WestJet Launches New Calgary–Iceland Route & Restores Transatlantic Service

WestJet has announced a number of new and restored routes for Summer 2024, to destinations in both Europe and the United States.

The newly announced European routes will launch out of Halifax, St. John’s, Calgary, and Toronto, including some new and restored direct flights for Canadians to choose from.

The new US routes will be based out of Edmonton and Vancouver, and will fly to key US hubs.

WestJet’s New Routes from Halifax

WestJet is reintroducing some flight options from Halifax to London, Dublin, and Edinburgh, for the Summer 2024 season

With these direct flights available next year, Nova Scotians and Atlantic Canadians won’t have to double back to a hub elsewhere in Canada to get to Europe.

Beginning April 28, 2024, WestJet will fly direct from Halifax (YHZ) to London-Gatwick (LGW) four-times weekly until October 20, 2024, with flight times as follows:

• WS24, Halifax (YHZ) to London-Gatwick (LGW), departing 11pm and arriving 9am the next day
• WS25, London-Gatwick (LGW) to Halifax (YHZ), departing 11am and arriving 1:46pm

Four-times-weekly service between Halifax (YHZ) and Dublin (DUB) will begin June 19, 2024, and end September 1, 2024, with twice-weekly service from September 2–8, 2024. Flight times are as follows:

• WS50, Halifax (YHZ) to Dublin (DUB), departing 10:30pm and arriving 8:06am the next day
• WS51, Dublin (DUB) to Halifax (YHZ), departing 9:30am and arriving 11:32am

Thrice-weekly service between Halifax (YHZ) and Edinburgh (EDI) will begin on June 20, 2024, and end on September 1, 2024, with once-weekly service from September 2–8, 2024. The flight times are as follows:

• WS46, Halifax (YHZ) to Edinburgh (EDI), departing 10:40pm and arriving 8:04am the next day
• WS45, Edinburgh (EDI) to Halifax (YHZ), departing 9:30am and arriving 11:38am

These routes are served by WestJet’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, with economy and Premium cabins available.

The flights are loaded into WestJet’s search engine, and may be booked with cash or WestJet points throughout the schedule.

WestJet’s New St. John’s–London Gatwick Route

WestJet is also introducing the only currently available direct flight between St. John’s and the European continent next summer.

The seasonal flight between St. John’s (YYT) and London-Gatwick (LGW) fills a notable gap, and will save Newfoundlanders from having to book a connecting flight through another North American airport when they travel to Europe in Summer 2024.

It’s also worth noting that the direct flight is only five hours and fifteen minutes on the way there, and a little under six hours on the way back, which is certainly much faster than any connecting flights to reach the same destination.

The thrice-weekly service between St. John’s (YYT) and London-Gatwick (LGW) begins May 1, 2024, and ends October 20, 2024, with flight times as follows:

• WS52, St. John’s (YYT) to London-Gatwick (LGW), departing 12:15am and arriving 9am
• WS53, London-Gatwick (LGW) to St. John’s (YYT), departing 11am and arriving 1:15pm

This route is also served by the two-cabin Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, with economy and Premium cabins available for passengers.

The flights are loaded into WestJet’s schedule, and may be booked with cash or WestJet points.

WestJet’s New Calgary–Iceland Route

WestJet is introducing a new way for Western Canadians to fly to Iceland in Summer 2024, with the launch of a new Calgary–Iceland route.

Calgary International Airport (YYC) will see four-times-weekly flights to Reykjavik (KEF), starting May 15, 2024, and running until September 1, 2024. Flight times are as follows:

• WS38, Calgary (YYC) to Reykjavik (KEF), departing 7:55pm and arriving 8:25am the next day
• WS39, Reykjavik (KEF) to Calgary (YYC), departing 9:45am and arriving 10:43am

It’s worth noting that this is the only direct flight available between Calgary and Iceland. All other direct service to Reykjavik is offered by Icelandair or Air Canada, out of Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax.

