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WestJet has responded to the Comox Valley Airport’s request for scheduling improvements by adding additional frequency to its Calgary hub from Comox. This new year-round daily flight will open up about 14 additional WestJet markets that were previously not served from Comox in at least one direction.
Beginning on Jan. 16, 2015, a Q400 will depart Comox for Calgary each day at 6:00 a.m. An additional evening flight will depart Calgary for Comox at 8:15 p.m. This new service ensures a minimum of three daily non-stop departures from Comox to Calgary at any time of the year.
“We have been lobbying WestJet to provide us with a daily early-morning flight and we really saw an opportunity to make this happen with the introduction of the Q400s,” explained Comox Valley Airport CEO, Fred Bigelow. “They agreed there was a market for more service and now we are happy to be able to offer our passengers same-day access to destinations like Varadero, Orlando and Cabo San Lucas.”
The extra flight will likely result in a five per cent increase in the airport’s passenger numbers year over year. To accommodate the additional service, the daily evening departure to Calgary will leave Comox at 4:45 p.m. instead of 7:15 p.m. This change takes effect on Jan. 15, 2015.
WestJet will also be adding six more temporary flights per week at YQQ for the month of September. These flights will utilize a 737 jet and will depart Comox for Calgary at 3:25 p.m. every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
“The best way to bolster our case for new destinations is to use up the additional capacity that WestJet is offering us,” explained Bigelow. “The airline has responded to our request for improved scheduling to help our passengers connect to more destinations and now we must do our part by filling up these planes. We are asking the North Island community to spread the word and ensure they take advantage of these additional flights.”
The Comox Valley Airport would also like to remind passengers to arrive to the airport 60 to 90 minutes before scheduled departure time. WestJet has a consistent policy across all of its stations that domestic check-in counters will close 45 minutes prior to departure with no exceptions. This rule applies to all passengers, including those who check in via the web, kiosk or a mobile device.
