Travelers flying between Toronto and Montreal have one less option during the winter season, as WestJet Airlines has temporarily suspended its service between Toronto and Montreal.
However, WestJet spokeswoman Madison Krueger said the route would resume in April.
“WestJet Group remains extremely committed to Eastern Canada,” Krueger said in an email.
He added that WestJet is increasing its presence in Eastern Canada by increasing nonstop flights to Western Canada, “providing more affordable leisure and day trip opportunities across Canada.” .
Frank Fitzgerald is a loyal WestJet customer and was shocked to hear that the routes he was scheduled to fly on this winter had been cancelled. He found out while trying to book a flight for himself and his wife to Barbados via Toronto.
He and his wife collect WestJet points to offset their travel costs, but he’s unhappy that he won’t be able to get those discounts when he flies next year.
“We’ve been collecting them over the years. It saves us a lot of money when we fly. And we don’t know if WestJet pulls out for any reason six months, nine months. , somebody let us know a year ago. ‘If I had taken their flight, I probably would have associated it with a different airline,’ he said in an interview.
Fitzgerald said he has emailed all political representatives at the federal and state level pleading his case. He hasn’t received an answer yet.
“At a time when penalties are being discussed, it seems strange that airlines would only cancel flights during snowy seasons,” he said.
“At a time when everyone is talking about inflation and rising prices, it stands to reason that if one airline leaves, the other airline can charge what it wants, and prices will go up. It smells like a problem.”
waist jet Sunwing Airlines announced in late September that it would fold its budget. Entered WestJet’s main brand. WestJet acquired Toronto-based Sunwing in May.
It’s not the first time WestJet has cut Eastern routes over the past year. In May, the airline reduced its flights between Ottawa and Toronto to one flight per day, departing at 5:30 p.m.
In 2022, non-stop flights between Ottawa and Halifax were suspended in the fall, with no winter flights from destinations such as Charlottetown, Fredericton and Quebec City.
Aviation expert John Gradek said Air Canada and WestJet are gradually cutting service and losing customers to compete with low-fare carriers such as Flair and Lynx.
“Both Air Canada and WestJet said, ‘Our home is our home. We’re not going to be refugees in our home, so we’re going to build these moats around Calgary and we’re going to build these moats around Toronto and Montreal. “We’re going to build a moat. It’s basically impenetrable,” he said.
“Good luck trying to basically break into our home base, our territory.”
Gradek said the reason for this was due to a shortage of pilots and airlines’ lack of equipment.
“I think this is a stopgap measure by WestJet, and once they get through the hurdles of delivering these new aircraft and getting over the pilot hurdles, they’ll come back,” he said.
Meanwhile, Air Transat is already concentrating its operations in eastern Canada with hubs in Toronto and Montreal.
“While we currently operate domestic flights, Air Transat will not operate domestic flights in the winter of 2023-2024 as our codeshare agreement serves this purpose,” said spokesman Bernard Cote. he said.
“Of course, we are always aware of how the industry is evolving and are ready to take advantage of new opportunities.”