Misplaced Pages

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78-548: Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport ( IATA : AZA , ICAO : KIWA , FAA LID : IWA ), formerly Williams Gateway Airport (1994–2008) and Williams Air Force Base (1948–1993), is an international airport in the southeastern area of Mesa, Arizona , 20 miles (17 nmi; 32 km) southeast of Phoenix , in Maricopa County . The airport, owned and operated by the Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport Authority,

156-518: A state in 1959). In 1948, Williams Field was acquired by the US military and renamed Williams Air Base . It was a flight-training field during World War II. In 1948, Williams became the first jet training base. In 1966, it was the first site of the Undergraduate Pilot Training program. The 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended closing the base, and it closed in 1993. As

234-424: A business advantage. On May 29, 2006, WestJet admitted to the charges leveled by Air Canada and agreed to pay C$ 5.5 million in legal and investigation fees to Air Canada and donate C$ 10 million to various children's charities in the names of Air Canada and WestJet. In January 2004, WestJet announced that it was moving the focus of its Eastern operations from Hamilton to Toronto the following April, fully moving into

312-462: A middle seat blocker. The new seats feature a wider configuration on 737 aircraft. The offering began on its Boeing 737 MAX-8 aircraft in winter 2018, with all 737s being reconfigured by 2020. On May 31, 2018, WestJet operated its first flight to mainland Europe with the inaugural flight from Halifax Stanfield International Airport to Paris ' Charles de Gaulle Airport . The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced its application to

390-550: A new airport is built, replacing the old one, leaving the city's new "major" airport (or the only remaining airport) code to no longer correspond with the city's name. The original airport in Nashville, Tennessee, was built in 1936 as part of the Works Progress Administration and called Berry Field with the designation, BNA. A new facility known as Nashville International Airport was built in 1987 but still uses BNA. This

468-858: A return to service to New York . Details of WestJet's scheduled service to LaGuardia were officially announced in January 2012. From 2012 to 2014, WestJet further expanded into the United States by adding Chicago via O'Hare International Airport , Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport , Myrtle Beach International Airport , and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport . On November 15, 2013, WestJet announced their first destination in Europe. Seasonal service from St. John's, Newfoundland to Dublin , Ireland , would operate from June to October 2014. In January 2014, WestJet chartered an Atlas Air Boeing 747-400 to transport stranded passengers and luggage during

546-499: Is GSN and its IATA code is SPN, and some coincide with IATA codes of non-U.S. airports. Canada's unusual codes—which bear little to no similarity with any conventional abbreviation to the city's name—such as YUL in Montréal , and YYZ in Toronto , originated from the two-letter codes used to identify weather reporting stations in the 1930s. The letters preceding the two-letter code follow

624-468: Is a reliever airport for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport . It is a base for Allegiant Air . The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2007–2011 called Phoenix–Mesa Gateway a reliever airport , which is a general aviation airport used to relieve congestion at a large airline airport. Allegiant Air began scheduled service from Mesa in October 2007. Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport reports

702-606: Is administered by the IATA's headquarters in Montreal , Canada. The codes are published semi-annually in the IATA Airline Coding Directory. IATA provides codes for airport handling entities, and for certain railway stations. Alphabetical lists of airports sorted by IATA code are available. A list of railway station codes , shared in agreements between airlines and rail lines such as Amtrak , SNCF , and Deutsche Bahn ,

780-544: Is available. However, many railway administrations have their own list of codes for their stations, such as the list of Amtrak station codes . Airport codes arose out of the convenience that the practice brought pilots for location identification in the 1930s. Initially, pilots in the United States used the two-letter code from the National Weather Service (NWS) for identifying cities. This system became unmanageable for cities and towns without an NWS identifier, and

858-518: Is different from the name in English, yet the airport code represents only the English name. Examples include: Due to scarcity of codes, some airports are given codes with letters not found in their names: The use of 'X' as a filler letter is a practice to create three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options were unavailable: Some airports in the United States retained their NWS ( National Weather Service ) codes and simply appended an X at

