It will only take five hours for Prince George area residents to go from snow to sand this winter.
For the first time since February 2020, WestJet is offering direct flights to Puerto Vallarta, just over a week before Christmas.
YXS President and CEO, Gord Duke told the media today (Monday) during an event, local residents spoke loud and clear on wanting this route to return.
“We really heard this consistently from everybody that we would talk to in the community when is Puerto Vallarta coming back? We are really pleased with this.”
Weekly flights out of PG will run every Saturday at 1 pm from December 16th to April 20th.
Duke added now that the public spoke loud and clear about wanting the flight back – it’s time for residents to cash in and use it.
“This is an opportunity for the folks in the Prince George area and our region that we have heard to use this flight. And the more we use it the better it is going to be and the more likely it is going to be it will stay and potentially expand.”
“A lot of work went into this and I think where this flight has operated at times off and on since 2005, a lot of it has to with folks from this area having property or times shares in and around Puerto Vallarta so it totally makes sense for this market.”
Another major plus was having a Canada Border Services Agency facility located inside the PG Airport – a luxury a lot of small to mid-sized airports don’t have.
“If you don’t have to stop somewhere en route or connect, it just makes it so much easier for the traveller, and it provides a level of stability if you are able to do the direct service, you don’t have the variables of connect.”
“By having Canada Customs here, it helps with that compelling business case to operate that flight direct.”
In a corresponding move, Duke also announced direct service offered by Flair Airlines out of YXS to Tuscon, Arizona will not be coming back this winter season.
“Not at this point. We will not have Tuscon as a destination – we are in the midst of working with our airline partners on possible destinations and we can’t announce anything at this point.”
However, Duke admitted his wish list includes Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Palm Springs – but a glaring obstacle continues to be a lack of airport crews and air traffic controllers – an issue he believes will likely persist for the next year.
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