WestJet suspends, reduces flights between Winnipeg and three U.S. cities
The flights between Winnipeg and Los Angeles will be suspended beginning June 1, while flights between Winnipeg and Las Vegas will be suspended as of July, Winnipeg Airports Authority spokesperson Kerilee Falloon confirmed Thursday.
The frequency of flights between Winnipeg and Atlanta will be reduced from five per week to two, Falloon said.
'These shifts are part of WestJet's broader network adjustments and they are largely connected to a weaker demand for U.S. travel tied to the ongoing tariff conditions,' Falloon said by phone.
WestJet spokeswoman Jen Booth said in April that the Calgary-based company would make adjustments to its trans-border routes ahead of the summer season. It announced a new Winnipeg-to-St. John's route and increased the frequency of its flights between Winnipeg and Halifax.
Falloon said those changes are a sign WestJet is 'reinvesting in connectivity from Winnipeg, but more focused on Canadian destinations.'
The new route will also improve connectivity to Europe, through St. John's, she said.
The WAA is tracking a dip in U.S. travel, she said.
'It's a situation where the economic conditions are changing daily. We're working really closely with WestJet to monitor the situation and to look at market demand,' Falloon said.
'We haven't seen a significant decline yet, but are starting to see more of a decline now.'
It is unclear whether the Los Angeles flights will return for the winter season. The WAA is advocating for its reinstatement with WestJet's network planning team, Falloon said. The future of direct flights to Las Vegas through Winnipeg is also unclear, she said.
The province ended a subsidy fund last month for flights connecting Winnipeg to Hollywood and Atlanta. Finance Minister Adrien Sala said the fund paid out $4.8 million since it was launched by the previous Progressive Conservative government in 2022.
Manitoba's film industry was supported by the Los Angeles connection, which brought more production to Manitoba after its launch, CEO and film commissioner Lynne Skromeda said previously. Winnipeg-based HVAC manufacturer Price Industries operates a facility in Atlanta.
Winpak is another Winnipeg company with a sizable operation in Georgia, just south of Atlanta. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the busiest air terminal in the world.
Former premier Heather Stefanson, who brokered the funding agreement with the WAA in 2022, now sits on WestJet Group's board of directors.
Her appointment was announced shortly after her party lost the last provincial election and she resigned as the MLA for Tuxedo.
The Free Press has reached out to WestJet for comment.
tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca
Tyler SearleReporter
Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic's creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.
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