WestJet in the west, Air Canada in the east: Why Canada's airlines are becoming more regional

The two dominant national airlines are increasingly focusing less on offering nationwide service and more on their regional strengths as they try to improve their financial performance — and also fend off soaring competition. Those pressures are why experts say WestJet is focusing heavily on Alberta, while Air Canada is prioritizing markets in the east, such as Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. Those strategies are resulting in many service cuts in different parts of the country. WestJet has slashed service in Atlantic Canada, Ontario and Quebec, including about an 80% cut in flights between Toronto and Montreal compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.Conversely, Air Canada no longer flies out of several smaller airports in Western Canada, in addition to cutting service to larger cities on the prairies. Out of Calgary, the airline does not offer direct flights to Nanaimo, Cranbrook, Kamloops, Castlegar and Victoria in British Columbia, Regina and Saskatoon in Saskatchewan, or Lethbridge and Medicine Hat in Alberta. Air Canada flew those routes in 2019. "It really is carriers trying to solidify their fiefdom," said John Gradek, faculty lecturer in the aviation management program at McGill University. "They're trying to basically create barriers to entry for other carriers, which is normal in a competitive environment."<br/>