Virgin Atlantic and WestJet have announced an expanded codeshare agreement between Canada and the UK and key connecting regions including India.
The two airlines will be co-located at Toronto Pearson International Airport’s Terminal 3, where Virgin Atlantic will partner with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), to support customer connections onwards via eligible cities. Passengers will be able to transfer through Toronto Pearson without having to collect and re-check their baggage to their final destination.
The first phase of the agreement will allow customers booking through Virgin Atlantic to seamlessly connect from their preferred city on a WestJet flight via Toronto Pearson International onwards to London with Virgin Atlantic on one ticket.
Cities including Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and more are covered in this first phase. Flights are on sale beginning 17 February 2025 for tickets to London Heathrow via Toronto (YYZ) commencing 30 March 2025. Loyalty partnership program benefits across both Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and WestJet Rewards are expected to roll out later in the year.
This comes ahead of the Virgin Atlantic route launch to Toronto next month, marking the first time the airline has served Canada for more than 10 years. Timings are such that it will provide connectivity fo Canadians travelling to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, as well as Dubai, the Maldives, Cape Town and Johannesburg via London Heathrow.
In Quote
Juha Jarvinen, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, commented,
“Canada is an incredibly important opportunity for Virgin Atlantic as many of our customers travel between the Great White North, the UK, India and beyond. This expanded partnership with WestJet, alongside our partners at Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM, will create seamless connectivity for our customers via our new route launching between Toronto and London.
Our codeshare agreement with WestJet aims to respond to a continued demand for travel to the UK and India from across the region. Canadian customers can expect a premium, personalised experience at every step of the journey, delivered by our amazing people, the red thread that sets us apart.”
John Weatherill, Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer at WestJet, commented,
“We are thrilled to enhance our partnership with Virgin Atlantic and support their return to Canada. As the first phase of this expansion, we are excited to welcome guests from across Virgin Atlantic’s global network by providing connectivity across Canada with WestJet.
This expanded codeshare will simplify travel and deliver a more seamless experience for our shared guests. We look forward to building closer ties in the months ahead, providing more options to connect Canada with the world.”
More options for travellers
With another codeshare, it will provide more travel options for Canadian travellers who want to connect beyond london, whilst for UK passengers, it will give further connectivity to connect to the Great North.
Whilst that may be tempting to some, the depth of this codeshare is a lot more important for the frequent flyer, as you will be able to earn points on the routes too when WestJet and Virgin Atlantic launch their reciprocal loyalty partnership.
That could be a lot more tempting for travellers.
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