Canadian low-cost carrier Westjet Airlines Limited has added seasonal flights to Glasgow in Scotland from Halifax. The daily, non-stop service will commence on May 29th, 2015, following the success of its St. John’s-to-Dublin service which debuted this year. The flights will be operated on one of its Boeing Next-Generation 737-700 series aircraft.
Westjet’s Dublin service, which started this summer, was its most successful ever new route, with 12,000 tickets sold on the first day. In 2015 the service will start six weeks earlier than in 2014, on May 1st.
There will also be a daily (via Halifax) flight from Toronto-to-Glasgow.
Westjet says Boeing 737-700 aircraft will be used for the Glasgow flight.
Nova Scotia has close ties with Scotland
With about one in three residents of Nova Scotia having ties in Scotland, Westjet said a Halifax-to-Scotland connection was a logical next step.
WestJet Executive Vice-President, Sales, Marketing and Guest Experience, Bob Cummings, said:
“This year’s launch of service to Dublin has proved popular with existing transatlantic flyers and with new guests alike, thanks to market growth driven by drastically reduced fares.”
“Fares to Glasgow will be as much as fifty per cent off existing prices, so we’ll once again grow the market. Increased European operational and marketing experience is important as we count the months until four Boeing 767-300ERW aircraft join our fleet to further grow our network.”
The Glasgow-bound flight – WS 30 – was numbered in memory of St. Andrew’s day, which falls on November 30th. St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland. The flight is a 5-hour and 15-minute journey, which is about as long as the Halifax-to-Calgary route.
The Honorable Peter MacKay, Regional Minister for Nova Scotia and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, said many Nova Scotians will be thrilled with the direct connection to Scotland. Not only will the direct flight to Glasgow strengthen economic ties with Europe, it will also “strengthen significant ties to a country that has had a significant impact on Canada’s cultural, social, artistic, military and political fabric.”
A one-way fare to Glasgow from Halifax will cost C$259, including taxes, fees and charges, and C$284.66 from Toronto.
About Westjet
WestJet Airlines Limited is based in Calgary, Alberta. It is Canada’s second largest carrier, after Air Canada. The airline has scheduled and charter flights to 91 destinations in Canada, the US, Mexico, Europe, the Caribbean, and Central America.
The company, which was founded in 1996, operates 425 (average) flights carrying more than 45,000 passengers each day. It carried 18.5 million passengers in 2013, making it North America’s 8th largest airline by passengers carried.
WestJet does not belong to any airline alliance and employs over 10,000 non-unionized workers.
