WestJet is launching five new nonstop routes for the winter 2026 to 2027 season, connecting three Western Canadian cities directly to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Belize and Costa Rica for the first time or on an expanded schedule, according to the airline’s own route announcement reported by Travelweek.
The five new routes
Calgary to Merida, Mexico begins December 17, 2026, running weekly and marked by WestJet as its first-ever service to the city, giving Western Canada its only direct connection to the capital of Mexico’s Yucatan state. Winnipeg to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic begins November 28, 2026, also weekly. Winnipeg to Belize City, Belize starts December 14, 2026. Regina to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico starts the same day, December 14, 2026. Ottawa to Liberia, Costa Rica, serving the Guanacaste region, begins December 20, 2026. All five are scheduled as weekly nonstop flights for the winter season.
Why Merida stands out
Merida, the Yucatan’s capital, is a genuinely different addition compared with the other four routes, which serve established resort gateway airports. Merida is a colonial inland city known for its architecture, food scene and proximity to Maya archaeological sites including Uxmal and Chichen Itza, rather than a beach resort hub in its own right. A direct Calgary connection opens a more practical option for travelers who want to combine a Yucatan cultural trip with a coastal stay, without routing through Cancun or Mexico City first.
What this means for smaller Canadian gateways
Four of the five routes originate from Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary and Ottawa rather than WestJet’s largest hubs, extending direct winter sun access to travelers in these cities who previously needed a connection through Toronto, Calgary or another larger airport to reach the same destinations. Direct routing from smaller gateways typically means both a shorter total travel time and one fewer opportunity for a missed or delayed connection during winter weather disruptions, a meaningful factor for prairie cities with their own weather-related delay risk in December.
WestJet and Sunwing: a connected network
WestJet Group acquired Sunwing’s vacations and tour operator business in 2023, and the two brands increasingly coordinate scheduling for winter sun destinations even though they continue to operate as separate customer-facing brands. Sunwing’s own 2026 additions of new and renovated all-inclusive resorts sit within the same broader network now planning WestJet’s mainline route expansion; see Sunwing’s five new and renovated resorts for 2026 for that side of the same group’s growth.
How this compares to other airlines’ winter announcements
WestJet’s expansion follows a broader pattern of Canadian and US carriers adding winter sun routes to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America for the 2026 to 2027 season. Air Canada separately announced its own winter schedule additions, including new service to Merida, Mazatlan and Santo Domingo; see Air Canada’s winter 2026 to 2027 route additions for that announcement. The two airlines adding overlapping or competing routes to some of the same cities in the same season points to strong forecast demand for both airlines’ winter sun networks.
What a once-weekly route means for trip planning
Because each of these five routes operates only once a week for its first season, a missed connection, flight delay or need to change a return date carries more consequence than it would on a daily route: rebooking often means waiting a full week for the next scheduled departure rather than simply moving to the next day’s flight. Travelers on these routes should build extra buffer into any onward connection and confirm cancellation and change policies before booking, particularly for a first-season route where schedules can still see adjustments.
How long the winter season typically runs
Winter sun routes of this kind on Canadian carriers typically run from the December launch through the following spring, often into April, before winding down as demand shifts away from winter sun destinations toward domestic and European summer travel. Travelers should confirm the exact end date of each route directly with WestJet before booking a return flight for late in the season, since a first-year seasonal route can end earlier or later than an established one depending on how bookings perform.
The wider trend
Combined with Cancun Airport’s addition of 17 new international routes, covered separately on this site, and Sunwing’s expansion of its own all-inclusive resort portfolio, the run of new winter route announcements across multiple airlines points to continued strong demand for Mexico, Caribbean and Central American resort travel heading into the 2026 to 2027 winter season. See Cancun Airport’s 17 new international routes for the airport-side view of the same trend.
Source: Travelweek, “WestJet Launches Five New Sun Routes for Winter 2026-2027.”