WestJet has announced five new winter snowbird routes for the 2026/2027 season, adding first-time service from Calgary to Mérida, Mexico, alongside new frequencies into the Latin Caribbean, while simultaneously cutting 214 U.S. departures compared to the same period last year.
WestJet Winter Snowbird Routes: Five New Destinations for 2026/2027
The centrepiece of the expansion is a new weekly service between Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Mérida, capital of Mexico’s Yucatán state, launching 17 December 2026. WestJet says the route will be the only non-stop connection between the two cities.
The four remaining new routes cover a spread of leisure markets. Punta Cana gains a weekly Winnipeg connection from 28 November 2026, while San José del Cabo links to Regina from 14 December 2026. Belize City also joins the Winnipeg schedule from 14 December 2026, and Liberia picks up a weekly Ottawa service from 20 December 2026. All five operate at one frequency per week.
John Weatherill, WestJet’s Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer, framed the additions around demand management and fleet utilisation during the peak winter season. ‘These additions support the growing demand for options in Mexico and the Latin Caribbean, while sustainably expanding our schedule and managing our fleet during the peak winter travel season,’ he said. ‘We are excited to offer more ways for guests to trade their snow boots for sandals in the destinations that matter most to them.’
The carrier also announced three new vacation packages through Sunwing Vacations, running from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027, covering the Liberia–Ottawa, Punta Cana–Winnipeg and Roatán–Québec City pairings.
U.S. Network Contracts as Latin Routes Grow
The network rebalancing is most visible on the U.S. side of the ledger. WestJet cut 214 flights to the United States in July versus the same month last year, with reductions falling across major connecting points including Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
The list of removed or suspended U.S. routes runs across the carrier’s main Canadian gateways. From Vancouver (YVR), service to Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, Tampa and Nashville has been pulled. Edmonton (YEG) has lost connections to Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta, Orlando and Las Vegas. Calgary (YYC) no longer serves Raleigh-Durham, Austin or Fort Lauderdale. Winnipeg’s Nashville route is gone, and from Toronto (YYZ), both Los Angeles and Orlando have been dropped.
In a statement, the airline said it ‘continuously evaluates and adjusts its schedule to meet demand’ and remains ‘committed to reviewing opportunities for direct service on these routes in the future.’ That language suggests no near-term reversal. Some routes have been suspended in 2026, while others have been removed outright or reduced in frequency.
The backdrop to the winter expansion is a period of operational credibility for WestJet. The carrier was recently cited among Cirium’s top performers in on-time performance across major carriers worldwide, a measure that carries weight with travel agents booking time-sensitive connections during the busy winter sun season.
WestJet’s new WestJet winter snowbird routes follow a pattern the airline has maintained through 2026: pull back where demand has softened in transborder markets and redeploy towards leisure-driven sun destinations where Canadian appetite remains firm. With the Mérida launch scheduled for December, agencies handling snowbird bookings out of Calgary now have a non-stop option for the Yucatán Peninsula that did not exist in previous winters.
