The air service residents in Brandon have been lobbying for has become a reality.
WestJet formally announced Monday that beginning September 3, it will operate its Encore service from the Wheat City to Calgary, Alberta, using 78-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircrafts. The airline has since added Brandon to a map on its website.
The roundtrip service will leave Brandon daily at 1:20 p.m. and arrive in Cowtown at 2:35 p.m. mountain time. Flights will depart Calgary at 9:50 a.m. and arrive back in Brandon by 12:50 p.m. The roundtrip offering will cost travellers just under $300.
More than 10,000 signatures were collected as part of a petition and campaign to attract the Calgary-based airline to Westman.
Earlier this year, WestJet signed on to become the official sponsor of the Brandon Summer Fair, giving some in the Wheat City hope that the airline had taken notice of its lobbying efforts.