[TRAVEL] WestJet Encore Breaks into the East Coast

Calgary based Canadian carrier WestJet Encore has been making significant presence in the country forcing fellow airlines into the “low ticket fare” status as it makes plans this winter to add additional air routes. Flights from Calgary to Penticton will commence operations on October 25, 2014; from Edmonton to Kamloops operation will begin on February 15, 2015; from Toronto to Fredericton operation will begin daily on April 15, 2015; and from Edmonton to Quebec City service will begin on March 15, 2015.

Starting as a wholly owned subsidiary of parent company, WestJet, with intentions to reach small communities mainly in Western Canada, WestJet Encore has become very popular since operations totaling approximately 100 flights per day to 18 destinations in Canada. With only two years of experience, this young regional airline is expecting to add 28 Bombardier Q400 aircrafts to the airline count by 2016 due to high stimulating demand.

WestJet Encore aircrafts are equipped with 78 passenger seats with some legroom of 30 inches. Since commencement in June 2013, flights operated by this regional carrier confirmed that ticket reductions were up to 50% lower than fellow Canadian airlines Air Canada and Porter. In order to keep up with the competition, both airlines drove down airfares before new WestJet Encore routes were announced this year. Presently, a roundtrip from Calgary to Kamloops, B.C. currently costs about $260 CDN for both WestJet Encore and Air Canada Tango. You can see that Air Canada has been taking action to revive the subtle attack from its neighboring competition. As WestJet Encore plans for expansion into the East Coast and the U.S. at a stable rate, pressure has been intensified for Air Canada and Porter to reduce costs, which could negatively affect its financial report at year-end. Personally, I love seeing that competition is slowly driving down ticket rates as travelling has become an addiction, especially with rewards. I mean, who wants to pay full price when you don’t have to right?