Direct flight to Costa Rica incoming
Beginning Dec. 19, WestJet will run a direct flight to the Central American country from the Manitoba capital. Service will continue every Friday until April 25, 2026.
A one-way trip to Liberia, Costa Rica, for Dec. 19 started at $545, a Tuesday search elicited. The non-stop route was slated to last nearly 6 1/2 hours in the air.
WestJet has never directly connected Winnipeg to Central America before. The route is part of the Alberta-based airliner's winter 2025-26 schedule.
WestJet is also touting a nine per cent increase in its direct flights between Winnipeg and Cancun, Mexico — to 12 times weekly — and an 11 per cent increase between Winnipeg and Puerto Vallarta.
The latter Mexican destination will be reachable from Winnipeg 10 times per week, WestJet announced.
Direct flights to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta will begin Oct. 26. The pair join 21 other destinations with non-stop WestJet flights from Winnipeg this winter.
WestJet has upped its sun destination flights from the Prairies city by 14 per cent, when comparing year over year, a company news release reads.
The addition of a flight to Costa Rica, and expanded service to Mexico, shows WestJet's confidence in Winnipeg's market, said Winnipeg Airports Authority president Nick Hays.
June breaks record for city home prices
Residential detached homes and condos reached record-breaking prices for June in Winnipeg.
The average residential detached home cost $473,131 last month — higher than any previous June, per the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board. An average condo clocked in at $291,647.
In June 2024, the home types cost $437,367 and $273,303, respectively.
Meanwhile, home sales in Winnipeg and surrounding regions continued to surpass last year's numbers while home listings lacked pace.
The WRREB tracked 1,671 sales in June, up six per cent from the prior year. The stat, however, is three per cent below the five-year average (an average that includes record-shattering years sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic).
Home listings were down 10 per cent from 2024, contributing to the current sellers' market. Buyers could choose from 3,716 active listings in June.
Overall dollar volume of sales in June surpassed $707 million — a 14 per cent jump from June 2024.
An average two-bedroom apartment rents for $1,769 in July, a new report by Rentals.ca and Urbanation shows. The rent is a 3.8 per cent year-over-year decrease. One-bedroom apartment rent, at $1,450, was a marginal 0.5 per cent hike from the previous year.
— Free Press staff
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