WestJet says 'bonjour' to Paris, adds LGW from YHZ

WestJet will commence daily direct flights from Halifax to both London-Gatwick and Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport this spring, part of the carrier’s 2018 summer schedule announced today (Jan. 29).

On April 29, WestJet will begin daily service between Halifax and London-Gatwick, with daily service to Paris beginning May 31. All flights will be operated on the airline's new Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft and one-way intro fares from Halifax to Paris or London are available now for just $199 all in.

"As the carrier with the most transatlantic flights from Halifax, we are thrilled to announce our first foray onto the European mainland," said Ed Sims, WestJet executive vice-president, commercial. "Venturing to London and now Paris is an indication of our ambitious growth plans as we move towards becoming a global network carrier. This is an investment that will help launch new flights in the future and further expand our presence in YHZ – a key driver in economic and employment growth."

WestJet currently serves 16 cities from the Halifax International Airport, up from six in 2013, including 10 Canadian, two transborder, one international and three European destinations; at peak summer schedule, the airline will operate more than 25 flights per week. Since 2012, the airline's traffic from Halifax has grown by more than 160 per cent, WestJet said.

This summer, WestJet will operate an average of 765 daily flights to 92 destinations including 43 in Canada, 22 in the United States, 23 in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, and four in Europe. In addition to the above increases to Halifax service, highlights of WestJet's 2018 summer schedule include:

• The addition of almost 200 flights to WestJet's hubs including 60 to Vancouver, 72 to Calgary and 28 to Toronto.
• New non-stop four-time weekly service between Calgary and Whitehorse.
• Additional flights from Vancouver to a number of domestic and international destinations including Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Edmonton, Kelowna, Ottawa, Regina, Fort St. John and Victoria.
• Additional flights from Calgary to a number of transborder and sun destinations including Nashville, Cancun, Dallas / Ft. Worth and Las Vegas.
• Additional flights from Calgary to a number of domestic destinations including Nanaimo, Edmonton, Halifax, Kelowna, Fort McMurray, Windsor, Grand Prairie, Montreal, Abbotsford, Penticton and Victoria.
• An increase of 24 weekly flights between Vancouver and Calgary for a total of 16 times daily, with hourly service in both directions (top of the hour from Vancouver, and bottom of the hour from Calgary).
• Additional flights from Edmonton to a number of transborder and domestic destinations including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Kelowna, Fort McMurray and Saskatoon.
• An increase of 14 weekly flights between Edmonton and Calgary for a total of 12 times daily.
• Additional flights from Toronto to a number of sun destinations including Cancun, Montego Bay, Nassau, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana and Fort Myers.
• Additional flights from Toronto to a number of Canadian destinations including Ottawa, Montreal, Saskatoon and Victoria.
• An increase of nine new weekly flights between Toronto and Ottawa for a total of 13 times daily.
• An increase of nine weekly flights between Toronto and Montreal for a total of 14 times daily.

For more information on new routes and increased frequencies in WestJet's 2018 summer schedule, visit westjet.com/flight-schedules-new.