WestJet Announces Calgary to Europe Flights For New Dreamliners

Direct flights from Western Canada to three of the top destinations in Europe on one of the world’s great airplanes. Not to mention new branding and changes to a major Canadian loyalty program.

WestJet on Wednesday announced the starting dates for its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights. They’ll use their three new 787’s next spring direct from Calgary to Paris, Dublin and London Gatwick.

Tickets went on sale at noon Eastern Time on Wednesday, Oct. 10. The flights to London start April 28, while flights to Paris begin May 17 and flights to Dublin on June 1, WestJet President and CEO Ed Sims said at a press conference in Calgary.

WestJet will be the first Canadian airline to base Dreamliners at the growing Calgary International Airport.

Sims said the flights (14 per week) will give more options for Canadians and keep prices down. They’ll also add to the already significant impact WestJet has in Calgary, Alberta and all across Canada.

Sims said WestJet has a new logo and that the fuselage on their planes will be painted with the words “The Spirit of Canada” in both English and French.

"Alberta's connectivity to the rest of the world is vital for our economy," said Sims. "WestJet is investing in Alberta to bring further economic growth, boost tourism to the province, and to further position our city as an international aviation hub. We are excited to bring Albertans to the world and the world to Alberta."

Sims said Calgary currently is “underserved” in terms of flights to Europe.

“Western Canada, traditionally, is underserved on transatlantic (flights), and by contrast, a lot of the Eastern Canadian airports have got quite dense traffic flows already,” he said. “We think there’s a great opportunity to both introduce a new generation of travellers onto these services and obviously to move travellers from other existing services as well.”

The international scheduled service between Calgary and London (Gatwick), Paris and Dublin will support 650 full-time jobs and $100 million in total economic output. This is in addition to WestJet's yearly economic output of more than $5 billion, that supports more than 32,000 direct and indirect jobs in Alberta. Overall WestJet's national economic impact on Canada annually generates $17.4 billion and supports more than 153,000 jobs.*

The three new flights from the UK and Western Europe are expected to eventually bring up to 185,000 visitors to Calgary on a yearly basis, helping also increase local tourism.

The first of 10 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners ordered by WestJet will arrive in Calgary early in 2019, with two more arriving by April. The aircraft will operate on domestic flights for crew training and regulatory compliance before the first scheduled international flight in April. WestJet also has options for an additional 10 aircraft to arrive between 2020 and 2024. Hub locations and routes for the remaining seven aircraft have not yet been announced.

WestJet's Dreamliners will carry 320 guests in a three-class cabin configuration including the airline's newly revealed Business cabin featuring 16 private pods with lie-flat seats, an upscale Premium cabin and an updated Economy cabin. The Dreamliner route from Calgary to London (Gatwick) will replace the Boeing 767 service that currently operates the route from Calgary.

The refreshed brand image outlines WestJet's global ambitions and heralds new products aimed at international and Premium travellers. Called, Love Where You're Going, the new WestJet commercial can be viewed here.

"Today's announcement marks a pivotal time for WestJet," said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. "Love where you're going embodies both the thrill of travel and the sheer ambition we at WestJet have for our airline. Our 13,000 WestJetters are unique assets, and what we deliver for our 24 million guests is something that cannot be replicated."

Guests will start to see the updated brand image and positioning reflected in many of WestJet's assets including westjet.com, WestJet's airport presence over time across Canada and gradually across the fleet.

As part of the new WestJet, Sims also announced that WestJet Rewards will introduce a new Platinum tier, making it easier for WestJet Rewards members to get even more value from the frequent flyer program as the airline heads global. The tier is targeted for launch later this year. Details on the new WestJet Rewards Platinum tier and other changes to the program can be found here.

WestJet is Calgary's largest airline, and by June 2019, will offer flights to 65 non-stop destinations with an average of 1,100 flights per week from YYC. More Calgarians choose WestJet for their air travel than any other airline.