Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport

[Justanothermember]

WestJet’s largest-ever Winnipeg winter schedule brings 36 per cent capacity growth to Richardson International Airport

WestJet today revealed highlights of its Winnipeg winter 2024/2025 flight schedule, outlining significant growth and commitment to the region, boosting its overall capacity by 36 per cent compared to winter 2023. Guests departing from Winnipeg will have access to 21 nonstop WestJet destinations this winter, including new routes to Montreal, Fort Lauderdale and San Jose del Cabo, with 24 daily departures during peak season.

“Winnipeg will see the largest increase in WestJet capacity across any airport in Western Canada next winter, highlighting our commitment to meeting the community’s growing demand for business and leisure travel,” said John Weatherill, WestJet Group Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer. “This schedule was thoughtfully designed not only to provide Winnipeggers with unmatched access to transborder and sun destinations, but also to optimize schedules to stimulate critical business ties between the region and major Canadian and U.S. cities.”

“We’re proud to be a longtime cornerstone of WestJet’s network and are thankful for their strong, continued commitment to our community,” said Nick Hays, Winnipeg Airports Authority President & CEO. “This significant increase in flights will not only enhance our connectivity but also strengthen the local economy by providing more opportunities for everyone who lives and works here. We’re excited about what the future holds as we continue to work with WestJet to further grow our partnership to support our community.”

Unlocking Canada like never before through significant domestic growth
Building on momentum of WestJet’s summer schedule currently in service, the airline will increase domestic frequencies by 44 per cent on nine routes that are critical to Manitoba’s capital city.

Route Peak Weekly Winter Departures Frequency Increase Per cent

Winnipeg-Montreal 5x Weekly New route
Winnipeg-Edmonton 16x Weekly 167 per cent
Winnipeg-Regina 10x Weekly 150 per cent
Winnipeg-Vancouver 11x Weekly 120 per cent
Winnipeg-Calgary 46x Weekly 31 per cent
Winnipeg-Ottawa 5x Weekly 25 per cent
Winnipeg-Saskatoon 12x Weekly 9 per cent


Included in the winter schedule are enhancements requested by our loyal guests to make business travel more convenient for Winnipeggers, including:

Unlocking better schedules for business travellers with opportunities for same-day return travel including:
- Morning and evening departures to Edmonton
- Double daily service to/from Regina each weekday, complementing double
daily service to/from Saskatoon
- Increased service and optimized departure times to Vancouver for same day
business return trips on most weekdays
- Continued multi-daily flights to Calgary and Toronto
- Increasing nonstop service to Ottawa to operate every weekday with
business-friendly flight times
- New nonstop service to Montreal operating every weekday

WestJet links Winnipeg to popular sun destinations across Mexico and Jamaica

For guests looking to escape to the sun, WestJet will increase capacity between Winnipeg and five leisure destinations by 37 per cent versus winter 2023, fulfilling the airline’s promise to deliver more leisure travel options to the region, including the addition of new nonstop service to Cabo, Mexico.

Route Peak Weekly Winter Departures Frequency increase

Winnipeg-San Jose del Cabo 1x Weekly* New route
Winnipeg-Cancun 7x Weekly* 40 per cent
Winnipeg-Puerto Vallarta 7x Weekly* 17 per cent


Winnipeg benefits from direct connectivity to seven U.S. sun destinations and Delta’s Atlanta hub

WestJet is bolstering its transborder winter service by providing connectivity to seven destinations, including new nonstop flights to Fort Lauderale. Through direct connectivity to the iconic Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, guests will enjoy the advantages of WestJet's codeshare agreement with Delta Airlines, granting access to hundreds of additional destinations from Delta’s busiest hub.

Route Peak Weekly Winter Departures Frequency Increase Percent
Winnipeg-Fort Lauderdale 1x Weekly New route
Winnipeg-Phoenix 4x Weekly 33 per cent
Winnipeg-Atlanta 5x Weekly No change
Winnipeg-Los Angeles 3x Weekly No change
Winnipeg-Las Vegas 2x Weekly Down from 3 weekly last year
Winnipeg-Orlando 3x Weekly Down from 5 weekly last year
Winnipeg-Palm Springs 2x Weekly Down from 4 weekly last year

Source: https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/news/2...ings-36-per-ce

Overall, some major increases to domestic and some Mexican routes. However on the US side, they mostly have decreased services. I was hoping for the smaller 700 series planes for the LAX and ATL routes for daily service, but instead no change. I'm actually disappointed that they have decreased LAS and MCO routes, as both are super popular and well used from YWG in the winter, so no real 'increase' here. The only real increase in service is to PHX.