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936-513: Is in conjunction to rules aimed to avoid confusion that seem to apply in the United States, which state that "the first and second letters or second and third letters of an identifier may not be duplicated with less than 200 nautical miles separation." Thus, Washington, D.C. area's three airports all have radically different codes: IAD for Washington–Dulles , DCA for Washington–Reagan (District of Columbia Airport), and BWI for Baltimore (Baltimore–Washington International, formerly BAL). Since HOU

1014-532: Is not followed outside the United States: In addition, since three letter codes starting with Q are widely used in radio communication, cities whose name begins with "Q" also had to find alternate codes, as in the case of: IATA codes should not be confused with the FAA identifiers of U.S. airports. Most FAA identifiers agree with the corresponding IATA codes, but some do not, such as Saipan , whose FAA identifier

1092-640: Is the second-largest airline in Canada . It began operations in 1996 with 220 employees, three aircraft, and five destinations. It was launched as a low-cost alternative to the country's major airlines. Today, WestJet operates scheduled , charter , and cargo air service, transporting more than 25 million passengers per year. The airline has a significant domestic and international network, which serves over 100 destinations across North America , Caribbean , Europe , Asia , and Central America . WestJet has an average of 777 flights per day, solidifying its position as

1170-416: Is used for William P. Hobby Airport , the new Houston–Intercontinental became IAH. The code BKK was originally assigned to Bangkok–Don Mueang and was later transferred to Suvarnabhumi Airport , while the former adopted DMK. The code ISK was originally assigned to Gandhinagar Airport (Nashik's old airport) and later on transferred to Ozar Airport (Nashik's current airport). Shanghai–Hongqiao retained

1248-493: The 2013 Central and Eastern Canada ice storm . The charter flew from Lester B. Pearson International Airport to Calgary International Airport . On July 7, 2014, WestJet announced that it was in the "advanced stages of sourcing" four wide-body aircraft that would begin flying by the fall of 2015. These would initially serve on the seasonal Alberta-Hawaii routes when WestJet's service agreement with Thomas Cook Airlines—who currently fly these routes on behalf of WestJet—expires in

1326-788: The Boeing 787-9 . WestJet changed its slogan from " Owners Care " to " Love where you're going ", announced a new logo (however, such logo was seen in May with the announcement of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner along with its livery), announced the Boeing 787 routes and launch dates, and an overall new brand image. Boeing 787 flights were announced to commence on April 28, 2019, with service from Calgary International Airport to London Gatwick Airport , with service to Paris and Dublin following. On May 13, 2019, WestJet announced it had reached an agreement to be purchased by Onex Corporation for $ 5 billion Canadian dollars. At

1404-690: The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to its fleet. The first aircraft was delivered to the airline in January 2019. On May 10, 2018, WestJet's unionized pilots voted 91 percent in favour of strike action. The key issue in negotiations was the outsourcing of work to operate Swoop aircraft. On May 25, 2018, WestJet and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) agreed to a settlement process through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. On May 14, 2018, WestJet announced new 2-2 Premium Economy seating to replace its previous 3-3 seats which had

1482-661: The Bombardier Q400 on routes in Western Canada , and WestJet Cargo which operates four Boeing 737-800BCF , which were previously used as WestJet passenger aircraft and converted for cargo use. In December 2019, WestJet Airlines was acquired by Kestrel Bidco Inc., a subsidiary of Onex Corporation . This acquisition resulted in WestJet transitioning from a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under

1560-561: The Canadian transcontinental railroads were built, each station was assigned its own two-letter Morse code : When the Canadian government established airports, it used the existing railway codes for them as well. If the airport had a weather station, authorities added a "Y" to the front of the code, meaning "Yes" to indicate it had a weather station or some other letter to indicate it did not. When international codes were created in cooperation with

