Airline announces additional route connecting
Eastern Canada to the United Kingdom
CALGARY, Jan. 17, 2020 /CNW/ - Today, WestJet is forging
another connection across the Atlantic into the United Kingdom with the announcement of new
non-stop service between Halifax,
N.S., and Manchester U.K.
beginning June 5, 2020. This summer,
WestJet will operate more than 300 seasonal departures from
Halifax to London (Gatwick) and Glasgow, Scotland.
"WestJet is continuing to invest in our Atlantic gateway,
connecting Nova Scotia to the
world and the world to Nova Scotia
in new ways," said Charles Duncan,
WestJet Chief Strategy Officer. "The U.K. is Nova Scotia's largest in-bound tourism market
and our newest investment connects the province to new sources of
tourists."
"WestJet's addition of another European connection strengthens
the Atlantic Gateway and will help grow our economy. It will lead
to more trade and investment opportunities, as well as help attract
more students, immigrants, and visitors to Nova Scotia and the entire Atlantic region,"
said Premier Stephen McNeil.
Manchester Airport is considered the global gateway to northern
England and offers easy access to
and from its historic city centre. With its evolved
industrial heritage, the city is perfect for exploring thanks to
its culture, love of football, restaurants and pubs. In addition,
WestJet guests will have 16 more destinations to choose from out of
Manchester on Virgin Connect, one
of the largest regional carriers in Europe.
WestJet's seasonal service between Halifax Stanfield (YHZ) and
Manchester Airport (MAN) will operate four-times weekly on the
airline's Boeing 737-700. Flights are timed for convenient
connectivity across WestJet's network into and out of Halifax.
WestJet has served Halifax
since 2003 and has seen 300 per cent growth in flights to and from
Halifax Stanfield and now serves 16 cities with an average of 60
daily inbound and outbound flights per day from Halifax.
Details of WestJet's service between Halifax and Manchester, U.K.:
Route
|
Frequency
|
Departing
|
Arriving
|
Effective
|
Halifax-
Manchester
|
Four-times
weekly
|
10:45 p.m.
|
8:10 a.m.
(+1)
|
June 5, 2020-
October 24,
2020
|
Manchester-
Halifax
|
Four-times
weekly
|
9:45 a.m.
|
11:52 a.m.
|
June 6, 2020-
October 24,
2020
|
WestJet is also proud to partner with Discover Halifax and
Halifax International Airport
Authority on its Stopover Halifax
program. The program opens the door for arriving and connecting
passengers at Halifax Stanfield to experience more of the city by
booking it as a stopover from seven hours to seven days at no
additional airfare.
Additional Quotes:
"I applaud WestJet for opening new
routes through Halifax to the
United Kingdom," said Kody Blois, Member of Parliament,
Kings-Hants. "This new seasonal
service will help draw additional tourists to the province and
further drive economic growth in the region. Stanfield
International Airport itself is a major employer in our local
community that will directly benefit from this significant
investment by the airline.
"This exciting new direct flight to Manchester will further open the Halifax skies to tourists, business and more
than a few soccer fans," said Mike
Savage, Mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality. "Whatever
their ultimate travel destination, we welcome visitors arriving
from Manchester to take full
advantage of their time in Halifax
and Nova Scotia."
"We're thrilled to add Manchester to a growing list of European
cities connected by non-stop service at Halifax Stanfield," said
Joyce Carter, President & CEO,
Halifax International Airport
Authority. "WestJet continues to be a great partner who supports
the development of our East Coast Hub, providing more choice to our
passengers. We look forward to welcoming the first visitors on this
new service later this year with our unique Maritime
hospitality."
"It's great to start 2020 with the news that WestJet will be
commencing direct services to Manchester Airport from Halifax," said Julian
Carr, Manchester Airport, Aviation Director. "We are
delighted to have another North American route in our portfolio,
giving our 29.5 million annual passengers more choice and
connectivity to get across the Atlantic and beyond. Not only will
this route provide the North of England direct access to a great city like
Halifax, but the service will also
open a host of other Canadian cities which we don't currently
serve. It's another clear indication of the role we play in
connecting the northern powerhouse to key international hubs."
"We are thrilled with the addition of the new route from
Halifax to Manchester which will make it even easier for
travellers to explore the North of England and beyond," said Paul Gauger, Senior Vice President The Americas,
VisitBritain, the national tourism agency for Britain. "We hope that the new flights, along
with our message of welcome and great value, inspires even more
visitors from Canada to book a
trip to Britain right now."
About WestJet
Together with WestJet's regional airlines, WestJet Encore and
WestJet Link, we offer scheduled service to more than 110
destinations in North America,
Central America, the Caribbean and Europe and to more than 250 destinations in
over 20 countries through our airline partnerships. WestJet
Vacations offers affordable, flexible vacations to more than 60
destinations and the choice of more than 800 hotels, resorts,
condos and villas. Members of the WestJet Rewards program
earn WestJet dollars on flights, vacation packages and more.
Members use WestJet dollars towards the purchase of flights and
vacations packages to any WestJet destination with no
blackout periods, and have access to Member Exclusive
fares offering deals to WestJet destinations throughout our
network and those of our partner airlines.
WestJet is proud to be recognized for three consecutive years as
Best Airline in Canada (2017-19)
and awarded among travellers' favourite Mid-Sized Airlines in
North America (2019). From
2017-2018, WestJet was also awarded among travellers' favourite
Mid-Sized and Low-Cost Airlines in North
America. The airline was also recognized among the Economy
Class winners in North America,
2018. All awards are based on authentic reviews from the travelling
public on TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel site. We are one
of very few airlines globally that does not commercially
overbook.
For more information about everything WestJet, please
visit westjet.com.
Recent recognition includes:
2019 Swoop - Start-up Airline of the Year (CAPA 2019 Aviation
Awards for Excellence)
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 Number-One Ranked Canadian Airline Loyalty Program in Member
Engagement (Bond Brand Loyalty)
2019/2018 Number-One-Ranked Airline Credit Card in Canada (Rewards Canada)
2018/2017 Winner Among Mid-Sized and Low Cost Airlines –
North America (TripAdvisor
Travellers' Choice awards for Airlines)
2018 Winner – Economy, North
America (TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice awards for
Airlines)
2018 North America's Best Low-Cost
Airline (Skytrax)
2018/2017/2016 Canada's Most
Trusted Airline (Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria)
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SOURCE WESTJET, an Alberta Partnership