The direct Calgary to Reykjavik option is quite interesting for anyone who’d like to use Iceland as a jumping off point for further European travel on one of the ultra-low-cost European airlines. This addition could prove to be valuable for Western Canadians planning a Summer 2024 trip to Europe.

This route, which clocks in at six and a half hours eastbound and just shy of seven hours westbound, will be served by the two-cabin Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

The flights are loaded into WestJet’s schedule, and may be booked with cash or WestJet points.

WestJet’s New Routes from Toronto Pearson

WestJet is also adding some new routes from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to the popular travel destinations of Dublin and Edinburgh.

Both of these destinations see heavy traffic in the summer months, so it’ll be nice to have additional booking options available, which hopefully spurs competition.

Daily flights between Toronto (YYZ) and Dublin (DUB) begin on March 1, 2024, and continue until September 1, 2024, with service decreasing over the month of September and concluding on October 13, 2024. Flight times are as follows:

• WS34, Toronto (YYZ) to Dublin (DUB), departing 10:45pm and arriving 10:55am the next day
• WS35, Dublin (DUB) to Toronto (YYZ), departing 11:15am and arriving 1:58pm

Daily service between Toronto (YYZ) and Edinburgh (EDI) runs from May 14, 2024, until September 1, 2024, and will see a similar decrease in flights offered from September 2, 2024, until service ends on October 13, 2024. The flight times are as follows:

• WS16, Toronto (YYZ) to Edinburgh (EDI), departing 10:15pm and arriving 10:03am the next day
• WS17, Edinburgh (EDI) to Toronto (YYZ), departing 11:30am and arriving 2:04pm

These flights are served by the two-cabin Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, with economy and Premium cabins available.

The flights have been loaded into WestJet’s schedule, and can be booked with cash or WestJet points.

WestJet’s New US Routes

In addition to the new European routes, WestJet is also enhancing its summer 2024 transborder offerings out of Western Canada with new flights between Edmonton and San Francisco, Nashville, and Atlanta, and a new direct route between Vancouver and Detroit.

The new Summer 2024 offerings include:

• Daily service between Edmonton and Atlanta
• Daily service between Vancouver and Detroit
• Five-times-weekly service between Edmonton and San Francisco
• Twice-weekly service between Edmonton and Nashville

WestJet Returns to Eastern Canada

WestJet’s Summer 2024 schedule highlights leisure travel to Europe, especially from many destinations with fewer options for direct transatlantic flights.

Most notable are the handful of flights out of Eastern Canada, offering increased accessibility and convenience to Atlantic Canadians who’d otherwise have to connect through larger hubs.

Passengers flying from Halifax and St. John’s will no doubt be happy with the option to fly direct to Europe without doubling back through another North American airport.

As it stands, the service between St. John’s and London Gatwick is the only direct flight available from Newfoundland to the European continent, and there are only a handful of other direct flights to Europe departing from elsewhere in Atlantic Canada.

In addition to WestJet’s routes from Halifax to London, Dublin, and Edinburgh, the only other direct flights from Atlantic Canada to Europe all fly from Halifax, with Air Canada operating direct flights to London Heathrow, Condor Airlines operating direct flights to Frankfurt, and Icelandair operating direct routes to Reykjavik.

Considering these new Summer 2024 routes and the continued pause on WestJet’s route between Toronto and Montreal, it appears that the airline is working to fill gaps and build out a diverse portfolio of routes from mostly secondary airports.

Conclusion

WestJet has added a number of direct routes to Europe for its Summer 2024 schedule. These routes add some considerably more convenient options for Atlantic Canadians, and increase availability on popular routes for those based out of Toronto or Calgary.

WestJet has also added some new direct routes between ‌Western provinces and key US cities, opening up additional opportunities to explore both sides of the border.

The airline seems to be focusing its efforts on bringing service to underserved areas, such as Atlantic Canada, and to airports near its Calgary home.

If you stand to benefit from any of the Summer 2024 routes, head to WestJet’s website to lock in a booking.