WestJet has announced a flurry of new and resumed routes for its upcoming Summer 2023 schedule, including to destinations in Canada and the United States. Many of these routes will operate out of Edmonton, which will see a 50% increase in service compared to 2022 levels.
The Calgary-based airline is also beefing up its domestic and transborder routes from other Western Canadian cities, including service to smaller airports in some markets.
WestJet Doubles Down on Edmonton
In recent months, we’ve seen WestJet reduce or abandon service from Eastern Canada and further stake its claim on Western Canada. Its 50% increase in service to Edmonton comes as no surprise, as the airline looks to strengthen its ties to Western Canada.
Edmonton International Airport (YEG) will see five new routes begin in Summer 2023, as well as the resumption of or increase to service on a number of pre-existing routes.
Twice-weekly flights between Edmonton (YEG) and London, Ontario (YXU) will begin on May 19, 2023, with flight times as follows:
- WS758 Edmonton (YEG) to London (YXU), departing 10:25am and arriving 3:52pm
- WS759 London (YXU) to Edmonton (YEG), departing 4:40pm and arriving 6:33pm
Once-weekly direct flights between Edmonton (YEG) and Charlottetown (YYG) will begin on June 14, 2023, with flight times as follows:
- WS618 Edmonton (YEG) to Charlottetown (YYG), departing 10:25am and arriving 5:58pm
- WS619 Charlottetown (YYG) to Edmonton (YEG), departing 6:45pm and arriving 8:52pm
Twice-weekly flights between Edmonton (YEG) and Moncton (YQM) will begin on June 29, 2023, with flight times as follows:
- WS410 Edmonton (YEG) to Moncton (YQM), departing 10:25am and arriving 5:57pm
- WS411 Moncton (YQM) to Edmonton (YEG), departing 6:50pm and arriving 9:02pm
Two new transborder routes will also launch this summer, connecting Edmontonians to two Delta hubs in the United States.
Five-times weekly service between Edmonton (YEG) and Seattle (SEA) will begin on May 19, 2023, with flight times as follows:
- WS3710 Edmonton (YEG) to Seattle (SEA), departing 10:30am and arriving 11:30am
- WS3711 Seattle (SEA) to Edmonton (YEG), departing 12:15pm and arriving 3:15pm
Five-times weekly service between Edmonton (YEG) and Minneapolis (MSP) will begin on June 2, 2023, with flight times as follows:
- WS1546 Edmonton (YEG) to Minneapolis (MSP), departing 8:15am and arriving 11:46am
- WS1547 Minneapolis (MSP) to Edmonton (YEG), departing 1:00pm and arriving 2:54pm
In addition to the above new routes, WestJet is also resuming or increasing service on other routes departing from Edmonton, including:
- Twice-weekly year-round service to Nanaimo (YCD)
- Six-times weekly flights to Ottawa (YOW), beginning on April 30, 2023
- Twice-weekly service to Montreal (YUL), beginning on June 30, 2023
- Twice-weekly service to Penticton (YYF), as of July 1, 2023
WestJet Expands Domestic Network
Aside from flights departing from Edmonton, WestJet will also add, resume, or increase frequency to a number of other domestic routes.
From its hub in Calgary, we will see three new cross-country flights come into service.
