WestJet to add Yukon flights this summer, but to Calgary not Vancouver

WestJetis making changes to its seasonal service to Whitehorse this summer, adding an additional weekly flight and connecting the Yukon capital to Calgary, not Vancouver.

Calgary-based WestJetwill fly between its headquartercity and Whitehorse four times weekly, over the summer months. In recent years, the airline's summer service consisted ofthrice-weekly flights between Vancouverand Whitehorse.

Charles Duncan, president of WestJetEncore, WestJet's sister airline, says flying to and from Calgary makes more sense since it's a larger hub for the airline, connecting to 52 other citiescompared to 31 from Vancouver.

"In past years,most of our guests on the airplane were not travelling to Vancouver but actually making a connection somewhere beyond," he said.

"There are 21 additional points on our map that we can serve with just the one stop in Calgary."

Duncan says the flights will leave Calgary latein the evening, and leave Whitehorse early the next morning so travellers can make their connections.

WestJet will continue to use its Boeing 737 aircraft for the Yukon service, since WestJetEncore'ssmallerplanes 78-seat Bombardier Q400s don't have the range to reach Whitehorse from Calgary (or Vancouver).

'Expanding the pie'

Duncan admitsYukon is a competitive market, with year-round service fromAir Canada and Air North, but he believes the market is growing.

"We see ourselves expanding the pie, and you know, bringing down fares as well, and adding competition," he said.

The Whitehorse flights will remain a seasonal service for now, though. Duncan says WestJetwould love to offeryear-round service, but "we just don't see the demand there for it yet."

Whitehorse is one of just two Canadian cities thatWestJetoffers seasonal service to. Theother is Windsor, Ont.

In 2012, the airline started offering daily summer service between Vancouver and Whitehorse, but cut it to three flights a week in2015 because of low demand.

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