By Charles Lefebvre

Positive response to WestJet Link in Medicine Hat

Nov 22, 2018 | 3:27 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — In June, WestJet Link was welcomed with a lot of fanfare to Medicine Hat.

Hundreds gathered on the tarmac at the Medicine Hat Regional Airport to see the first flight touch down, and take the first flight to Calgary.

Now, almost six months later, both the airline and the airport say the response to the new carrier so far has been positive.

“WestJet Link has brought more choice, better connectivity and lower fares to the Southern Alberta region and has been performing at expectations on its Medicine Hat to Calgary route,” a statement from WestJet reads. “Flight frequency in combination with the number of seats on the aircraft continue to be key in servicing WestJet Link’s communities.”

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“I think they’ve been very well-received as a new carrier,” said Jeff Huntus, airport manager for the city, echoes those comments. “I know one of the frequent questions we had in the buildup to it was ‘When’s WestJet coming,’ because people like variety and people like the competition.

Neither Huntus or WestJet would provide the total number of passengers that have been seen at the airport, though Huntus says the number of passengers has been “significantly” higher than they were at this time last year.

“They stimulate new demand, and generate competition, and I can say with some certainty that all of the traffic increase is due to WestJet, because Air Canada’s traffic levels have stayed very much the same as they have historically,” said Huntus.

Huntus says the primary use for WestJet in Medicine Hat has been as a connecting flight to the Calgary international Airport in order to travel to other destinations, and it’s attracting different travellers to the airport.

“Since the start of WestJet in June, I’ve noticed a significant increase in family travel (and) larger groups to different destinations,” he said. “We brought in an element of the community, a user that wasn’t really here before, that was on the road and drove to Calgary to make their connection.”

CHAT News also asked WestJet if the airline was considering adding additional routes and we received the following response.

“As we continue to see these routes perform at expectations, it’s important to note the connectivity that Link continues to provide our growing network,” the statement reads. “We continue to evaluate new markets and existing performance, but at this time do not have anything to share regarding new routes.”