WestJet linking St. John's to Hamilton, taking over old Swoop route

WestJet is launching a St. John's to Hamilton, Ont., flight this spring as well as resuming its service to Tampa, Fla. The Hamilton route was initially flown by budget airline Swoop, which merged with WestJet in October, with Swoop being shut down. The St. John's-Hamilton route will take off May 17 and will fly up to five times weekly until it concludes on Oct. 14. "We recognize the importance of the return of WestJet's service between St. John's and Hamilton and are sincerely grateful for the overwhelming support and advocacy from the community," vice-president of external affairs Andrew Gibbons said. "We heard loud and clear how critical connectivity from Ontario is for the region and we look forward to strengthening the connection between these two vibrant provinces." The statement added that the Tampa route — which flew last year — resumes March 17 and will fly weekly until June 2. The announcements come amid rapid contractions and expansions in airlines' offerings out of Newfoundland and Labrador.<br/>