longstanding history of investment in Kelowna which has spanned across our 27-years of serving Canadians,” said von Hoensbroech. “Ensuring that we take the time to connect with our airport and community partners is a vital aspect of our new strategy as we work to collectively ensure that Kelowna continues to benefit from affordable air travel and enhanced connectivity to popular destinations across WestJet’s growing network.”
Winter 2023 will see an expansion in Las Vegas with the addition of service from Ottawa and Calgary
Existing Phoenix service will move from Phoenix-Mesa to Sky Harbor and new route from Calgary to begin in October
Majority of Winter 2023 capacity to be international or transborder
EDMONTON, AB, March 7, 2023 /CNW/ – Today, Flair Airlines, Canada’s everyday low fare airline, announces the release of an exciting winter 2023 schedule. The schedule features added depth across the network to give customers more choice, particularly to sunshine, at low fares.
Today’s announcement includes several new routes, including Toronto to Puerto Vallarta (beginning October 29, 4x weekly), Kitchener-Waterloo to Puerto Vallarta (beginning December 16, 3x weekly), Calgary to Las Vegas (beginning October 30, 7x weekly), and Calgary to Phoenix (beginning October 30, 4x weekly). Flair will also be the only carrier to serve Ottawa to Las Vegas (beginning October 13, 2x weekly).
Existing service from Vancouver and Edmonton to Phoenix will move to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport for the season, along with the new service from Calgary to Phoenix.
“With today’s exciting announcement, we are reaffirming our commitment to Canadians,” said Stephen Jones, President and Chief Executive Officer, Flair Airlines. “Our network offers more choice to more sun destinations than ever before. Rather than one reprieve from winter, we look forward to Canadians taking the opportunity to try all of the amazing destinations in our network.”
“We’ve optimized our network this winter to match demand for sun. It’s clear that Canadians want more affordable options for sun, more often,” said Garth Lund, Chief Commercial Officer, Flair Airlines. “We’ve focused on adding depth to our network by increasing frequencies on popular routes. We’ll now have daily service various routes, including Vancouver to Los Angeles and Toronto to Orlando to make it easier for Canadians to plan their winter travel.”
One-way fares at flyflair.com begin at $9 one way including taxes and fees (Thunder Bay to Toronto). Limited seats for a limited time. Flights are available for booking at flyflair.com.
All routes, including the winter schedule, are now on sale for 20% off base fare with code: SAVE20. Sale starts on March 7 and ends on March 9, 2023, for travel from March 7, 2023, to March 14, 2024. Terms and conditions apply. Limited seats for a limited time. *
About Flair Airlines
Flair Airlines is Canada’s leading low-fare airline and its greenest airline, on a mission to provide affordable air travel that connects them to the people and experiences they love. With an expanding fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, Flair is growing to serve over 35 cities across Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. For more information, please visit www.flyflair.com.
*Use promo code: SAVE20. Limited seats for a limited time. Base fare only. Taxes and fees not included. Sale start: March 7, 2023. Sale end: March 9, 2023. Blackout dates: April 6 – April 7, 2023; April 10, 2023; May 18 – May 19, 2023; May 22 – May 23, 2023; June 30, 2023; September 1 – September 4, 2023; October 6 – October 9, 2023; November 10 – November 13, 2023; December 15, 2023 – January 7, 2024; February 15 – February 20, 2024.
Winter 2023 Weekly Frequencies
Transborder
Toronto (YYZ) – Fort Lauderdale (FLL): 14x weekly
Vancouver (YVR) – Los Angeles (LAX): 7x weekly
Toronto (YYZ) – New York (JFK): 4X weekly
Toronto (YYZ) – Las Vegas (LAS): 4x weekly
Vancouver (YVR) – San Francisco (SFO): 4x weekly
Ottawa (YOW) – Fort Lauderdale (FLL): 4x weekly
Toronto (YYZ) – Orlando (SFB): 7x weekly
Vancouver (YVR) – Las Vegas (LAS): 7x weekly
Edmonton (YEG) – Las Vegas (LAS): 4x weekly
Kitchener-Waterloo (YKF) – Fort Lauderdale (FLL): 4x weekly
Airline bolsters ambitious growth strategy with increased options for guests to travel across summer network
CALGARY, AB, March 6, 2023 /CNW/ – WestJet today announced significant increases to its summer schedule bringing more seats and additional flight frequencies to popular routes across its network. With nearly 600 daily departures during peak travel days, WestJet’s summer schedule enhancements will bring more opportunities for Canadians to travel seamlessly across the airline’s domestic, transborder and international network this summer.
“Providing our guests with even more opportunity to travel across our network this summer comes as a result of a thoughtfully designed schedule that balances the high demand for travel alongside a reliable and resilient operation,” said John Weatherill, WestJet Group Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer. “With more seats available for booking and added capacity on popular routes, our summer schedule reflects a strengthened commitment to providing seamless domestic and transborder connectivity for our guests.”
Highlights of WestJet’s summer schedule increases over 2022:
64 per cent increase in seat capacity to/from Regina
46 per cent increase in seat capacity to/from Saskatoon
44 per cent increase in seat capacity to/from Edmonton
42 per cent increase in seat capacity to/from Winnipeg
27 per cent increase in seat capacity to/from Calgary
13 per cent increase in seat capacity to/from Kelowna
5 per cent increase in seat capacity to/from Vancouver
Enhanced flight frequencies across popular domestic and transborder routes:
Route
2023 peak summer frequency
2022 peak summer frequency
Edmonton – Las Vegas
11x weekly
4x weekly
Edmonton – Los Angeles
7x weekly
4x weekly
Calgary – Denver
4x weekly
2x weekly
Calgary – Houston
13x weekly
7x weekly
Calgary – New York (JFK)
7x weekly
4x weekly
Vancouver – Saskatoon
7x weekly
4x weekly
Vancouver – Ottawa
11x weekly
5x weekly
Calgary – Yellowknife
14x weekly
7x weekly
Calgary – Windsor
7x weekly
3x weekly
Calgary – London, Ont.
14x weekly
7x weekly
Calgary – Montreal
20x weekly
13x weekly
Edmonton – Kelowna
35x weekly
27x weekly
Edmonton – Winnipeg
20x weekly
6x weekly
Edmonton – Yellowknife
7x weekly
3x weekly
Edmonton – Saskatoon
14x weekly
6x weekly
Edmonton – Regina
14x weekly
6x weekly
Edmonton – Victoria
20x weekly
13x weekly
Edmonton – Halifax
13x weekly
7x weekly
Winnipeg – Thunder Bay
13x weekly
7x weekly
Winnipeg – Saskatoon
12x weekly
7x weekly
About WestJet
In 27 years of serving Canadians, WestJet has cut airfares in half and increased the flying population in Canada to more than 50 per cent. WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees and more than 110 destinations in 24 countries.
For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com.
Recent recognitionincludes:
2020/2019 Number-One Ranked Canadian Airline Loyalty Program in Member Engagement (Bond Brand Loyalty)
2019/2018/2017 Best Airline in Canada (TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards for Airlines) 2019 Winner Among Mid-Sized Airlines in North America (TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards for Airlines)
2019/2018 Number-One-Ranked Airline Credit Card in Canada (Rewards Canada)
EDMONTON, AB, March 3, 2023 /CNW/ – The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is deploying an investigator to Kelowna, British Columbia, to investigate an inflight engine fire that resulted in the diversion of a WestJet Encore De Havilland DHC-8-402 aircraft on 02 March 2023. The TSB will gather information and assess the occurrence.
The TSB is an independent agency that investigates air, marine, pipeline, and rail transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.
