WestJet Is Slashing So Many Flights Because Of Canada's New Travel Restrictions

They haven't seen departure numbers this low since 2001.
Canada Travel Restrictions: WestJet Is Slashing So Many Flights Following New Restrictions
Boarding1now | Dreamstime
Contributor

On January 8, 2021, WestJet announced some big cuts to its schedule following the introduction of Canada's new travel restrictions. 

Over 230 weekly departures will be eliminated right away and "the equivalent of 1,000 employees" will be impacted by the reduction. 

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11 routes Will also be suspended

"Immediately following the federal government's inbound testing announcement on December 31, and with the continuation of the 14-day quarantine, we saw significant reductions in new bookings and unprecedented cancellations," said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO.

"This is a cruel outcome for loyal and hardworking staff who have been diligently working through the pandemic."        

The routes that will be cut include:

  • Edmonton-Cancun
  • Edmonton-Puerto Vallarta
  • Edmonton-Phoenix
  • Vancouver-Cancun
  • Vancouver-Phoenix
  • Vancouver-Puerto Vallarta
  • Vancouver-Cabo
  • Vancouver-Los Angeles
  • Vancouver-Palm Springs
  • Calgary-Las Vegas
  • Calgary-Orlando

A number of international destinations will also be suspended. 

With this, WestJet will be operating only 150 daily departures. Numbers this low have not been seen since June 2001. 

"Regrettably, this new policy leaves us with no other option," said Sims. 

TravelCanada
  • Britanny Burr
    Britanny Burr was a Staff Writer at Narcity Canada, who drove growth within Narcity's Western coverage and readership. Having lived between her hometown, Canmore, Alberta and Calgary, Montreal, Vancouver, and NYC over the past 10 years, she is obsessed with finding the best local hot spots. She holds a B.A. in English and has over six years of professional writing experience as Head Writer and Editor for YUL.Buzz in Montreal, and Creative Copywriter at JAKT in NYC. News by day, poetry by night — the written word is Britanny's nearest and dearest.

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