REGINA – December is almost over, and residents of southern Saskatchewan might already be looking to escape winter after the recent blizzard and cold weather.
To the rescue again is Regina International Airport, which is once again offering a number of direct flights to sun destinations for travellers to consider for the new year.
Notably, there have been a number of changes just in the past year to some of the flight options to get to those southern destinations.
James Bogusz, CEO of Regina Airport Authority, pointed to a major shift regarding one of the major carriers that usually flies to sun destinations, and that is the sale of Sunwing to WestJet.
“Some of the readers are going to be aware that WestJet purchased Sunwing Airlines, and they're now amalgamating their fleet in planes, they're upgrading cabins, and I think folks are hearing a lot about that on the news.”
What it means is that there are a lot more WestJet offerings to sun destinations than before.
“The really hot destination is Mexico,” said Bogusz. “So we have more capacity to cities like Cancun and Puerto Vallarta than I've ever seen in the eight years I've been CEO.”
Bogusz said they have 26 days in January where nonstop flights are available to Cancun. “It's one of the top destinations for WestJet.”
Those flights can be purchased through WestJet or in some cases Sunwing. Bogusz said there is lots of availability for those flights. One tip he passes along is to make sure to sign up for WestJet's mailing list.
“They often put out great promotional codes and great deals on different holidays or different opportunities to save some money on these flights.”
Bogusz adds that if a direct flight to your preferred destination is not departing on the day you want, you can always connect through a major hub with Air Canada connections in Toronto and Vancouver, and with WestJet through Calgary or Edmonton.
There is another connection option available as well, and that is to connect through Denver or Minneapolis-St. Paul.
“What a difference from a couple of years ago in terms of service offering,” Bogusz said. He particularly points to United’s daily direct service seven days a week to Denver International.
In addition to checking WestJet or Air Canada's websites when you're looking at flights, do yourself a favor — have a look at United.com as well,” Bogus said. “They've got fantastic service into many spots, of course, in the United States, all connecting through Denver International. And they even have some easy getaways into Europe as a very simple connection to that massive airport.”
He calls the connectivity out of Denver "unprecedented." In terms of the size of that airport, it is “almost twice the size of Toronto Pearson. It's number six in the world, number three in North America. That's got a massive footprint with United, and there's a lot of good connections.”
He also points to the WestJet direct flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul and the connections through the Delta – WestJet coshare partnership as an option.
With the onset of cold weather and the holiday season, Bogusz acknowledges that air travel picks up considerably at YQR during this time of year, with many travellers using the airport to get where they want to go.
“December, January and February, they rival the peak summer months when it comes to travel,” said Bogusz.
He said it is led by the Christmas travel season, but he also points to the direct flights offered to sun destinations like Mexico, as well as the seasonal direct flights from Regina to U.S. destinations such as Phoenix and Las Vegas.
As the year ends, Bogusz is thanking the travelling public for the support that they give the airport each year.
“We're going to do our part to keep growing this airport, providing amenities for customers, and we're going to make sure we deliver a safe and secure experience for you and your family.”
