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 reports record February load factor

CALGARY — WestJet announced Tuesday that its February 2013 traffic resulted in a record load factor of 86.1 per cent, up 3.4 percentage points from the year before.

Revenue passenger miles, or traffic, increased 7.3 per cent year over year, and capacity, measured in available seat miles, grew 3.1 per cent over the same period. The airline flew 1.4 million guests in February, a year-over-year increase of 5.5 per cent or approximately 74,300 customers.

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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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