The increase in this offer is for Calgary YYC airport only. New routes will be established from Calgary to Tokyo, Barcelona and Edinburgh. In addition, the frequency of flights to Dublin, London, Paris and Rome will increase. Here are the details.

This is exciting news for Western Canada as, as of April 30, 2023, WestJet will be the only airline to offer service to Asia directly from Alberta with its Calgary-Tokyo route.

As for Europe, WestJet plans to increase its services, especially during the summer. The new routes from Calgary to Barcelona and Edinburgh will run from May to October, while service to other European cities will be increased.

Here’s a breakdown of what these changes will look like:

We did a price simulation with the newly announced flights from Calgary to Tokyo. Several flights are available for less than $700 in May, so it is possible to get a Calgary-Tokyo round trip for less than $1400 in economy class.

You can reduce the cost of these flights with the WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard, which offers a welcome bonus of $450 WestJet dollars. Here’s an example of how you can use these WestJet dollars to lower your airfare.

Of course, these routes will be especially beneficial for those who wish to travel to Japan in one direct flight from Calgary.

The increased availability of flights to Europe is good news for Canadians in general, even if it is only for flights from Calgary. It’s sometimes easier to find very affordable prices to Europe when you don’t absolutely need to fly direct. For example, my flight from Montreal to Dublin in September 2022 cost only $298, with a layover in Toronto on WestJet.

So having more flight options can often help us, directly or indirectly, to find better prices.

The announcement of these new WestJet routes is part of WestJet’s service expansion that will continue to be announced in the coming months. These new routes will make it easier for Calgarians and Albertans to travel to Japan and major European cities.

If you travel frequently with WestJet, take the opportunity to earn WestJet dollars with the WestJet RBC MasterCard and WestJet World Elite MasterCard, and enrol in the WestJet Rewards loyalty program.