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Canada's Westjet enters Trans-Atlantic market

Canada's Westjet, once an upstart Western Canada regional and now a major national has taken a next step by starting flights from Toronto to Dublin for the summer and into the fall. The Toronto leg makes a brief stop at St. John's, Newfoundland, which is still in Canada, so it's technically a non-stop from Canada to Ireland.

 

The first flights were steeply discounted and quickly booked up, so other carriers are watching the market closely. MORE

The best part of every trip is realizing that it has upset your expectations

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Westjet has been promoting this to its frequent flyer members (like yours truly) for months now.   They have extensive routes in North America, including Mexico and the Caribbean, but this is a big change in their business model.

 

I'm not sure if this will work well, though.  Westjet only flies Boeing 737s (much like Southwest, for example).  That transatlantic journey is a long and uncomfortable one to make in a single aisle aircraft.  In contrast, Air Canada, the other major Canadian airline, flies Boeing 767 and 777s to Europe and is starting to roll out some 787s, twin aisle aircrafts better designed for such long journeys.  I think Westjet's new route will only have appeal to those on Canada's eastern cities, but I wish them well.  They're a spunky company that have done a lot to improve air travel for Canadians.

Twitter: @DrFumblefinger

"We do not take a trip, a trip takes us".  John Steinbeck, from Travels with Charlie

If they do as well at this venture as they clearly hope, that could change rapidly, especially since the 737s are what make it necessary to stop in Newfoundland and fly no further than Ireland.
 
They already had a "wet-lease" arrangement with Thomas Cook, which provided 2 757s and pilots for Hawaii service, and according to this article they are considering dry-leasing (their own pilots) 767s, A330s or more for expanded European routes, perhaps as early as next year.

The best part of every trip is realizing that it has upset your expectations

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