1638-718: The Dominican Republic , Mexico as well as a third Hawaiian destination, Kona . The same year, WestJet commissioned the construction of a new six-story head office building, next to their existing hangar facility at the Calgary International Airport. The building was constructed following the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, featuring a rainwater retention system and geothermal heating. The first employees moved in during

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1716-745: The Turks and Caicos Islands ; St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles ; Freeport, Bahamas ; as well as the cities of Varadero , Holguín and Cayo Coco in Cuba . Ixtapa and Cozumel were also added to the list of destinations served in Mexico. In November 2009, WestJet announced service to the British island territory of Bermuda , which commenced in May 2010. WestJet also resumed seasonal service to Windsor, Ontario that same month. In March 2010, Sean Durfy resigned from his position as WestJet's CEO, citing personal reasons. He

1794-542: The eighth-largest airline in North America by frequency. WestJet's fleet primarily consists of Boeing 737 aircraft ( Next Generation and MAX families), which are well-suited for its extensive list of short and medium-haul routes. In 2015, WestJet begun offering long-haul flights which necessitated the acquisition of wide-body aircraft , and it took delivery of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in 2019. WestJet has two direct subsidiaries: WestJet Encore , which operates

1872-514: The outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) in the country. The suspension of service to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta lasted from early May until mid-June, with seasonal service to Cancún being restored the following fall. In July 2009, WestJet announced 11 new international destinations for its winter schedule. These included expanded service to the United States, to Atlantic City, New Jersey , Lihue (Kauai), Hawaii and Miami, Florida . New Caribbean destinations included Providenciales , in

1950-473: The 2030 plan, allowing IWA able to handle 10 million enplanements (20 million passengers) annually with a total of 60 gates and 21,000 vehicle parking spaces. Phase four will likely not be undertaken until 2030 or beyond, making cost estimates nearly impossible. Due to the changing market, phase two, three, and four are likely to change. Gateway 2030 is estimated to cost more than $ 1.4 billion. On November 9, 2021, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation announced that

2028-594: The Canadian Government for certification of WestJet's approximately 3,200 flight attendants on July 9, 2018. On July 31, 2018, the Government of Canada via the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) issued an interim order certifying CUPE as the accredited union for WestJet mainline flight attendants. On October 12, 2018, WestJet announced its new branding, along with details on the arrival on

2106-570: The Caribbean and the planes were operated by WestJet crews. This agreement between WestJet and Air Transat was amicably terminated in February 2009. In 2004, rival airline Air Canada accused WestJet of industrial espionage and filed a civil suit against WestJet in Ontario Superior Court. Air Canada accused WestJet of accessing Air Canada confidential information via a private website to gain

2184-547: The U.S. For example, several airports in Alaska have scheduled commercial service, such as Stebbins and Nanwalek , which use FAA codes instead of ICAO codes. Thus, neither system completely includes all airports with scheduled service. Some airports are identified in colloquial speech by their IATA code. Examples include LAX and JFK . WestJet WestJet Airlines , founded in 1994 and headquartered in Calgary , Alberta ,

2262-481: The United States, because "Y" was seldom used in the United States, Canada simply used the weather station codes for its airports, changing the "Y" to a "Z" if it conflicted with an airport code already in use. The result is that most major Canadian airport codes start with "Y" followed by two letters in the city's name (for example, YOW for O tta w a , YWG for W innipe g , YYC for C algar y , or YVR for V ancouve r ), whereas other Canadian airports append

2340-537: The Williams Gateway Airport Authority governing board approved a name change for Williams Gateway Airport effective October 15 to Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport . On June 16, 2015, after Elite Airways announced non-stop flights from San Diego and Salt Lake City to Phoenix–Mesa, Allegiant threatened to leave the airport. This was primarily due to the incentives the airport offered to Elite. If Allegiant were to leave, it would consider relocating to

2418-532: The airline served Calgary , Edmonton , Kelowna , Vancouver and Winnipeg with a fleet of three used Boeing 737-200 aircraft and 225 employees. By the end of that same year, the company had added Regina , Saskatoon and Victoria to its network. In mid-September 1996, WestJet's fleet was grounded due to a disagreement with Transport Canada over maintenance schedule requirements. The airline suspended all service for two weeks before resuming flights. In early 1999, Clive Beddoe stepped down as WestJet's CEO and

Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport - Misplaced Pages Continue

2496-458: The airport had 1,772,678 passenger boardings in 2019. Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA , but Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport has different codes for each. The aviation community generally uses the FAA code of IWA , while commercial passenger-flight organizations use the IATA code of AZA . The airport was built in 1941 as Higley Field . It

2574-440: The airport itself instead of the city it serves, while another code is reserved which refers to the city itself which can be used to search for flights to any of its airports. For instance: Or using a code for the city in one of the major airports and then assigning another code to another airport: When different cities with the same name each have an airport, they need to be assigned different codes. Examples include: Sometimes,

2652-466: The airport once again became a flight training center to take advantage of the area's clear weather. On July 31, 2007, the low-cost Las Vegas –based carrier Allegiant Air announced plans to open a focus city at Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport, connecting the Phoenix area to 13 cities. Service commenced on October 25, 2007, with cities being added until November 21, 2007. In a September 17, 2007, press release,

2730-760: The airport would be the site for the West Coast Service Center Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility. The construction cost would be more than $ 100 million and include a 225,000-square-foot (20,900 m) facility in Phase One. On July 14, 2022, Virgin Galactic announced it had signed a long-term lease for a new final assembly manufacturing facility for its next-generation Delta class spaceships. The facility will be capable of producing up to six spaceships per year and will bring hundreds of highly skilled aerospace engineering and manufacturing jobs to

2808-401: The airport – 21 single-engine, 38 jet, and 13 helicopter. The number of passengers has increased greatly since Allegiant Air started operations. IWA/AZA did not anticipate this growth within the first year. Due to an increase from 14,588 enplanements in 2007 to 159,481 in 2008, facilities were becoming crowded. To alleviate this problem, extensive renovations and expansions were completed within

2886-418: The airport's former name, such as Orlando International Airport 's MCO (for Mc C o y Air Force Base), or Chicago's O'Hare International Airport , which is coded ORD for its original name: Or char d Field. In rare cases, the code comes from the airport's unofficial name, such as Kahului Airport 's OGG (for local aviation pioneer Jimmy H ogg ). In large metropolitan areas, airport codes are often named after

2964-492: The area. By road, the airport terminal is served by Sossaman Road. Travelers can access Sossaman Road by exiting at either Hawes or Power Road, which are fed by the Arizona State Route Loop 202 , and turning onto Ray Road. There are several taxis, limousine, ride share and shuttle companies to local hotels, the nearby ASU Polytechnic Campus and downtown Mesa . Multiple car rental agencies are available inside of

3042-416: The arrivals lobby. Valley Metro bus route 184 stops at the terminal building before heading north to Mesa. Travelers can park at the hourly or daily parking lots and walk to the terminal. There is also an economy lot, south of the airfield, which is served by a complimentary shuttle to the main terminal. IATA airport code The assignment of these codes is governed by IATA Resolution 763, and it

3120-598: The base was being shut down, growing traffic at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix was figured to warrant an alternative airport. The runway was expanded to accommodate airliners, and the facility opened in 1994 as Williams Gateway Airport . Bids were submitted by some airlines to begin flights almost immediately. In 2004, charter airline Ryan International Airlines began MD-82 flights to Bullhead City International Airport in Bullhead City, Arizona , next to Laughlin, Nevada , and many resorts. Shortly thereafter,

3198-493: The cities of Yellowknife , Northwest Territories and Sydney, Nova Scotia ; service to Yellowknife was later extended through the winter of 2009–10. During the 2000s (decade), WestJet made significant gains in domestic market share against Air Canada. In 2000 it held only 7% to Air Canada's 77%, though by the end of 2009 WestJet had risen to 38%, against Air Canada's 55%. In late April 2009, WestJet temporarily suspended service to several of its destinations in Mexico due to

Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport - Misplaced Pages Continue

3276-491: The code SHA, while the newer Shanghai–Pudong adopted PVG. The opposite was true for Berlin : the airport Berlin–Tegel used the code TXL, while its smaller counterpart Berlin–Schönefeld used SXF; the Berlin Brandenburg Airport has the airport code BER, which is also part of its branding. The airports of Hamburg (HAM) and Hannover (HAJ) are less than 100 nautical miles (190 km) apart and therefore share

3354-495: The company's list of destinations, while New York–LaGuardia was dropped. In April 2005, it announced new seasonal service to Charlottetown and ceased service to Gander. In fall 2005, Ft. Myers and Las Vegas were added to the growing list of destinations. In late August 2005, WestJet flew to Baton Rouge, Louisiana , transporting members of a Vancouver-based urban search and rescue team to assist with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. After rumours and speculation surrounding

3432-727: The company's long-term destination strategy and was a vital goal for future international market presence. In September 2006, Sean Durfy took over as president of WestJet from founder Clive Beddoe. On October 26, 2006, WestJet announced that it had its best quarterly profit to date, of C$ 52.8 million. In 2007, WestJet announced that it would begin flights from Deer Lake in Newfoundland, Saint John in New Brunswick and Kitchener-Waterloo in Ontario. In June 2007, WestJet added seven new international seasonal flights to Saint Lucia , Jamaica ,

3510-827: The company, a position he held until July 2007. Due to restructuring in the Canadian airline industry resulting from Air Canada 's takeover of Canadian Airlines in 2000, WestJet expanded into Eastern Canada , beginning service to the cities of Hamilton and Ottawa , Ontario, and Moncton, New Brunswick . The airline selected John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport to be the focus of its Eastern Canadian operations and its main connection point in Eastern Canada. In 2001, WestJet's expansion continued with routes to Comox , along with Sault Ste. Marie , Sudbury , Ontario , Thompson and Brandon , Manitoba ; however, service to each of these four cities has since been withdrawn. Service to Brandon , Manitoba and Sudbury , Ontario ,

3588-554: The completion of phase one, IWA/AZA will be able to accommodate 1.5 million enplanements (3 million passengers). Much of phase one will address infrastructure for the new terminal. The addition will include access roads, parking, taxiways, aprons capable of Group III and IV aircraft, and the new 300,000 square feet (28,000 m) pier concept terminal. The new terminal will have 14 gates, constructed to make room for 12 Group III aircraft and two Group IV aircraft. Phase two has yet to be planned in detail, but will add another pier terminal to

3666-874: The end. Examples include: A lot of minor airfields without scheduled passenger traffic have ICAO codes but not IATA codes, since the four letter codes allow more number of codes, and IATA codes are mainly used for passenger services such as tickets, and ICAO codes by pilots. In the US, such airfields use FAA codes instead of ICAO. There are airports with scheduled service for which there are ICAO codes but not IATA codes, such as Nkhotakota Airport/Tangole Airport in Malawi or Chōfu Airport in Tokyo, Japan. There are also several minor airports in Russia (e.g., Omsukchan Airport ) which lack IATA codes and instead use internal Russian codes for booking. Flights to these airports cannot be booked through

3744-431: The existing west side terminal, adding nearly 70,000 square feet (6,500 m) of new space. This added eight gates since IWA/AZA was established in 1994. The airport broke ground on an expansion plan in early 2013, to increase gates to ten. However, because IWA/AZA is running out of real estate on the west side of the airfield, a halt to further expansions will occur until East terminal facilities are built. In response to

3822-519: The expansion issues, PMGAA began planning for a new east terminal. The plan, titled Gateway 2030, was developed in June 2012. The Gateway 2030 plan outlines the process, major findings, and recommendations associated with the cost feasible phasing approach to the development of approximately 700 acres (280 ha) of airport property and the supporting city infrastructure critical to ensure its success" (IWA, 2012b). The plan will be implemented in four phases. With

