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New Transborder flight celebrated as key to new economic, tourism and culture opportunities between Alberta and the Pacific Northwest

CALGARY, AB, Nov. 4, 2021 /CNW/ - Today, WestJet, together with key government and industry partners, launched its newest route connecting guests for the first time between Calgary and Seattle. The departure of flight WS3612 marked a major recovery milestone for WestJet as the airline's first transborder inaugural since pre-pandemic. 

"We are thrilled to foster direct connectivity between Calgary and Seattle for the first time on a route that our guests and both cities have long awaited," said Chris Hedlin, WestJet, Vice-President, Network and Alliances. "This route will bolster economic ties between the regions and will stimulate Alberta's visitor economy as we continue to strengthen our transborder network from our global hub in Calgary."

The departure of WS3612 carrying 69 guests marked WestJet's first new international route departure under the Government of Canada's new traveller and employee vaccination policies.  

"Confidence in travel is growing as demonstrated by the demand for today's flight and policies must evolve to support the fully-vaccinated travel ecosystem, "continued Hedlin. "Today is an important milestone in our commitment to restoring Canada's visitor economy and we are optimistic that we will continue to see progress on the easement of border policies that are impacting our guest's ability to travel between Canada and the U.S. as seamlessly by air, as they are by land."

WestJet's newest transborder flight will operate four times weekly to begin and will increase to two-times daily by spring 2022.

Details of WestJet's new service between Calgary and Seattle:

Additional quotes

Prior to today's inaugural departure, WS3612's significance was celebrated by Chris Hedlin, WestJet's Vice-President, Network and Alliances alongside Roger Reid, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Livingstone Macleod and Alberta Chair of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region, John Flemming, Deputy Senior Commercial Officer for the US Embassy, Tim Patterson, Vice Chair, Indigenous Tourism Alberta, Honorable Cindy Ady, CEO of Tourism Calgary, and former Minister of Tourism, Parks, and Recreation for the Government of Alberta, and Carmelle Hunka, Vice President, People, Risk & General Counsel, YYC Airport Authority.

"Congratulations to WestJet on their new direct route from YYC to Seattle," said Bob Sartor, President and CEO of The Calgary Airport Authority. "We look forward to introducing guests to this beautiful coastal city to enjoy great culture, cuisine and, of course, coffee as well as welcoming American guests from the Pacific Northwest region to YYC."

"WestJet is a valuable addition to passenger choices here at SEA, giving business and leisure travelers the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful Canadian Rockies, the Calgary Stampede, or maybe see a competitor of the new Seattle Kraken of the NHL," said Lance Lyttle, SEA Airport Managing Director. "As travel options continue to re-start from the last year, we're excited to see an airline like WestJet show the confidence they have in the Puget Sound region as a positive choice for them to serve visitors, business and residents of both regions."

"With this new non-stop flight connecting Calgary and Seattle, WestJet continues to support the recovery of Calgary and Alberta's visitor economy," says Cindy Ady, Tourism Calgary CEO. "Convenient air access will result in more visitors to our city, thereby bolstering the economic impact of tourism, which directly contributes over $2.5 billion to Calgary's economy each year. We are very eager to once again welcome visitors from the US to Calgary"

About WestJet 

In 25 years of serving Canadians, WestJet has cut airfares in half and increased the flying population in Canada to more than 50 per cent. WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees and more than 100 destinations in 23 countries, pre-pandemic.

Since the start of the pandemic the WestJet Group of Companies has built a layered framework of safety measures to ensure Canadians can continue to travel safely and responsibly through the airline's Safety Above All promise. During this time, WestJet has maintained its status as one of the top-10 on-time airlines in North America as named by Cirium.

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Recent recognition includes: 

2020/2019 Number-One Ranked Canadian Airline Loyalty Program in Member Engagement (Bond Brand Loyalty)

2019/2018/2017 Best Airline in Canada (TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice awards for Airlines) 
2019 Winner Among Mid-Sized Airlines in North America (TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice awards for Airlines) 

2019/2018 Number-One-Ranked Airline Credit Card in Canada (Rewards Canada) 

SOURCE WESTJET, an Alberta Partnership