WestJet Link

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WestJet Link
WestJetLogoOctober2018.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
8PPCOPASCO
FoundedNovember 24, 2017 (2017-11-24)
Commenced operationsJune 21, 2018 (2018-06-21) [1]
Ceased operationsOctober 26, 2024
Hubs
Frequent-flyer program WestJet Rewards
Fleet size5
Destinations8
Parent company WestJet
Headquarters Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Website www.westjet.com

WestJet Link is a brand name under which Pacific Coastal Airlines operated feeder flights for WestJet. Service was originally planned to commence March 7, 2018, but was delayed until June 21, 2018. [2] The brand was created to primarily connect smaller cities in western Canada with WestJet's domestic hubs at Calgary International Airport and Vancouver International Airport [3] and stimulate air travel in smaller markets. [1] On May 13, 2024, WestJet announced that the brand will cease all operations on October 26, 2024, with all operations to be transferred to the WestJet Encore brand. [4]

Contents

Destinations

WestJet Link aircraft at Calgary International Airport WestJet Link @ YYC.jpg
WestJet Link aircraft at Calgary International Airport

WestJet Link connects the WestJet mainline service with 9 Destinations in British Columbia and Alberta. All flights operate into or out of Calgary International Airport or Vancouver International Airport. [3]

ProvinceCityAirportNotesRefs
Alberta Calgary Calgary International Airport Hub [5]
Lethbridge Lethbridge Airport [3]
Medicine Hat Medicine Hat Airport [3]
Alberta/Saskatchewan Lloydminster Lloydminster Airport Terminated [6]
British Columbia Cranbrook Cranbrook/Canadian Rockies International Airport [3]
Comox Comox Valley Airport [7]
Kamloops Kamloops Airport [8]
Nanaimo Nanaimo Airport [9]
Vancouver Vancouver International Airport Hub [10]

Operators and fleet

WestJet Link Saab 340 WestJet Link YYC.jpg
WestJet Link Saab 340

All WestJet Link flights are operated by Pacific Coastal using its fleet of 34-seat Saab 340 aircraft. Only the first two WestJet Link aircraft display the word 'Link' on the livery, the rest use the standard WestJet colours. [11] As of September 2023, Pacific Coastal Airlines had 5 Saab 340s painted and operating for WestJet Link.

WestJet Link fleet
AirlineIATA serviceICAO codeCallsignAircraftIn servicePassengers
Pacific Coastal Airlines [12] 8PPCOPASCO Saab 340 534
Total5

See also

Related Research Articles

WestJet Airlines, founded in 1994 and headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, is the second-largest airline in Canada. It began operations in 1996 with 220 employees, three aircraft, and five destinations. It was launched as a low-cost alternative to the country's major airlines. Today, WestJet operates scheduled, charter, and cargo air service, transporting more than 25 million passengers per year. The airline has a significant domestic and international network, which serves over 100 destinations across North America, Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and Central America. WestJet has an average of 777 flights per day, solidifying its position as the eighth-largest airline in North America by frequency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver International Airport</span> Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver International Airport is an international airport located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, serving the city of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland region. It is located 12 km (7.5 mi) from Downtown Vancouver. YVR is the second busiest airport in Canada by passenger traffic, behind Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario. As a trans-Pacific hub, the airport has more direct flights to China than any other airport in North America or Europe. It is a hub for Air Canada and WestJet. Vancouver International Airport is one of eight Canadian airports that have US Border Pre-clearance facilities. It is also one of the few major international airports to have a terminal for scheduled float planes.

United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which five individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights.

Canadian Airlines International Ltd. was a major Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, carrying more than 11.9 million passengers to over 160 destinations in 17 countries on five continents at its height in 1996. Canadian Airlines served 105 destinations in Canada, more than any other airline. It was a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calgary International Airport</span> Airport in Alberta, Canada

Calgary International Airport, branded as YYC Calgary International Airport, is an international airport that serves the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately 17 kilometres (11 mi) northeast of downtown and covers an area of 20.82 square kilometres. With 18.5 million passengers in 2023 and 124,108 aircraft movements in 2021, Calgary International is the busiest airport in Alberta and the fourth-busiest in Canada by passenger traffic. This airport is served by the Calgary International Airport Emergency Response Service for aircraft rescue and firefighting protection. The region's petroleum and tourism industries have helped foster growth at the airport, which has nonstop flights to an array of destinations in North and Central America, Europe, and Asia. Calgary serves as the headquarters and primary hub for WestJet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wardair</span> Defunct airline of Canada (1952–1989)

Wardair Canada was a privately run Canadian airline, founded by Max Ward in 1952 under the name Wardair Ltd, before formally changing its name to "Wardair Canada" in 1976. The airline was acquired by and merged into Canadian Airlines in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PSA Airlines</span> American regional airline

PSA Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered at Dayton International Airport in Dayton, Ohio, United States. The airline is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group and it is paid by fellow group member American Airlines to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on American Eagle flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by American Airlines.

Pacific Western Airlines Ltd (PWA) was an airline that operated scheduled flights throughout western Canada and charter services around the world from the 1950s through the 1980s.

