CALGARY, March 16, 2017 /CNW/ - Today, WestJet launched its newest service to Montreal with the departure of flight 3451 from Halifax. The new route operates twice daily on WestJet Encore using its fleet of Canadian-made Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft.

"WestJet sees a bright travel future for both the Quebec and Nova Scotia markets as we add to our growing presence in Eastern Canada," said Brian Znotins, WestJet Vice-President, Network Planning, Alliances and Corporate Development. "We are proud to connect these two historic Canadian cities with our signature low fares and caring service. This route is an excellent addition to our growing WestJet Encore network, whether guests are travelling for business, hitting the world-famous restaurant scene of Montreal, or visiting the great outdoor attractions of Halifax. On behalf of our 12,000 WestJetters across the country, welcome on board."

"This WestJet flight to Halifax is part of Montréal–Trudeau's continuing development," said Philippe Rainville, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aéroports de Montréal. "By October, WestJet will be serving a total of 12 destinations out of Montréal. This is a 48 per cent increase in the number of seats, with a total of 181 weekly flights. Passengers on these new routes will now enjoy quick and efficient connections to other destinations in the network of WestJet and its international and North American partners."

"We are very pleased to see WestJet's continued expansion in our region with the addition of this important Montréal connection from its Atlantic hub," says Joyce Carter, Halifax International Airport Authority President and CEO. "These flights are a welcome addition to the network already served by WestJet from Halifax and offer our passengers more choice on this busy Montréal route."

WestJet now operates 157 weekly departures from Halifax to 19 non-stop destinations: 12 domestic and seven international and transborder routes.

On February 13, WestJet announced a significant investment in Quebec's travel and tourism market with increased service and new routes to and from Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. The Montreal-Halifax route is the first of three new routes to launch out of Montreal this year. Overall, the airline is adding 105 more flights per week in the province, a capacity increase of 74 per cent.

Details of WestJet Encore's service between Halifax and Montreal:

About WestJet
We are proud to be Canada's most trusted airline, powered by an award-winning culture of care and recognized as one of the country's top employers. WestJet, and our regional airline, WestJet Encore, offer scheduled service to more than 100 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. Through our partnerships with airlines representing every major region of the world, we offer our guests more than 150 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:
2016 Canada's Most Trusted Airline (Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria)
2016 Canada's most reputable company for Corporate Social Responsibility (Reputation Institute)
2016/2015/2014/2013/2012 Ranked top three for Canadian Brands (Canadian Business Magazine)
2016/2015/2014/2013 WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard ranked #1 in Canada (MoneySense magazine)
2015/2011/2010/2008/2007/2006/2005 Canada's Most Admired Corporate Culture (Waterstone Human Capital)
2015 Best Employers in Canada (Aon Hewitt) 

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SOURCE WestJet