WestJet plans to halt flights between Toronto and Montreal for the winter in a continuation of its retreat from short-haul routes in Eastern Canada to retrench in the West.
The route will be cut from the schedule for six months, starting late October and resuming in late April, the Calgary-based company said.
“This route was suspended as a result of performance and in alignment with our strategic direction to expand our presence in Eastern Canada this winter with increased non-stop connectivity to Western Canada, as well as providing more affordable leisure and sun travel opportunities across Canada,” spokesperson Madison Kruger said in an email.
The airline runs flights once a day along the busy Toronto-Montreal corridor, which currently sees four carriers — Air Canada, WestJet, Porter Airlines and Air Transat — operate more than 350 trips per week, according to aviation data firm Cirium.
WestJet now flies 80 per cent fewer trips between Canada’s two biggest cities than in 2019 as the company has slashed routes in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada to refocus on the West — where it faces a growing raft of rivals, including Flair Airlines and Lynx Air.
Meanwhile, Air Canada has been adding service to its main Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver markets and recently axed a number of regional routes in Western Canada as well as direct service to some larger Western Canadian cities, such as Regina and Saskatoon. In late August it cut six major routes out of Calgary from its winter schedule.
WestJet’s acquisition of Sunwing Airlines and a related vacation division opens the gate to sun destinations reached from airports in Eastern Canada, an area to which it remains “extremely committed,” Kruger said. But its regional stake east of the Prairies is thin. Out of Toronto, the carrier will fly to only two Canadian airports east of that city come November — Ottawa and Halifax — according to its website.
Founded as a regional upstart in Calgary in 1996, WestJet has grown to serve nearly a third of Canada’s domestic air travel market, while Air Canada accounts for nearly half.
Canadian airline WestJet is temporarily suspending service between Montreal and Toronto this winter as it plans to focus on connectivity to Western Canada.
Focusing on Western Canada for the winter
The airline industry is already in the winter season, and airlines are shifting schedules, reducing operations in some places and increasing them in others. Yesterday, it was reported that Canadian carrier WestJet would suspend its operations between Toronto and Montreal for the winter. The decision came after a strategic review in which the airline decided to focus on Western Canada.
In April, WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech stated WestJet would grow in the East, focusing on travel to Western Canada. Now, the airline is doing just that. Even before suspending service between the two cities, WestJet had significantly reduced its operations, which were below pre-pandemic levels. Still, suspension of service between Montreal and Toronto is only temporary and will resume in April 2024.
WestJet provided Simple Flying with the following statement when asked about the reported changes,
“This route was suspended as a result of performance and in alignment with our strategic direction to expand our presence in Eastern Canada this winter with increased non-stop connectivity to Western Canada, as well as providing more affordable leisure and sun travel opportunities across Canada.”
According to Cirium data, WestJet has 28 flights scheduled in each direction between Montreal and Toronto this month, down from an average of 341 monthly flights in the winter. As it stands, WestJet will deploy three aircraft types between the two cities: the Boeing 737-700, 737-800, and MAX 8. The -700 is the most frequently scheduled, with 16 of the 28 one-way flights.
Other airlines’ service from Montreal to Toronto
Cirium data shows four airlines have scheduled service between Toronto and Montreal this month: Air Canada, Porter Airlines, WestJet, and Air Transat. Between the four carriers, there are 2,414 flights scheduled in both directions. Air Canada has the largest market share, which should not come as a surprise as it is Canada’s largest airline. Of the 2,414 flights, 1,488 belong to Air Canada.
Air Canada deploys several aircraft types because of its vast operations between the two cities. The De Havilland Canada Dash 8-Q400 is the most-used aircraft by Air Canada, which deploys the turboprop between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.
The Dash 8s will operate four hundred seventy-two flights of the 1,488 flights. The Airbus A220-300 is also crucial for Air Canada, with 447 flights scheduled between YUL and Toronto Pearson International Airport.