WestJet announces direct flight between Winnipeg and Atlanta
Atlanta airport serves 150 U.S. and more than 75 international destinations
Manitobans will soon be able to catch a direct flight from Winnipeg to the busiest airport in the world — Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Ga.
WestJet is creating a new route to Atlanta starting Sept. 6 that will operate five times a week year round, John Weatherill, the executive vice-president and chief commercial officer for WestJet announced Thursday.
"It's the best gateway in the world and now Winnipeg is connected directly to it," he said at a news conference.
"It's perhaps the greatest single injection of global connectivity in Winnipeg's history."
Atlanta is home to seven Fortune 100 companies and is a major hub for Delta Airlines, and the new flight will give Manitobans faster access to the places they do business, Weatherill added.
About 275,000 passengers pass through the Atlanta airport every day and can travel to 150 U.S. destinations plus more than 75 international destinations in 50 countries, according to the airport website.
Premier Heather Stefanson said the province is spending up to $5 million in grants over two years to make this route possible.
"It's only tapped into if there's challenges getting it off the ground, so in the first little while there might be uptake," she said in an interview after the announcement.
People who travel from Winnipeg to Atlanta will be able to go through customs locally to skip the lines in the U.S., Weatherill said.
"This is a great day for Winnipeg and certainly a great day for the province of Manitoba," said Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham.
He said more than $1 billion in goods and services flow between Manitoba and the southern United States.
"Of course, the greatest example of trade between our two cities was back in 2011 when we imported the Atlanta Thrashers," Gillingham joked.
"Old Thrasher fans in Atlanta can benefit from this direct route now to Winnipeg. I think it's a win-win."
Gillingham said he hopes this new direct flight will create an environment for economic growth and make Winnipeg a more metropolitan city.
Direct flight a boon for one business
Gerry Price, the chairman and CEO of Winnipeg-based Price Industries, said the flight will address long travel times that have been a hurdle for customers of his manufacturing company.
"I can't even tell you how many trips for customers were cancelled because they couldn't get in quickly enough," Price said.
Price Industries is the largest Canadian employer in Georgia, he said, and its U.S. office is headquartered in Georgia.
He said he's taken hundreds of flights to Atlanta over the years and can't wait to board a direct flight there.
"I'm so tickled, I can't even tell you," Price said.
The agreement is similar to a deal made last August that launched direct flights between Winnipeg and Los Angeles.
WestJet didn't need any of the subsidies the province offered at that time, Stefanson said Thursday.
Weatherill said he believes the route to Atlanta will be even more successful than the California flight.
"We have a high level of confidence that this route will perform well," he said.
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With files from Bartley Kives