Air BC was a Canadian regional airline headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It later became part of Air Canada Jazz. This regional airline primarily flew turboprop aircraft but also operated jets as well as an Air Canada Connector carrier on behalf of Air Canada via a code share feeder agreement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time Air</span> Defunct regional airline of Canada (1969–1993)

Time Air was an airline in Canada founded in 1966 by businessman Walter “Stubb” Ross from Lethbridge in Alberta. It was called Lethbridge Air Service before becoming Time Airways Ltd. in 1969, which was later shortened to Time Air Ltd. In 1993 it was merged with Ontario Express to create Canadian Regional Airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Coastal Airlines</span> Canadian regional airline servicing British Columbia

Pacific Coastal Airlines is a Canadian regional airline that operates scheduled, charter and cargo services to destinations in British Columbia. Its head office is located in the South Terminal of Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia. Its main base is Vancouver International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelowna International Airport</span> International airport in British Columbia, Canada

Kelowna International Airport is a Canadian airport located approximately 10 minutes or 6.2 nautical miles northeast of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, on Highway 97.

Lethbridge Airport, previously Lethbridge County Airport, is located 4 nautical miles south-southeast of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It is 10–15 driving minutes from downtown Lethbridge, and has scheduled service to the city of Calgary, Alberta. The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on a call-out basis from the Sweetgrass-Coutts Border Crossing. CBSA officers at this airport can handle general aviation aircraft only, with no more than 15 passengers. The airport hosts the biennial Lethbridge International Airshow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFB Comox</span> Royal Canadian Air Force Base and Airport for Comox Valley

Canadian Forces Base Comox, commonly referred to as CFB Comox or 19 Wing, is a Canadian Forces Base located 2.5 nautical miles north northeast of Comox, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It is primarily operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is one of two bases in the country using the CP-140 Aurora anti-submarine/maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft. Its primary RCAF lodger unit is 19 Wing, commonly referred to as 19 Wing Comox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmonton City Centre Airport</span> Former airport in Alberta, Canada

Edmonton City Centre Airport (ECCA), was an airport within the city of Edmonton, in the Canadian province of Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloydminster Airport</span> Airport in Alberta, Canada

Lloydminster Airport is located 2 nautical miles northwest of Lloydminster, Alberta, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanaimo Airport</span> Regional airport in British Columbia, Canada

Nanaimo Airport is a privately owned and operated regional airport located 7 nautical miles south southeast of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reno Air</span> American airline from 1990 to 1999

Reno Air was a scheduled passenger airline headquartered in Reno, Nevada, United States. Reno Air provided service from its hubs at Reno/Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, San Jose International Airport in San Jose, California and Las Vegas International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada to destinations throughout the western United States, including Alaska. International service to Vancouver, British Columbia in western Canada was also served at one point and limited service was operated to the midwestern U.S. as well. A small stand alone operation was also undertaken at one point in the southeastern U.S. with the service being based in Gulfport, Mississippi. American Airlines acquired Reno Air in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WestJet Encore</span> Regional airline of Canada

WestJet Encore is a Canadian regional airline headquartered in Calgary, Alberta that operates feeder flights for WestJet, owned by the same parent company WestJet Airlines, Ltd. In response to internal market studies about future growth limitations by WestJet Airlines operating only Boeing 737 aircraft, WestJet Encore was formed in 2013 to allow the increased frequency of flights by using smaller aircraft and to expand service to routes with less traffic. Originally launching as a feeder airline for the mainline WestJet network out of WestJet hubs in Calgary and Toronto, the airline was refocused on Western Canada in 2021, with all service east of Thunder Bay cancelled and all aircraft either repositioned or stored.

American Eagle is a brand name for the regional branch of American Airlines, under which six individual regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights. Three of these airlines, Envoy Air, Piedmont Airlines, and PSA Airlines, are wholly owned subsidiaries of the American Airlines Group. American Eagle's largest hub is Charlotte Douglas International's Concourse E, which operates over 340 flights per day, making it the largest regional jet operation in the world.

References

  1. 1 2 "WestJet Link officially takes flight, connecting Lethbridge with major hubs". Global News. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  2. "WestJet Link launch delayed". newswire.ca. January 31, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "WestJet introduces WestJet Link". westjet2.mediaroom.com. WestJet. November 24, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  4. "WestJet transitions WestJet Link routes to WestJet Encore for fall 2024" (Press release). WestJet. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  5. "WestJet Celebrates 10th Anniversary". cnrp.ccnmatthews.com (Press release). WestJet. February 28, 2006. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  6. "WestJet Link grounds its Lloydminster Link Service". My Lloydminster Now. December 14, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  7. "The Comox Valley Airport welcomes WestJet Link and an enhanced summer schedule". June 29, 2021.
  8. "Direct Flighhts". WestJet. March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  9. "WestJet reconnecting routes across British Columbia".
  10. "WestJet Link giving Cranbrook another hub option". westjet.mediaroom.com (Press release). WestJet. August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  11. "The Avgeek - First Aircraft for WestJet Link Spotted in Vancouver". theavgeek.net.
  12. "Pacific Coastal Airlines starts WestJet Link operations". World Airline News. June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2018.