WestJet seeks 2019 levels

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This article was published 30/10/2021 (1790 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WestJet is aiming to soar back to 2019 flight levels after the pandemic grounded planes and put deep dents in the airline industry’s business, including in Brandon.

The airline, which is the only commercial carrier flying to and from the Brandon Municipal Airport, held a roundtable Friday morning with Manitoba business and political leaders.

“Our commitment to Brandon is the same ambitious goal as it is for the entire province, which is to get back to 2019 levels in 2022,” said WestJet vice-president of government relations Andy Gibbons during the Zoom call.

In 2019, the airline ran an average of 12 weekly flights from the Wheat City to Calgary in the winter and seven in the summer, according to slides shown during the roundtable. In 2021, that dropped to an average of four flights in the winter and five in the summer.

Passenger totals out of Brandon also took a hit, dropping from an average of 927 per week in the winter of 2019 to only 315 weekly this past winter.

While tourism and travel are recovering as concerns over COVID-19 lessen, there is still uncertainty at the federal level, Gibbons said, including on travel recommendations. Currently, anyone more than five years old coming back to Canada after international travel must show proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular test, even if fully vaccinated, according to federal guidelines.

Mayor Rick Chrest said he is anxious to see the airline bring service back to Brandon, saying the city acts as a hub for Westman.

He said he would like to see the airline bring stability back in terms of when flights are scheduled. Anecdotally, he said he has had eight flights booked in the last nine months and each of them was changed by the airline.

“We’ve got to have a schedule [and] lock it in, so consumers feel confident when they make a booking,” he said.

Chrest said the city is “optimistic and bullish” on WestJet restoring service levels to pre-pandemic levels. He added that Brandon is grateful the air service was never completely suspended over the last 18 months.

Currently, WestJet only flies routes out of Brandon to and from Calgary. The airline ran a flight to Toronto at one point, but the demand wasn’t there. Chrest said he would like to see flights going east from Brandon in the future, not just west.

Brandon Municipal Airport president Greg Brown echoed Chrest, saying he would also like to see flights go east once the industry recovers.

“Adding routes or more flights is something we are always interested in discussing down the road, and how do we make that happen?” he said.

While that’s a possibility, there has to be the demand, Gibbons said.

“The fastest track to Toronto is the full planes to Calgary.”

» dmay@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @DrewMay_