[bomberjet]

That's awesome regarding the increase in Canadian frequency!

[Justanothermember]

Overall good news yes, however it's still disappointing that we can't get year-round service to Halifax. That was a domestic route enhancement I was really hoping for in this announcement.

Hopefully next year will be the year.

[Myst]

Originally Posted by Justanothermember

Overall good news yes, however it's still disappointing that we can't get year-round service to Halifax. That was a domestic route enhancement I was really hoping for in this announcement.

That’s why YQR and YXE enhancement is important. If the schedule can be revised so that connections are good both ways with about an hour layover, we could all benefit from better connectivity. But without those links…

With a well planned schedule might even be able to attract a few YQT connections.

I don’t know that WS has the right sized aircraft for running it in the winter, but combined prairie traffic would be a heck of a lot closer to making that happen than YWG alone.

[The Jabroni]

Originally Posted by Justanothermember

WestJet’s largest-ever Winnipeg winter schedule brings 36 per cent capacity growth to Richardson International Airport

WestJet today revealed highlights of its Winnipeg winter 2024/2025 flight schedule, outlining significant growth and commitment to the region, boosting its overall capacity by 36 per cent compared to winter 2023. Guests departing from Winnipeg will have access to 21 nonstop WestJet destinations this winter, including new routes to Montreal, Fort Lauderdale and San Jose del Cabo, with 24 daily departures during peak season.

“Winnipeg will see the largest increase in WestJet capacity across any airport in Western Canada next winter, highlighting our commitment to meeting the community’s growing demand for business and leisure travel,” said John Weatherill, WestJet Group Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer. “This schedule was thoughtfully designed not only to provide Winnipeggers with unmatched access to transborder and sun destinations, but also to optimize schedules to stimulate critical business ties between the region and major Canadian and U.S. cities.”

“We’re proud to be a longtime cornerstone of WestJet’s network and are thankful for their strong, continued commitment to our community,” said Nick Hays, Winnipeg Airports Authority President & CEO. “This significant increase in flights will not only enhance our connectivity but also strengthen the local economy by providing more opportunities for everyone who lives and works here. We’re excited about what the future holds as we continue to work with WestJet to further grow our partnership to support our community.”

Unlocking Canada like never before through significant domestic growth
Building on momentum of WestJet’s summer schedule currently in service, the airline will increase domestic frequencies by 44 per cent on nine routes that are critical to Manitoba’s capital city.

Route Peak Weekly Winter Departures Frequency Increase Per cent

Winnipeg-Montreal 5x Weekly New route
Winnipeg-Edmonton 16x Weekly 167 per cent
Winnipeg-Regina 10x Weekly 150 per cent
Winnipeg-Vancouver 11x Weekly 120 per cent
Winnipeg-Calgary 46x Weekly 31 per cent
Winnipeg-Ottawa 5x Weekly 25 per cent
Winnipeg-Saskatoon 12x Weekly 9 per cent


Included in the winter schedule are enhancements requested by our loyal guests to make business travel more convenient for Winnipeggers, including:

Unlocking better schedules for business travellers with opportunities for same-day return travel including:
- Morning and evening departures to Edmonton
- Double daily service to/from Regina each weekday, complementing double
daily service to/from Saskatoon
- Increased service and optimized departure times to Vancouver for same day
business return trips on most weekdays
- Continued multi-daily flights to Calgary and Toronto
- Increasing nonstop service to Ottawa to operate every weekday with
business-friendly flight times
- New nonstop service to Montreal operating every weekday

WestJet links Winnipeg to popular sun destinations across Mexico and Jamaica

For guests looking to escape to the sun, WestJet will increase capacity between Winnipeg and five leisure destinations by 37 per cent versus winter 2023, fulfilling the airline’s promise to deliver more leisure travel options to the region, including the addition of new nonstop service to Cabo, Mexico.

