WestJet reducing direct service from Ottawa to Toronto starting in May
WestJet Airlines will be reducing service from Ottawa to Toronto starting May 1.
Currently, WestJet operates three flights daily to Toronto from Ottawa. According to the airline’s website, starting May 1, there will only be one direct flight per day, departing at 5:30 p.m.
This is the latest reduction in service for WestJet in eastern Canada. In the fall, direct flights from Ottawa to Halifax were suspended, and there were no winter flights out of eastern destinations such as Charlottetown, Fredericton, and Quebec City.
CTV News reached out to the airline. WestJet did not directly address the reduced Ottawa-Toronto service but did say they would be increasing service to western Canadian cities such as Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver.
"We will be offering more seat capacity out of Ottawa this summer, when compared to last year's schedule," a company spokesperson said in a statement. "Most notably, our service between Ottawa and Edmonton is returning, operating 6x weekly; service between Ottawa and Vancouver will increase from 5x weekly to 11x weekly; and service between Ottawa and Calgary will increase from 14x weekly in 2022, to 19x weekly this summer."
The statement says, "We will operate service between Ottawa and Toronto daily." But does not specify how many flights daily will be operating.
Industry experts say this reflects WestJet’s shifting to focus on western destinations and long-haul, cross-Canada trips.
Aviation expert at McGill University John Gradek says, "They are retrenching and focusing on markets in western Canada, primarily Calgary. So, what you see now is the icing on the cake that reflects WestJet’s intention of getting out of shorter haul, eastern Canadian cities that are intercity market.
"Ottawa-Toronto, Ottawa to Quebec City, Montreal to Toronto, Quebec to Toronto… WestJet has said- 'we are out of that, and we are only going to fly passengers between western Canada and eastern Canada and not worry about putting those assets in intercity travel in Eastern Canada.'"
Gradek says WestJet is competing for business against other airlines such as Porter Airlines.
"I think you are going to see a very aggressive WestJet presence in western Canada, and a very aggressive Air Canada presence in eastern Canada to try to steal back the shares that they have lost from Flair and Lynx Air," he said. "It will be an interesting battle over the summer in terms of how much price competition is going to take place."
Gradek also says that travellers from Ottawa will still be able to fly to Toronto because other airlines will step in, but prices could increase.
"It will be cheaper to fly Ottawa to Vancouver than fly between Ottawa and Toronto this summer, that is my prediction," he said.
Many passengers say they will continue to fly out of Ottawa but say they will adjust and build time in for potential delays or waiting.
Having fewer options to fly direct for the Brewin family visiting from Newfoundland is disappointing, Rob Brewin says.
"That is going be brutal, it will only be Porter, I guess, or Air Canada," he said. "We need more airlines like that back home."
His wife Angela says, "We are used to WestJet… we have been traveling WestJet for years."
Ruth Strunz, flying to Orlando via Toronto, says she isn’t surprised to hear of reduced service out of Ottawa.
"They will do what they do, and we will just try to adapt. That seems to always be the way."
Paul Chartrand is a frequent traveller and says he will continue to connect in Toronto.
"It is better for the other airlines, I guess. If WestJet is getting rid of those flights, the other airlines will pick up those fares."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Black youth face multiple barriers in accessing mental health care, experts say
Black youth in Canada face multiple barriers in getting access to mental health services — and health-care providers can make the situation more difficult, experts say.
Bystander livestreams during Charlotte standoff show an ever-growing appetite for social media video
Saing Chhoeun was locked out of his Charlotte, N.C., home on Monday as law enforcement with high-powered rifles descended into his yard and garage, using a car as a shield as they were met with a shower of gunfire from the direction of his neighbor's house.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Golf season a summer tourism driver in Canada
Golf is a sign of spring and summer and a major driver for seasonal tourism, experts say.