Beginning on May 19, 2023, we’ll see four-times weekly flights between Calgary (YYC) and Quebec City (YQB), with flight times as follows:
- WS300 Calgary (YYC) to Quebec City (YQB), departing 5:55pm and arriving 11:55pm
- WS301 Quebec City (YQB) to Calgary (YYC), departing 6:05am and arriving 9:00am
Beginning on June 14, 2023, we’ll see thrice-weekly flights between Calgary (YYC) and Moncton (YQM), with flight times as follows:
- WS408 Calgary (YYC) to Moncton (YQM), departing 9:15am and arriving 4:49pm
- WS409 Moncton (YQM) to Calgary (YYC), departing 5:35pm and arriving 7:48pm
And beginning on June 29, 2023, we’ll see thrice-weekly flights between Calgary (YYC) and Thunder Bay (YQT), with flight times as follows:
- WS210 Calgary (YYC) to Thunder Bay (YQT), departing 2pm and arriving 6:36pm
- WS211 Thunder Bay (YQT) to Calgary (YYC), departing 7:25pm and arriving 8:20pm
In addition to the above new routes, WestJet is also resuming service on the following routes within Western Canada:
- Twice-weekly service from Winnipeg (YWG) to Victoria (YYJ), as of April 30, 2023
- Four-times weekly service from Calgary (YYC) to Terrace (YXT), as of May 1, 2023
- Twice-weekly service from Kelowna (YLW) to Regina (YQR), as of May 21, 2023
- Twice-weekly service from Kelowna (YLW) to Saskatoon (YXE), as of June 2, 2023
- Thrice-weekly service from Kelowna (YLW) to Winnipeg (YWG), as of June 2, 2023
- Twice-weekly service from Vancouver (YVR) to Regina (YQR), as of June 30, 2023
WestJet Increases Service to US Airports
Lastly, WestJet is increasing service to a number of US airports, either through new routes, resumption of service to previously suspended routes, or the continuation of winter service.
As of May 17, 2023, WestJet will launch a new route from Vancouver (YVR) to Atlanta (ATL), with up to four flights weekly and flight times as follows:
- WS1598 Vancouver (YVR) to Atlanta (ATL), departing 10:25pm and arriving 6:05am
- WS1599 Atlanta (ATL) to Vancouver (YVR), departing 9am and arriving 11:23am
As of May 19, 2023, WestJet will launch a new route from Vancouver (YVR) to Nashville (BNA), with up to two flights weekly and flight times as follows:
- WS1434 Vancouver (YVR) to Nashville (BNA), departing 10am and arriving 4:19pm
- WS1435 Nashville (BNA) to Vancouver (YVR), departing 5:05pm and arriving 7:55pm
As of May 26, 2023, WestJet will launch a new route from Calgary (YYC) to Detroit (DTW), with up to five flights weekly and flight times as follows:
- WS1578 Calgary (YYC) to Detroit (DTW), departing 12:35pm and arriving 6:05pm
- WS1579 Detroit (DTW) to Calgary (YYC), departing 7pm and arriving 9:09pm
As of June 2, 2023, WestJet will launch a new route from Calgary (YYC) to Washington Dulles (IAD), with up to three flights weekly and flight times as follows:
- WS1615 Calgary (YYC) to Washington Dulles (IAD), departing 9:45am and arriving 4:02pm
- WS1616 Washington Dulles (IAD) to Calgary (YYC), departing 4:55pm and arriving 7:42pm
In addition to the above new routes, WestJet has either resumed or continued its service on the following routes:
- Thrice-weekly service from Winnipeg (YWG) to Los Angeles (LAX), as of April 30, 2023
- Twice-weekly service from Toronto (YYZ) to Bermuda (BDA), as of May 5, 2023
- Once-weekly service from Vancouver (YVR) to Orlando (MCO), as of May 6, 2023
- Twice-weekly service from Calgary (YYC) to Austin (AUS), as of May 18, 2023
- Four-times weekly service from Calgary (YYC) to Chicago (ORD), as of May 18, 2023
All flights have been loaded into WestJet’s schedule, and may be booked throughout the schedule.
Conclusion
WestJet has added a number of new domestic and transborder routes to its Summer 2023 schedule. Edmonton saw the lion’s share of new routes and increased service, marking a 50% increase to the airline’s 2022 service in the city.
WestJet has also added several new cross-country and transborder routes out of Calgary and Vancouver. For US flights, passengers will now enjoy easier connections to Delta’s network, as many of the routes are Delta hubs.
The Calgary-based airline has also resumed service or increased frequency to a number of routes that had previously been curtailed or only operated on a seasonal basis.
