WestJet’s new Edmonton flights good news for both tourists and oil-patch commuters

By MICHELE YOUNG/

NEWS — New daily WestJet flights to and from Edmonton will mean more family time for oil patch commuters and possibly more tourists for Kamloops, says Tourism Kamloops CEO Lee Morris.

She was reacting to an announcement earlier today that WestJet will bring back a Kamloops-to-Edmonton route beginning next February.

Morris said the new schedule will mean Kamloops oil-patch workers will have fewer flight connections to contend with.

Tourism Kamloops will try to do some marketing next year around golf and possibly family vacations tied in with the additional flights.

Morris also said Sun Peaks is looking at consumer marketing, as Edmonton doesn’t have any nearby ski hills.

“We’re all very excited that service is there,” she said.

“The key is this opens up some opportunities to go back in and do some more consumer marketing.”

WestJet Encore president Ferio Pugliese said in a press release the expansion would allow growth in business and leisure travel between the two cities.

WestJet has tried the Kamloops-Edmonton route before. In May 2010, flights ran three days a week — Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. However, passenger numbers weren’t adequate and the flights were cancelled by July 4 of that same year.

This second attempt involves daily departures that begin on Feb. 15, 2015, from Edmonton to Kamloops at 2:45 p.m., and from Kamloops to Edmonton at 3:45 p.m.

A press release from the airline erroneously refers to Kamloops as being in the “heart of the Okanagan” and also says Kamloops “boasts the best of the Okanagan lifestyle.”

WestJet spokeswoman Brie Ogle said the reference was a mistake and she’d already had several conversations about it during the day Friday. It will definitely be avoided in future, she said.

WestJet Encore began a year ago. The regional flights are made with 78-seat Q-400 turbo prop planes.

Ogle said the smaller size plane is one of the reasons the Kamloops-Edmonton flight has been reconsidered.

“We’re maximizing our fleet to the best of our ability,” she said.

Despite the previous route not succeeding, demand for a Kamloops-Edmonton connection has continued, she added.

WestJet does sometimes announce new routes well ahead of them actually starting. Ogle said it allows passengers more time to get started with booking or making plans. The late winter start for Kamloops-Edmonton gives the community time to get behind the service, she said.

Pugliese will be in Kamloops in fall to speak to the chamber of commerce, so it’s expected he can talk more about the new route at that time.