Canada's WestJet has announced new summer services to Scotland from Toronto in 2022. The airline will connect both Edinburgh and Glasgow to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) ahead of the busy summer season. Edinburgh is a completely new destination for the airline.

WestJet adds two new Scotland routes

WestJet has announced two new summer routes to Scotland starting from May 2022. The first route will connect YYZ to Glasgow Airport (GLA) starting on May 20, 2022. This route will be served with four flights per week.

The second route will connect Toronto to Edinburgh Airport (EDI). This route will launch on June 2nd, 2022, and will be served three times per week. In total, WestJet will fly seven weekly flights to Scotland from Toronto.

John Weatherill, WestJet's Chief Commercial Officer, stated the following:

"As we continue to rebuild our international network, we're pleased to offer our guests new options to connect via our Toronto hub for business and leisure to these incredible cities. This spring, guests on both sides of the Atlantic will benefit from more choices and lower fares when travelling between Canada and Scotland."

Glasgow and Edinburgh are not too far apart from each other. Rendering created at Great Circle Mapper

On the addition of Edinburgh to the route network, he added the following:

"We're looking forward to welcoming Edinburgh to our international network and strengthening travel and tourism between our two countries. Whether travellers are looking to discover Edinburgh's enchanting castles and cobbled streets or exploring the vibrance of Toronto and beyond, we're committed to introducing new destinations and routes to our network."

When the summer hits, WestJet will be serving both of these routes out of Toronto in addition to the resumption of flights between Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) and Glasgow. This route will see peak summer service four times per week. In total, WestJet will fly 11 weekly flights between Canada and Scotland.

The aircraft

WestJet is planning to use a Boeing 737 MAX 8 on routes to Scotland. These aircraft are configured in a 174-seat configuration with room for 12 in the airline's premium cabin and 162 in economy class.

WestJet MAX 8
WestJet will use a Boeing 737 MAX 8 on both of the new routes. Photo: ChrisAmaddeo via Wikimedia Commons

Passengers sitting in the premium cabin will be in a recliner-style business class seat. This cabin is outfitted in a 2-2 configuration. Meanwhile, economy class is in a standard 3-3 configuration.

Onboard, WestJet has opted for streaming inflight entertainment services. WiFi is also available for those who choose not to indulge in the airline's inflight entertainment system. To keep devices charged, the airline offers both power and USB outlets to customers.

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The routes

Both routes will see competition. On the Toronto-Glasgow sector, the airline will compete against Air Transat, which has plans to fly four weekly Airbus A330 services on the route. On the other hand, from Toronto to Edinburgh, Air Canada has plans to fly the route daily, also using a Boeing 737 MAX 8.

WestJEt
WestJet will not have a monopoly on the routes. Photo: Johnnyw3 via Wikimedia Commons

Air Canada's Boeing 737 MAX 8s will be highly competitive against WestJet's. Air Canada offers 16 recliner-style business class seats and 153 economy class seats. However, the airline offers personal seatback entertainment at every seat.

Scotland is mainly a leisure market, and the Boeing 737 MAX is configured to serve a leisure route like this. At the top end, the longest routes westbound are only about seven hours of flying time, which puts them at the shorter end of transatlantic travel. Nevertheless, other connecting itineraries will offer a flatbed, which could be a more comfortable way to make the journey.

Are you going to fly WestJet to Scotland next year? Let us know in the comments!