Canada's Heated (Airline) Rivalry: WestJet To Fly Boeing 787 To Brazil

On January 19th, WestJet announced that it would be launching service to Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This will be the airline's 100th destination out of its main hub at Calgary. This means most Canadians will have more choice when it comes to one-stop service to Sao Paulo. That's because while arch-rival Air Canada does not fly the same route, it does offer service to the Brazilian city from Toronto and Montreal. Let's look at the details of this new route for today's video, and look at how WestJet is truly expanding to rival Air Canada. And so, as of this fall, WestJet will offer the only non-stop flight between Western Canada and South America, operating three times weekly between Calgary and Sao Paulo. Alexis von Hunsbruch, Chief Executive Officer at the WestJet Group, commented on the new route, Our first flight between Western Canada and South America is the beginning of an exciting chapter in WestJet's Calgary story. From our very first flight in 1996 to 100 non-stop destinations on four continents, this city has stood alongside us every step of the way. As the largest city in the Americas, WestJet says that Sao Paulo adds valuable business opportunities, including belly cargo capacity, supporting businesses on both continents with flexible access to expanding markets. The inaugural flight will take place on November 8th with departure at 10.45pm local time, arriving in Brazil at 3.35pm local time. Even though the route has been announced, WestJet notes that it is still pending government approval. The new flight will be ideal for most residents of Western Canada who prefer to fly a Canadian airline but don't want to take an Air Canada flight all the way to Toronto or Montreal for the connection to Sao Paulo. With WestJet, it's a much shorter flight to Calgary before taking that long-haul service down south. Flying via the United States or even Mexico City could work as well, but some travelers would prefer to keep their itineraries as simple as possible and not include a third country. With WestJet already establishing long-haul Trans-Pacific and Trans-Atlantic service, it's providing some competition to the nation's flag carrier, Air Canada. Sure, WestJet's network may still be significantly smaller, but it's good to see that with several key markets, travelers have additional choice. WestJet will be happy to spotlight this news as it hopes to further distance itself from its failed cabin reconfiguration project, which introduced a segment of the domestic economy-class cabin with non-reclining seats with a 28-inch pitch. After public backlash, the airline decided to scrap its reconfiguration plans. But what do you think of WestJet's planned entry into the South American market? Let us know by leaving a comment.