Route Peak Weekly Winter Departures Frequency increase

Winnipeg-San Jose del Cabo 1x Weekly* New route
Winnipeg-Cancun 7x Weekly* 40 per cent
Winnipeg-Puerto Vallarta 7x Weekly* 17 per cent


Winnipeg benefits from direct connectivity to seven U.S. sun destinations and Delta’s Atlanta hub

WestJet is bolstering its transborder winter service by providing connectivity to seven destinations, including new nonstop flights to Fort Lauderale. Through direct connectivity to the iconic Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, guests will enjoy the advantages of WestJet's codeshare agreement with Delta Airlines, granting access to hundreds of additional destinations from Delta’s busiest hub.

Route Peak Weekly Winter Departures Frequency Increase Percent
Winnipeg-Fort Lauderdale 1x Weekly New route
Winnipeg-Phoenix 4x Weekly 33 per cent
Winnipeg-Atlanta 5x Weekly No change
Winnipeg-Los Angeles 3x Weekly No change
Winnipeg-Las Vegas 2x Weekly Down from 3 weekly last year
Winnipeg-Orlando 3x Weekly Down from 5 weekly last year
Winnipeg-Palm Springs 2x Weekly Down from 4 weekly last year

Source: https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/news/2...ings-36-per-ce

Overall, some major increases to domestic and some Mexican routes. However on the US side, they mostly have decreased services. I was hoping for the smaller 700 series planes for the LAX and ATL routes for daily service, but instead no change. I'm actually disappointed that they have decreased LAS and MCO routes, as both are super popular and well used from YWG in the winter, so no real 'increase' here. The only real increase in service is to PHX.

It's about time they put the focus on WestJet's focus city!

Seriously, this is great news! Makes you wonder what the Spring/Summer schedule of next year would be like.

[Justanothermember]

Originally Posted by The Jabroni

It's about time they put the focus on WestJet's focus city!

Seriously, this is great news! Makes you wonder what the Spring/Summer schedule of next year would be like.

My personal wish-list:

- Making LAX and ATL daily
- Making CUN, PHX and MCO year round as they have for most focus cities
- A seasonal SFO flight
- A seasonal YYT flight
- A European flight
- A NYC (JFK) flight
- Making YHZ year-round

I don't think I'm asking for too much here

WAA continues to push for more non-stop service to YWG in the background.

[The Jabroni]

Originally Posted by Justanothermember

My personal wish-list:

- Making LAX and ATL daily
- Making CUN, PHX and MCO year round as they have for most focus cities
- A seasonal SFO flight
- A seasonal YYT flight
- A European flight
- A NYC (JFK) flight
- Making YHZ year-round

I don't think I'm asking for too much here

WAA continues to push for more non-stop service to YWG in the background.

If there's a European flight from Winnipeg, that would be great. Maybe bring back the Winnipeg - London Gatwick route?

[pspeid]

I remember there were some plans for expanding the number of terminals at the airport. Will this increase in flights expedite that plan, or is the current size large enough to handle it?

I just had a flight out last week and the terminal was buzzing in the morning. Not overcrowded, but definitely humming.

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by pspeid

I remember there were some plans for expanding the number of terminals at the airport. Will this increase in flights expedite that plan, or is the current size large enough to handle it?

I just had a flight out last week and the terminal was buzzing in the morning. Not overcrowded, but definitely humming.

There's a plan to add a couple of gates to the east end of the terminal by the transborder area. (4 total?) Biff mentioned it here in January => https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...php?p=10128848

It was a shame when they demolished the old terminal building, I always thought it would be advantageous to have extra gates available. I would probably venture to guess that if traffic ever warranted it, they could use that land to expand the current building or add a second building.

[Winnipeg Grump]

Originally Posted by optimusREIM

There's a plan to add a couple of gates to the east end of the terminal by the transborder area. (4 total?) Biff mentioned it here in January => https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...php?p=10128848

It was a shame when they demolished the old terminal building, I always thought it would be advantageous to have extra gates available. I would probably venture to guess that if traffic ever warranted it, they could use that land to expand the current building or add a second building.

I know a guy on the board and when I poked him about this he said 'how about we pay off the bazillion dollars in debt we took on during the pandemic before we start a big expansion?' But he's a big C conservative kind of guy so that's not surprising in the least!

