WestJet Airlines has announced that it is suspending flights between Toronto and Montreal for the next six months.
The move comes as the Calgary-based carrier continues to divide Canada into two regional segments in collusion with Air Canada (AC).
In recent months, WestJet has retreated from Eastern Canada while Montreal-based Air Canada has suspended flights in the West, essentially giving each airline a monopoly position in half of the country and reducing choice for travelers.
In the latest move, WestJet says it will no longer fly between Toronto and Montreal from late October through the end of April.
WestJet has slashed routes in Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada in recent months to focus its operations on Western Canada. At the same time, Air Canada has reduced its service in the west so that it can focus on servicing routes east of Manitoba.
The retrenchment by WestJet and Air Canada comes as the two dominant carriers face rising competition from upstart discount carriers such as Flair Airlines and Lynx Air.
Air Canada has added service to Toronto and Montreal in recent months even as it has cut several regional routes in Western Canada, including to cities such as Regina and Saskatoon.
In August, Air Canada cut six major routes out of Calgary from its winter schedule.
WestJet said that it will now only fly to two Eastern Canada cities out of Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax.
A privately held company, WestJet Airlines’ stock does not trade on a public exchange.