3900-426: The first quarter of 2009, and the building officially opened the following May. The WestJet Campus building was certified as LEED Gold standard in October 2011. In May 2008, WestJet launched daily non-stop service to Quebec City . The next month, WestJet commenced seasonal service between Calgary and New York City via Newark Liberty International Airport . In May 2009, the airline launched new seasonal service to

3978-557: The first three letters of the city in which it is located, for instance: The code may also be a combination of the letters in its name, such as: Sometimes the airport code reflects pronunciation, rather than spelling, namely: For many reasons, some airport codes do not fit the normal scheme described above. Some airports, for example, cross several municipalities or regions, and therefore, use codes derived from some of their letters, resulting in: Other airports—particularly those serving cities with multiple airports—have codes derived from

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4056-474: The following format: Most large airports in Canada have codes that begin with the letter "Y", although not all "Y" codes are Canadian (for example, YUM for Yuma, Arizona , and YNT for Yantai , China), and not all Canadian airports start with the letter "Y" (for example, ZBF for Bathurst, New Brunswick ). Many Canadian airports have a code that starts with W, X or Z, but none of these are major airports. When

4134-593: The form of " YYZ ", a song by the rock band Rush , which utilizes the Morse code signal as a musical motif. Some airports have started using their IATA codes as brand names , such as Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Numerous New Zealand airports use codes that contain the letter Z, to distinguish them from similar airport names in other countries. Examples include HLZ for Hamilton , ZQN for Queenstown , and WSZ for Westport . Predominantly, airport codes are named after

4212-460: The implementation of extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS), WestJet announced new service to the Hawaiian Islands from Vancouver on September 20, 2005. In December 2005, the airline began flying from Vancouver to Honolulu and Maui . WestJet's first scheduled service outside Canada and the United States began in 2006, to Nassau, Bahamas . This was considered a huge milestone within

4290-482: The international air booking systems or have international luggage transferred there, and thus, they are booked instead through the airline or a domestic booking system. Several heliports in Greenland have 3-letter codes used internally which might be IATA codes for airports in faraway countries. There are several airports with scheduled service that have not been assigned ICAO codes that do have IATA codes, especially in

4368-459: The lucrative Toronto–Ottawa–Montreal triangle and tripling the total number of its flights out of Toronto Pearson International Airport . In 2004, several U.S. destinations were added or announced. These included San Francisco , Los Angeles , Phoenix , Tampa , Fort Lauderdale , Orlando and LaGuardia Airport in New York City . In early 2005, Palm Springs and San Diego were added to

4446-663: The main concourse, adding up to six gates, parking for 10,500 vehicles, and a 1,000 feet (300 m) extension of RW 12L/30R. Phase two will enable IWA/AZA to handle 2.2 million enplanements. Phase three for the Gateway 2030 plan will add another pier terminal and second level to the main concourse and will create an additional eight gates, a new apron, more parking, and an additional taxiway. Phase three will focus on privately owned retail, office, and hotel buildings that will be located on airport property. Phase three will allow IWA to accommodate 5 million enplanements. Phase four will complete

4524-523: The market, such as Flair Airlines . The launch of the new airline, named Swoop , was delayed until June 2018. While announcing an expansion of the senior leadership team on January 11, 2018, Gregg Saretsky reconfirmed the airline's strategic goal to become a global, full-service carrier. On March 8, 2018, the CEO of WestJet, Gregg Saretsky retired. He was replaced by company vice-president, Ed Sims . On May 8, 2018, WestJet announced that it would be adding

4602-643: The mayors of the towns of Gilbert and Queen Creek and the city of Mesa . Reflecting the growth of the airport, the Gila River Indian Community joined the board in 1995, with the cities of Phoenix and Apache Junction subsequently joining in 2006 and 2013. The airport covers 3,020 acres (1,220 ha) and has three parallel paved runways: In the year ending December 31, 2022, the airport had 254,599 aircraft operations averaging 697 per day, with 80% general aviation , 14% air taxi , 5% airline, and 2% military. At that time, 72 aircraft were based at

