Beginning this winter, WestJet guests will gain access to an extensive list of unique international destinations via London's Heathrow Airport, through expanding WestJet's codeshare agreement with Virgin Atlantic. Through this expansion, WestJet will sell itineraries including flights operated by Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow (LHR) to destinations within Virgin Atlantic's international network for winter 2024/2024. By summer 2025, WestJet will also provide domestic connectivity to Virgin Atlantic's newly announced route between Toronto-Pearson and London Heathrow.
Earlier today in Las Vegas, alongside Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic and WestJet announced the expanded relationship. The agreement was signed last week at the IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Dubai, where WestJet's John Weatherill, Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer, was joined by Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, to expand the current codeshare agreement between both airlines. WestJet and Virgin Atlantic have had an established codeshare partnership since 2019.
"Through the expansion of our existing partnership with Virgin Atlantic, we are unlocking amazing opportunities for our guests to access an extensive list of new destinations and to experience Virgin Atlantic's innovative products and services beyond London," said Weatherill. "With daily flights from our global hub in Calgary to London, Canadians have never had better international access from across Western Canada to the United Kingdom and beyond."
Starting this winter, the expanded partnership will provide guests with single-stop access on a single itinerary from Calgary via Virgin Atlantic's Global Hub in London Heathrow to new global destinations including New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru in India, along with other desirable destinations including Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa, Lagos, Nigeria, Dubai, and the Maldives.*
As part of the expanded relationship, WestJet Rewards and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club will be working towards a reciprocal frequent flyer partnership in 2025, further enhancing the cooperation between the two airlines, and providing unique benefits for customers of both airlines to earn points in the currency of their choice and redeem points on each carriers' respective networks.
WestJet's expanded codeshare agreement with Virgin Atlantic will be the airline's first ever agreement enabling connectivity beyond Europe through London Heathrow, a significant milestone in growing WestJet's global network to even more destinations through partnerships. Further, this will be the first time that WestJet guests will have access to India, Africa, and the Middle East via a WestJet marketed codeshare as part of its greater network.
Guests from across WestJet's network will enjoy the convenience of booking their entire journey on one ticket through WestJet.com and the WestJet App later this year and will benefit from a seamless single connection at LHR with baggage transfers and earning WestJet Dollars throughout their journey.
*New routes are all pending regulatory approval.
