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On August 10, 2026, the Canadian Transportation Agency cleared WestJet to sell codeshare flights to Qatar. The licence names no partner carrier, no route and no on-sale date. Above all, it creates no loyalty reciprocity: your WestJet points earn and redeem today exactly as they did before.
If you already earn WestJet points on your everyday spending, our guide to the best WestJet credit cards remains the right starting point, whatever this file turns into.
In a decision dated August 10, 2026, the Canadian Transportation Agency granted WestJet a licence to operate scheduled international service with large aircraft, by codeshare, on routes covered by the air transport agreement between Canada and Qatar.
That agreement stems from an Agreed Minute signed by both governments on September 19, 2024. The Agency found that WestJet meets the requirements of the Canada Transportation Act and the terms of the Canada-Qatar arrangement, then issued the licence.
A licence of this kind is an administrative authorization, not a commercial announcement. It establishes that WestJet has the right to sell these flights. It says nothing about whether it will sell them, with whom, or when.
WestJet and Qatar Airways already have an interline agreement. Moving to a codeshare is the logical next step in that kind of commercial relationship, and that is why the trade press has pointed to Qatar Airways as the likely partner since mid-August.
Neither airline has confirmed it. The Agency decision itself refers only to routes covered by the Canada-Qatar agreement, without naming a carrier.
Three elements remain unconfirmed, and we will not invent them:
This is the point we wanted to verify before writing anything about your points. WestJet publishes two separate partner lists, and Qatar Airways is on neither.
In other words, the Agency licence clears WestJet to add a 10th line to its codeshare list. It says nothing about adding a 5th line to the list that actually matters for your points, the one where you earn.
The two lists move independently. Five carriers sit on the codeshare list without appearing on the direct booking one: Aeromexico, Air Transat, Condor, Japan Airlines and Korean Air. A codeshare with Qatar Airways would follow the same logic by default, absent a separately announced loyalty agreement.
In the short term, nothing. Your WestJet points keep accruing on WestJet flights, with the four direct booking partners, and through spending on a co-branded card.
If a codeshare with Qatar Airways does happen, two scenarios are possible:
To place yourself in each program, read our complete guide to WestJet Rewards elite status and our ultimate guide to Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
The best way to benefit from a possible opening toward Doha is to already hold a healthy WestJet points balance the day the announcement lands. Everyday earning makes the difference, not waiting.
The WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard‡ remains one of the best entry points to the program for a Canadian traveller who flies the airline regularly.
If your travel is not limited to WestJet, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card covers a wider range of airlines while staying inside the same RBC ecosystem. We compared the two in detail.
We will update this article as soon as WestJet or Qatar Airways confirms routes, an on-sale date, or a loyalty agreement between WestJet Rewards and Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
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