4680-612: The name of the airport itself, for instance: This is also true with some cities with a single airport (even if there is more than one airport in the metropolitan area of said city), such as BDL for Hartford, Connecticut 's B ra dl ey International Airport or Baltimore's BWI, for B altimore/ W ashington I nternational Airport ; however, the latter also serves Washington, D.C. , alongside Dulles International Airport (IAD, for I nternational A irport D ulles) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA, for D istrict of C olumbia A irport). The code also sometimes comes from

4758-558: The nearby Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. On January 21, 2017, Phoenix–Mesa welcomed its first international flight and first two international destinations, as WestJet inaugurated its seasonal service to Calgary and Edmonton , Alberta . WestJet had seen success at Phoenix Sky Harbor for years, with Calgary and Edmonton being the first- and sixth-most popular international destinations at Sky Harbor, respectively. From Mesa, WestJet flew nonstop to Calgary; its subsidiary Swoop flew nonstop to Edmonton and Winnipeg. In May 2023, it

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4836-542: The next year. In late 2010, WestJet announced it was wet-leasing a Boeing 757 aircraft to expand service between Calgary to Honolulu and Maui and Edmonton to Maui, on a seasonal basis. Also that year, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), an independent administrative tribunal of the Government of Canada that regulates airlines, found WestJet's baggage policies to be unreasonable and/or contrary to

4914-416: The one they are located in: Other airport codes are of obscure origin, and each has its own peculiarities: In Asia, codes that do not correspond with their city's names include Niigata 's KIJ , Nanchang 's KHN and Pyongyang 's FNJ . EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg , which serves three countries, has three airport codes: BSL, MLH, EAP. Some cities have a name in their respective language which

4992-402: The public. During winter months, WestJet continued to serve the seasonal Edmonton - Maui , Calgary - Honolulu , and Calgary - Maui flights with the 767-300ER aircraft before their eventual retirement in 2020. In April 2017, WestJet announced plans to launch an ultra-low-cost carrier in late 2017. The new airline would operate using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, and compete with new entrants to

5070-643: The requirements of the Canada Transportation Act and/or the Air Transport Regulations on several different occasions. On January 26, 2011, after Air Canada terminated California service, WestJet announced plans to enter service to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California from Vancouver and Calgary starting May of that year. In November 2011, WestJet won an auction for time slots at New York's LaGuardia Airport ushering in

5148-501: The same first and middle letters, indicating that this rule might be followed only in Germany. Many cities retain historical names in their airport codes, even after having undergone an official name/spelling/transliteration change: Some airport codes are based on previous names associated with a present airport, often with a military heritage. These include: Some airports are named for an administrative division or nearby city, rather than

5226-594: The spring of 2015. WestJet would take delivery of four Boeing 767-300ERs in summer 2015. WestJet took delivery of the first of these aircraft on August 27, 2015. On June 16, 2015, WestJet announced the launch of service to London's Gatwick Airport on May 6, 2016. It is the carrier's third transatlantic destination after Dublin and Glasgow. The majority of flights to London use the wide-body Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. On September 15, 2015, WestJet flights to London direct from Edmonton, St. John's, Vancouver, Winnipeg (seasonal) Calgary and Toronto (year-round) went on sale to

5304-497: The station code of Malton, Mississauga , where it is located). YUL is used for Montréal–Trudeau (UL was the ID code for the beacon in the city of Kirkland , now the location of Montréal–Trudeau). While these codes make it difficult for the public to associate them with a particular Canadian city, some codes have become popular in usage despite their cryptic nature, particularly at the largest airports. Toronto's code has entered pop culture in

