Canada, a country that has rarely even qualified for soccer’s biggest event, is making an unprecedented run at the FIFA World Cup. For the nation’s airlines, that’s a chance to cash in.
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WestJet Airlines, owned by private equity firm Onex Corp. and partners including Delta Air Lines, is adding seats to its Houston flights after the Canadian national team scored a historic victory on Sunday.
Canada’s 1-0 win over South Africa put it in the World Cup round of 16 for the first time, setting up a match against the Netherlands or Morocco in Houston on July 4. Demand appears high. As of Monday afternoon, the minimum price on Expedia for a direct flight from Vancouver to Houston, departing the day before the match, was approximately $2,200.
WestJet, the country’s no. 2 carrier, said it will use larger aircraft on eight flights between its hub in Calgary and Houston in the days leading up to the game and after, allowing it to board as many as 42 extra travellers per flight. The changes are being implemented “to make it easier for more Canadians to show up in full force and support our team on the international stage,” spokesperson Julia Kaiser said in an emailed statement.
Air Canada has increased the size of a July 3 flight from Toronto to Houston and is evaluating whether it can add more capacity. “However, our fleet is fully deployed as we are in the peak summer travel period,” the company’s media office said via email.
Travel by Canadians to the U.S. is down sharply since Donald Trump returned to the White House last year. But supporters of the Canadian team were present in large numbers in Los Angeles for the South Africa match — and they went crazy when midfielder Stephen Eustáquio struck a hard shot into the bottom corner of the net after more than 90 minutes of play.
Until this year, Canada had never won a World Cup match.
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Source: Financial Post
