‘Huge for Manitoba’: New direct flight to Los Angeles from Winnipeg

Winnipeggers itching to go to Hollywood are going to have an easier time making the trip by air.

WestJet is set to offer three year-round direct flights a week from Winnipeg’s airport to Los Angeles.

“This is huge for Manitoba,” says Premier Heather Stefanson. “What WestJet is announcing today is absolutely incredible for our economy here in Manitoba, for tourism, for so many different industries here in Manitoba.”

According to Stefanson, a direct route from Winnipeg to L.A. will bolster Manitoba’s thriving film industry, which brought in $365 million to the province’s economy last year, despite setbacks from the pandemic.

This announcement comes after the province spent almost $5 million in an effort to increase direct flights between Winnipeg and other major international locations last week. Those funds came from the province’s $50-million Pandemic Long-Term Recovery Fund.

Interim CEO for Manitoba Film and Music, Rod Bruinooge, anticipates the route will offer dramatic growth for the industry.

“When I was involved in the industry 20 years ago, we would get about $30 million in film business a year. This past year, we’re into a third of a billion, which is a dramatic growth,” he says. “Managing that growth is always challenging, but we’re seeing huge announcements happening in the next number of months–this one is the start of it.

“By having a direct route to Manitoba, film productions that are very large-scale will consider coming here.”

The first direct flight to L.A. will take off on Halloween.

— With files from Sam Thompson