WestJet announces direct flights from Edmonton to Chicago, Salt Lake City

WestJet flight attendants holding an enlarged boarding pass during the airline's announcement of two new direct flights to the US on Nov. 18, 2024. (Evan Klippenstein/CTV News Edmonton)

WestJet Airlines announced they are adding more planes to their fleet and new non-stop destinations to their summer schedule on Monday.

The Calgary-based airline will purchase eight planes for their Edmonton fleet and have five direct flights per week heading to Chicago and three direct flights a week to Salt Lake City.

"Any connectivity to our Edmonton Metro regions is really important, and WestJet doubling down on Edmonton and investing in this region is great for business," said Edmonton International Airport CEO and president Myron Keehn.

"It's great for tourism and it's great to bring visitors to and from our region, but also helping us export goods," he said.

WestJet's CEO told media on Monday how the decision to include the two new US destinations was made.

"We talked a lot with the community around what needs they (have). Salt Lake City is a hub of our partner Delta Airlines," Alexis von Hoensbroech said.

"From there you can connect to 85 destinations across the Delta Alliance Network … And Chicago is just one of the important unserved routes that Edmontonians have always asked for," he added.

The company plans to acquire 80 more airplanes by the end of 2030.

The new flights to Salt Lake City and Chicago will begin May 15 and June 4, respectively.