5382-599: The symbol "WJA" to a private company . In May 2023, WestJet expanded its reach further with the acquisition of Sunwing , a Canadian leisure airline. This integration is expected to be completed by October 2024, bringing Sunwing's staff and aircraft under the WestJet banner. WestJet is not a member of any major airline alliances , such as Star Alliance , Oneworld , or SkyTeam . However, it utilizes codeshare and interline agreements with various airlines. These agreements allow WestJet to place its flight code on flights operated by other airlines, and vice versa. WestJet

5460-504: The two-letter code of the radio beacons that were the closest to the actual airport, such as YQX in Gander or YXS in Prince George . Four of the ten provincial capital airports in Canada have ended up with codes beginning with YY, including: Canada's largest airport is YYZ for Toronto Pearson (as YTZ was already allocated to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , the airport was given

5538-529: The use of two letters allowed only a few hundred combinations; a three-letter system of airport codes was implemented. This system allowed for 17,576 permutations, assuming all letters can be used in conjunction with each other. Since the U.S. Navy reserved "N" codes, and to prevent confusion with Federal Communications Commission broadcast call signs , which begin with "W" or "K", the airports of certain U.S. cities whose name begins with one of these letters had to adopt "irregular" airport codes: This practice

5616-472: Was announced that WestJet and Swoop would not return for seasonal flights for the 2023–24 season, citing low profitability. A third Canadian airline, ultra-low-cost carrier Flair Airlines , previously announced in March 2023 that it would move its Phoenix–Canada operations to Sky Harbor in October. On May 3, 2021, Phoenix–Mesa Gateway welcomed Avelo Airlines , which is based at Hollywood Burbank Airport. The service

5694-419: Was founded on June 27, 1994, by Clive Beddoe , David Neeleman , Mark Hill, Tim Morgan, and Donald Bell. WestJet was based on the low-cost carrier business model pioneered by Southwest Airlines and Morris Air in the United States. Its original routes were all located in Western Canada , which gave the airline its name. On February 29, 1996, the first WestJet flight (a Boeing 737-200 ) departed. Initially,

5772-461: Was renamed Williams Field on February 24, 1942, in honor of Arizona native First Lieutenant Charles Linton Williams (1898–1927), who was killed while serving with the 19th Pursuit Squadron at Wheeler Field , Oahu, when he had to ditch his Boeing PW-9A , 26-353, in the Pacific Ocean about a mile off of Fort DeRussy . The fort was located in the then-named Territory of Hawaii (Hawaii would become

5850-403: Was replaced by Gregg Saretsky , a former executive at Canadian Airlines and Alaska Airlines and previously Vice-President of WestJet Vacations and Executive Vice-President of Operations. In July 2010, WestJet announced service to Santa Clara, Cuba , New Orleans and Grand Cayman bringing the total number of destinations to 71. Service to New Orleans lasted only one season and did not return

5928-567: Was replaced by former Air Ontario executive Steve Smith. In July 1999, WestJet made its initial public offering of stock at 2.5 million shares, opening at $ 10 per share. The same year, the cities of Thunder Bay , Grande Prairie , and Prince George were added to WestJet's route map. In 2000, WestJet CEO Steve Smith was released from WestJet after 18 months in the position, apparently due to differences in management style; Smith went on to head rival Air Canada's low-cost subsidiary Zip . After Smith's departure, Clive Beddoe again became CEO of

6006-420: Was short-lived and the airline's final flight to/from Phoenix–Mesa was on August 16, 2021. In 2022, a new control tower was added to help with increased air traffic to the airport. In 1994, the Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport Authority was established with a three-member board with representation from the three cities immediately adjacent to the then-named Williams Field. The original governing board consisted of

6084-613: Was subsequently resumed by WestJet's wholly owned subsidiary, WestJet Encore. In 2002, the airline also added another two new Eastern Canadian destinations: the Ontario cities of London and Toronto . In April 2003, WestJet added Windsor , Montreal , Halifax , St. John's and Gander . WestJet entered into a two-year agreement with Air Transat in August 2003 whereby WestJet aircraft would be filled by Transat's two main tour operators, World of Vacations and Transat Holidays. These chartered flights operated largely to destinations in Mexico and

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