Encore, WestJet’s regional airline, readies for June launch

In recent weeks, Ferio Pugliese has started using the term “running the gauntlet” to describe his typical work day.

The 44-year-old president of WestJet’s new regional airline Encore might start off with a meeting about Transport Canada certification requirements, then take part in a discussion about the type of leather that will be going on the new planes’ seats, and finish off with a visit to the new flight attendants undergoing training in a classroom downstairs.

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WestJet Encore to enhance service in Alberta, Saskatchewan

CALGARY – WestJet Airlines will use its new fleet of Bombardier Q400 aircraft to ramp up its flight offerings in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The Calgary-based airline announced Tuesday that its new regional service, Encore, will allow it to enhance its schedule in a number of cities where it already operates. Using the same turboprop planes it will use to fly to small communities not previously served by WestJet, the airline will also increase the number of flights servicing Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, and Saskatoon this summer.

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WestJet flies by: City optimistic of airport’s future despite not being on the map for new regional airline

WestJet will launch its new regional airline in Western Canada without a local stop but city officials and business leaders say the growing dogfight for air service in the west could eventually lead to more frequent and cheaper flights in Medicine Hat.

The Calgary-based WestJet announced Monday that Encore, the regional wing of the air carrier, will begin flying into Fort St. John and Nanaimo, B.C., in June.

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Air Canada to boost capacity in Western Canada as rival gears up

(Reuters) – Air Canada will boost capacity in Western Canada this spring and summer, the airline said on Friday, introducing new, larger aircraft and more flights as its biggest domestic rival launches a short-haul airline.

Air Canada, the country’s biggest airline, will replace its 50-seat Bombardier Inc CRJ100/200ER aircraft on Western Canadian routes with new Bombardier 74-seater Q400 Next Generation aircraft. That is the same plane that competitor WestJet Airlines Ltd will use for its new regional carrier Encore.

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WestJet picks Calgary as home base for new airline

CALGARY- After considering a number of cities across Canada, WestJet has decided to locate the headquarters of its new regional airline in Calgary.

Wednesday’s announcement means that Encore, the newly named regional airline expected to begin flying in the last half of 2013, will be based in the same city as its parent company. WestJet spokesperson Jennifer Sanford said airports in both Eastern and Western Canada were considered, but in the end, the company chose to remain true to its roots.

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