WestJet & Virgin Atlantic Announce Expanded Codeshare Deal

Virgin Atlantic and WestJet have announced details of an expanded codeshare agreement that kick off with Virgin’s inaugural flight to Toronto on March 30.

Calgary-based WestJet will offer connections to its hub as well as 12 other destinations, including Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Ottawa.

The new route linking two global financial hubs is Virgin Atlantic’s first to Canada in more than a decade. For Canadian travellers, it will also deliver optimal onward connectivity to places including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, as well as Dubai, the Maldives, Cape Town and Johannesburg via London Heathrow. 

Announced last year, the deal has been fully fleshed out. The two carriers will co-locate at YYZ’s Terminal 3. Passengers will be able to travel on one ticket and transfer without having to collect and re-check their baggage to their final destination.

Virgin Atlantic says it will partner with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), to support customer connections onwards via eligible cities. Customers will be able to transfer through Toronto Pearson without having to collect and re-check their baggage to their final destination.

Flights are now on sale for tickets to London Heathrow via Toronto. Loyalty partnership program benefits across both Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and WestJet Rewards are expected to roll out later in the year.

“Canada is an incredibly important opportunity for Virgin Atlantic as many of our customers travel between the Great White North, the UK, India and beyond,” said Juha Jarvinen, Virgin Atlantic’s EVP and Chief Commercial Officer. 

“This expanded partnership with WestJet, alongside our partners at Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM, will create seamless connectivity for our customers via our new route launching between Toronto and London.”

John Weatherill, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at WestJet, commented: “We are thrilled to enhance our partnership with Virgin Atlantic and support their return to Canada. As the first phase of this expansion, we are excited to welcome guests from across Virgin Atlantic’s global network by providing connectivity across Canada with WestJet.

Virgin Atlantic appointed Stephen Goulding as Canada Country Manager in January 2025. Having held various leadership roles at WestJet, Stephen will support Virgin Atlantic’s strategic growth in Canada alongside WS leaders to grow the airline’s presence and drive awareness of customer connectivity benefits within Canada, the UK and markets across the network.