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by Winnipeg Grump

I know a guy on the board and when I poked him about this he said 'how about we pay off the bazillion dollars in debt we took on during the pandemic before we start a big expansion?' But he's a big C conservative kind of guy so that's not surprising in the least!

I mean fair enough.

[bomberjet]

There is a point to doing an expansion if it means increased profits, that in turn will help pay down the debt. That Big C Conservative better do some soul searching!

[Myst]

Looking at a flight tracker app, I counted 54 departing flights today, including the YQR and YXE departures but omitting all of the Calm Air and Canadian North ground boarded flights. Monday or Friday might have a couple more departures, but today is pretty much peak summer season. So that’s roughly the number of flights that do or should be bridge boarded.

Lots of people like building cathedrals. Overbuilding is bad - it makes the cost per passenger higher that makes it difficult to compete and grow. A fully utilized facility is most cost effective, but also doesn’t allow new additions. And reality is certain times of day will have higher demand, so one flight per hour every hour all day isn’t realistic. But building gates to sit empty also isn’t wise.

The move to more 150 to 180 seat aircraft has effectively increased the terminal capacity. So has the increased number of early departures.

What all that basically means is that with 11 bridges, an average utilization of 5 flights per day does have a bit of capacity available. 6-8 turns per gate is not unusual.

Where there isn’t space is more 7am US departures. And US flights prefer early depart / late return. There’s probably a case for a modest expansion to the US holdroom and a few more bridges for strategic growth reasons, but I’d also argue WS changing its US departures to 9am would be best, which would allow connections and free up 7am capacity. Which may be a reason they wouldn’t want to do it, either.

[rdaner]

I always thought that a flight to Iceland from Winnipeg would make sense. If there is demand in Halifax why not here?

[lotw_wpg]

Originally Posted by rdaner

I always thought that a flight to Iceland from Winnipeg would make sense. If there is demand in Halifax why not here?

I would probably take that flight on a yearly basis lol

[Winnipeg Grump]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

There is a point to doing an expansion if it means increased profits, that in turn will help pay down the debt. That Big C Conservative better do some soul searching!

You could whip together a 2-circle Venn with this guy's name in one and 'soul-searching' in the other - they wouldn't overlap.

[Ozabald]

Originally Posted by rdaner

I always thought that a flight to Iceland from Winnipeg would make sense. If there is demand in Halifax why not here?

Halifax is a major tourist destination; Winnipeg is not. Plus, YHZ is a gateway to other tourist destinations in Atlantic Canada such as PEI for drive/fly visitors. As well, YHZ is the hub airport for Atlantic Canada and has a much larger catchment area than YWG. Much stronger business, cultural, familial and historic links between Europe and Halifax vs. Winnipeg. And YHZ's geography doesn't hurt.

YHZ certainly punches above its weight for its European service for an airport of its size. Service to London (LGW and LHR), Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt (Discover and Condor); plus the aforementioned Reykjavik.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by Winnipeg Grump

You could whip together a 2-circle Venn with this guy's name in one and 'soul-searching' in the other - they wouldn't overlap.

haha

[Atrial78]

Originally Posted by Justanothermember

[B]Overall, some major increases to domestic and some Mexican routes. However on the US side, they mostly have decreased services. I was hoping for the smaller 700 series planes for the LAX and ATL routes for daily service, but instead no change. I'm actually disappointed that they have decreased LAS and MCO routes, as both are super popular and well used from YWG in the winter, so no real 'increase' here. The only real increase in service is to PHX.

The weakness of the Canadian dollar vs the USD is likely playing a role in decreased travel to the US. People are getting more value by going to Mexico or a Canadian destination, rather than Disneyworld. Travel to the US will likely pick up again once the CAD gets closer to 0.75-0.80 vs the USD. May be a couple years, but I imagine the frequency of those flights will increase again.

[Biff]

Originally Posted by Myst

Where there isn’t space is more 7am US departures. And US flights prefer early depart / late return. There’s probably a case for a modest expansion to the US holdroom and a few more bridges for strategic growth reasons, but I’d also argue WS changing its US departures to 9am would be best, which would allow connections and free up 7am capacity. Which may be a reason they wouldn’t want to do it, either.

The 4 gate expansion planned is on the International/US side. I cant recall if any are flex gates or not. I am not sure if any of that programming has changed.