WestJet's new-and-improved 2024 summer schedule includes reintroduced flights between Kelowna and Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon and daily service to Toronto.
"Our 2024 summer schedule continues to deliver on our commitment to make critical investments across Canada, providing more affordable options for Canadians and international visitors to connect with the people and places that matter most," said WestJet executive vice-president John Weatherill.
Kelowna has one of those "matter the most" airports.
Kelowna was one of WestJet's first six destinations when the airline launched in 1996 with just three planes, along with Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg.
Over the past 28 years, WestJet has grown into a global powerhouse with 185 planes flying in and out of 109 destinations in 24 countries.
The airline expands that reach with its just-released summer 2024 schedule, which includes some love for Kelowna.
Kelowna-Toronto
Starting April 28, WestJet will start to increase frequency between Kelowna and Toronto from twice-weekly to daily for the peak summer season.
Looks like the daily non-stop will be a red-eye, departing Kelowna at 11:30 pm and arriving four hours and 37 minutes later in Toronto at 6:37 am, local time.
One-way fares start from $303.
Kelowna-Winnipeg
Starting June 24, twice-weekly flights on Mondays and Fridays will connect the biggest city in the BC Interior with the biggest city in Manitoba.
Flights will leave Kelowna at 9:45 am and arrive two hours and thirty-two minutes later at 2:17 pm, local time.
Fares start at $261 one-way.
Kelowna-Regina
The two hour and six minute non-stops from Kelowna to the Saskatchewan capital begin June 27 and operate on Thursdays and Sundays.
Departure is at 11:45 and landin is at 2:37 pm, local time.
One-way fares start at $146.
Kelowna-Saskatoon
Flights between the two cities take one hour and fifty-two minutes and run Fridays and Mondays, starting June 24.
Fares start at $230, one-way.
Other destinations from Kelowna
WestJet flies in and out of Kelowna International Airport more than any other airline.
It has year-round daily flights between Kelowna and Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Victoria and winter seasonal service between Kelowna and Phoenix, Las Vegas, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun and Los Cabos.
The WestJet network
By connecting through one of WestJet's hubs, passengers originating in Kelowna can travel the world.
New and recurring international routes for summer 2024 include Edmonton-Atlanta, Edmonton-Nashville, Edmonton-San Francisco, Vancouver-Detroit, Toronto-Dublin, Toronto-Edinburgh, Calgary-Seoul, Calgary-Reykjavik and Regina-Minneapolis.
WestJet has also decided to make many traditionally winter-only flights to sun destinations year-round affairs.
They include Toronto- Providenciales in Turks & Caicos, Toronto to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, Calgary-Honolulu, Calgary to Maui, Calgary to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, Calgary-Varadero, Cuba, Vancouver-Phoenix, Edmonton-Phoenix and Edmonton-Orlando.
Halifax is a big winner with new non-stops to Dublin, London, England, Edinburgh and Orlando.
In all, WestJet is introducing 10 new routes this summer and is bringing back and-or extending 16 more and seat capacity growth of as much as 26% on transborder routes.
Rest of the airlines
Kelowna airport sees a total of 70 flights come and go daily with eight airlines.
Besides WestJet the others are Air Canada (to Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal), Sunwing (to Cancun and Mazatlan), Flair (to Vancouver and, in the summer, to Kitchener), Pacific Coastal (to Victoria and Nanaimo), Central Mountain Air (to Prince George and Vancouver), Alaska Airlines (to Seattle) and Air North (to Vancouver).
Kelowna airport serves just over two million passengers a year as the regional airport for the Southern Interior.
