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Politics : Politics of Energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Land Shark who wrote (46300)	1/20/2014 4:55:17 PM
From: average joe	Respond to of 86356

This is real success and real progress... God bless West Jet! Fort McMurray Airport wins non-stop flights to Las Vegas By Bill Mah, Edmonton Journal January 20, 2014 2:00 PM Scott Clements, president and CEO of Fort McMurray Airport, reacts to new flights announced by WestJet on Jan. 20, 2014. EDMONTON - Fort McMurray Airport hit the jackpot Monday with a triple crown of new destinations announced Monday, including non-stop flights connecting the oilsands city and Las Vegas. Starting June 24, WestJet will fly non-stop twice per week between Las Vegas and Fort McMurray. Scott Clements, president and CEO of Fort McMurray Airport, said Las Vegas is the No. 1 requested destination for residents of the northeastern Alberta city. “This is a workforce community by and large and they work seven-on and seven-off, four-on, four-off,” Clements said. “The average age is 32 and the average household income is $190,000 a year, so it’s no surprise that when they get some time off and want to let loose a little bit, they head to Vegas.” The new non-stop service will be more convenient for Las Vegas visitors who currently have to drive to Edmonton or Calgary airports or catch connecting flights there, Clements said. “The problem with that has been sometimes because of the timing, they have to take a hotel in Edmonton or Calgary.” Starting May 12, the airline is also adding new daily non-stop service between Fort McMurray and Kelowna and Vancouver on WestJet Encore, its new regional carrier. Clements said Vancouver-Fort McMurray was underserved and Kelowna is a busy destination among travellers who live in the Okanagan and work in Fort McMurray or for residents who travel to B.C. for leisure. The Fort McMurray air expansion also includes the conversion of daily Toronto non-stop flights to year-round service and adds an additional daily flight to both Edmonton and Calgary. Clements said Fort McMurray Airport has grown about 80 per cent in four-and-a-half years. “WestJet doesn’t normally sit idle when there’s an opportunity like this, and sure enough, they jumped in with both feet on this announcement,” Clements said. It became easier for Fort McMurray Airport to woo international flights after receiving formal designation on Oct. 7 as an official port of entry from the Canada Border Services Agency. It has offered daily flights to Denver and seasonal service to Mexico since late 2012 with the use of temporarily assigned agency staff. The facility, opened in 1985, is undergoing a $258-million expansion with a new terminal building five times bigger than the existing one scheduled to open on June 9. Clements, former head of the Edmonton International Airport (EIA), said Fort McMurray’s new non-stop Vegas flights don’t pose a threat to Edmonton. “When I started, (EIA) was 2.3 million passengers, and after it was 4.5 million and now it’s up to seven million, so I think a couple of bi-weekly flights less over Edmonton … is not going to hurt that market all that much.” EIA spokeswoman Heather Hamilton said its smaller, northern neighbour’s new flights are good news for travellers and the two airports. “The fact that they have been able to command a non-stop flight from Fort McMurray into Vegas speaks to the strength of the demand of air service here in Alberta,” Hamilton said. “There’s a reason that between us and Fort McMurray, we have the fastest-growing airports anywhere in the country and it’s going to grab some attention from airlines to look at northern Alberta.” bmah@edmontonjournal.com twitter.com/mahspace Fort McMurray Airport wins non-stop flights to Las Vegas