ManitobaWestJet has suspended or reduced a trio of flights between Winnipeg and U.S. destinations amid reduced Canadian demand for travel south of the border and the depletion of a provincial flight subsidy fund.Move follows reduced Canadian demand for U.S. travel, depletion of provincial flight subsidyBartley Kives · CBC News · Posted: May 08, 2025 9:24 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoWestJet is suspending flights between Winnipeg and Los Angeles, beginning June 1. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Image)WestJet has suspended or reduced a trio of flights between Winnipeg and U.S. destinations amid reduced Canadian demand for travel south of the border and the depletion of a provincial flight subsidy fund.Beginning June 1, WestJet flights between Winnipeg and Los Angeles will be suspended, Winnipeg Airports Authority spokesperson Kerilee Falloon said Friday.Flights between Winnipeg and Las Vegas will be suspended for July and August, while the frequency of flights between Winnipeg and Atlanta will be reduced to two per week from five per week, Falloon said.WestJet has been asked to comment. In April, spokesperson Jen Booth said the airline was reviewing its Canada-U.S. flight schedule for the summer months “due to the changing demand surrounding travel to the United States.”Canadian interest in U.S. travel has dropped WestJet announced more flights in April between Winnipeg and Halifax and a new direct flight to St. John’s, both “to meet increased domestic and transatlantic travel demand,” Booth said at the time.Also in April, Wab Kinew’s NDP government confirmed it will not top up a depleted $4.8-million flight-subsidy fund that backstopped the Los Angeles and Atlanta routes.The Manitoba film industry relies heavily on the Los Angeles connection, while Winnipeg businesses such as Price Industries have operations in the Atlanta area.In April, Kinew government spokesperson Ryan Stelter said he was not aware of requests by the Winnipeg Airports Authority, WestJet or other entities to top up or extend subsidies for the Los Angeles and Atlanta flights.The fund was started by Heather Stefanson’s former PC government. The former premier is now a member of WestJet’s board of directors.ABOUT THE AUTHORBartley Kives joined CBC Manitoba in 2016. Prior to that, he spent three years at the Winnipeg Sun and 18 at the Winnipeg Free Press, writing about politics, music, food and outdoor recreation. He’s the author of the Canadian bestseller A Daytripper’s Guide to Manitoba: Exploring Canada’s Undiscovered Province and co-author of both Stuck in the Middle: Dissenting Views of Winnipeg and Stuck In The Middle 2: Defining Views of Manitoba.
WestJet suspends Winnipeg flights to L.A. and Las Vegas, reduces flights to Atlanta
