Tausi Insider

WestJet marks its first non-stop flights to Asia from Calgary as it announced a new route to Japan. The Calgary-based airline said Monday that it will fly to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport from Calgary this spring. The non-stop flights will operate seasonally three times weekly beginning April 30. The airline also announced new routes from Calgary to Barcelona and Edinburgh, starting in May 2023. In addition, flights to Dublin, London, Paris and Rome, will increase in frequency by 95 per cent in the spring. The announcement is part of the airline’s plan to raise Calgary airport’s capacity by more than 25 per cent in 2023, WestJet chief executive Alexis von Hoensbroech said in a news release. Earlier this year, WestJet announced its “new strategic direction” to refocus its fleet and routes in Western Canada. Von Hoensbroech said the airline plans to bring more affordable travel options in the new year. WestJet also said it is preparing for broader expansion within Canada and Nor...

Travellers wait at the Pierre-Elliot Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, as the snow comes down on Dec. 23, 2022. ANDREJ IVANOV/AFP/Getty Images Flight disruptions across the country are expected to carry into the weekend, as Friday’s severe snowstorms in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec continue to batter airports – with many travellers stranded during a peak holiday travel period. Data from live flight-tracking platform FlightAware show that at least 60 Saturday flights to and from international airports in Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa alone have been cancelled, and a handful have been marked already as delayed. The reported disruptions are an improvement from Friday but could worsen if weather conditions do not improve. WestJet Airlines Ltd. said Friday afternoon that it would extend its cancellations into the holiday weekend, with at least 15 flights cancelled on Saturday so far. The company previously cancelled all flights in or out of Toronto Pearson International A...

Air Canada this month ended service to Calgary from Regina and Saskatoon and stopped flying to Victoria and other B.C. cities from the Alberta hub. MIKE SEGAR/Reuters Canada’s competition watchdog is being urged to look into moves by Air Canada and WestJet to end regional service in parts of the country, steps one business group alleges are anti-competitive. Air Canada AC-T this month ended service to Calgary from Regina and Saskatoon and stopped flying to Victoria and other B.C. cities from the Alberta hub. The Montreal-based carrier took the steps seven months after Calgary-based WestJet said it would end some service within Eastern Canada, including Quebec and the Maritimes. On Tuesday, the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce called on Competition Commissioner Matthew Boswell to investigate the service cancellations and their impact on travellers’ choices and costs. The group urged Mr. Boswell to find out if the airlines broke the law by effectively agreeing to divide the Canadi...