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WestJet announces new service to Houston, Texas and Gander, Newfoundland

CALGARY, Jan. 19, 2015 /CNW/ - WestJet today announced two new destinations - Houston, Texas and Gander, Newfoundland - as part of the 2015 summer schedule release. The airline adds a total of nine new routes and increased frequency on 15 established routes.

"We know that 2015 will be driven by competition on every level, and we are ready," said Bob Cummings, WestJet Executive Vice-President, Sales, Marketing and Guest Experience. "Houston and Gander will connect more people, more often, to established and emerging energy markets, and we continue to improve service for our growing number of business travellers. WestJet resumes service to Dublin and launches service to Glasgow this spring as we further build our European presence, while WestJet Encore now reaches across Canada with the routes announced today. We are an airline experiencing a very exciting evolution that will bring the strength of our low-cost, people-driven guest experience into more markets."

Houston and Gander may seem like they sit on opposite ends of the spectrum, but the two destinations have more in common than expected. Houston is a big player in the global energy sector, making it a natural choice for new, non-stop jet service from Calgary. Gander is a small but mighty town, now the third WestJet destination in the province, set to benefit from the growth of Newfoundland's offshore oil boom and the established business-traveller market between Alberta and the "Rock". Service to Gander from Toronto and Halifax completes WestJet Encore's progression across Canada – now operating coast-to-coast while bringing lower fares and better connections from British Columbia to Newfoundland.

"As an airline, WestJet takes the route less travelled by preparing in good times for the potentially tough ones ahead," said WestJet Vice-President, Revenue Management, Paul Harvalias. "Last year we promised we would drop fares, and we followed through by lowering the price of more than six million seats across our network. The fares offered today also reflect on that promise; in addition to ultra-low introductory fares for routes like Houston and Gander, or for our European destinations, we have incredibly competitive pricing across the network throughout the year."

Guests in Atlantic Canada benefit from a market stimulated by lower fares, more flight options and greater connectivity as WestJet introduces more flights. WestJet launches its second year of competitive rates to Europe when flights resume between St. John's and Dublin on May 1, 2015, and new flights between Halifax and Glasgow begin May 29, 2015. Halifax sees its largest increase in service beginning July 15, 2015, with new routes to Gander and Deer Lake, Newfoundland, and Sydney, Nova Scotia, as well as increased frequency to St. John's, Ottawa and Toronto. New WestJet flights between Toronto and Gander begin May 3, 2015, a new WestJet Encore route between Ottawa and Moncton begins July 15, 2015, and service between Toronto and Fredericton, announced last July, begins April 15, 2015.

In addition to non-stop flights to Houston, growth in Western Canada includes new daily non-stop flights from Calgary to Yellowknife and Terrace, BC, launching May 3, 2015. WestJet Encore service between Edmonton and Kamloops, BC, announced early last year, is set to begin on February 15, 2015.

Details of WestJet's new routes in summer 2015:

Details of WestJet's European service in summer 2015:

Two-day low introductory fares starting at:

*Book by January 20, 2015, on select days. Some restrictions apply. Please see westjet.com/newdestinations for details.

Low introductory fares to Europe starting at:

*Some restrictions apply. Please see westjet.com for full details.

Low introductory fares to Houston starting at:

*Book by January 26, 2015, on select days from September 8, 2015, until December 11.2015. Some restrictions apply. Please see westjet.com/newdestinations for details.

WestJet Vacations offers a range of experiences in more than 40 destinations in the US, Mexico, Caribbean, Europe and Canada, most recently adding Glasgow, United Kingdom, to its line-up. WestJet's summer schedule for 2015 also adds more flights to Las Vegas, Orlando and year round service from Toronto to Puerto Vallarta, where guests can take advantage of the many amenities and great service they have come to expect from WestJet Vacations.

WestJet Rewards recently launched new Gold, Silver and Teal tiers that offer milestone awards and flight benefits, including but not limited to free checked bags, advance boarding and airport lounge vouchers. Members with top-tier status in another Canadian airline's frequent flyer program can get Gold flight benefits immediately by taking advantage of WestJet's Status Match offer, available until January 31, 2015, at westjet.com/getgold.

For more details on WestJet's 2015 summer schedule, please visit westjet.com/newdestinations.

About WestJet
We are proud to be Canada's most-preferred airline, powered by an award-winning culture of care and recognized as one of the country's top employers. We offer scheduled service to more than 90 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. Through our regional airline, WestJet Encore, and with partnerships with airlines representing every major region of the world, we offer our guests more than 120 destinations in more than 20 countries. Leveraging WestJet's extensive network, flight schedule and remarkable guest experience, WestJet Vacations delivers affordable, flexible travel experiences with a variety of accommodation options for every guest. Members of our WestJet Rewards program earn WestJet dollars on flights, vacation packages and more. Our members use WestJet dollars towards the purchase of WestJet flights and vacations packages on any day, at any time, to any WestJet destination with no blackout periods – even on seat sales. For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com.  

Recent recognition includes:
2015 Best Employers in Canada (Aon Hewitt)
2014 Interbrand Canada's Best Canadian Brands (Rank #20)
2014 Brands of the Year (Strategy magazine)
2014 Canada's Most Preferred Airline (Ipsos)
2014 Value Airline of the Year (Air Transport World magazine)
2014/2013/2012 Canada's Most Attractive Employer (Randstad)
2014/2013 WestJet RBC MasterCard ranked #1 in Canada (Money Sense magazine and RewardsCanada.ca)
2013 Highest equity score: airline, vacation package supplier brands (Harris/Decima EquiTrend Study)

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SOURCE WestJet

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