Airport ride completion improves by 30% following WestJet schedules changes

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on August 23, 2025.

newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com

More flights are completing connections to and from Calgary every day after WestJet brought its larger 78-seat Q400 aircraft to the Medicine Hat Regional Airport last fall, in fact the number has increased to a near perfect 98 per cent flight competition rate.

This completion factor aligns Medicine Hat with what is the industry standard flight completion rate of over 96 per cent, and according to airport manager Logan Boyd, an increase of between 20 to 30 per cent of levels prior to the service change.

“Ultimately, that means our travellers coming to and from the airports are getting to and from their destinations all in the same day, so it’s a great improvement,” Boyd told a panel of committee members during a public meeting Thursday.

Boyd said the airline heard and addressed several concerns they received from local travellers about operational performance as well as departure time changes when WestJet introduced the larger aircraft last October.

“We thank WestJet for hearing the community and doing good in that fashion,” said Boyd.

Last December the Medicine Hat to Calgary flight changed its departure times to 7:30 a.m. to arrive in Calgary roughly 45 minutes later, and then depart Calgary from Medicine Hat at 6:35 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. arrival.

The Q400 aircraft, or 78-seat De Havilland Dash 8-400, replaced a 34-seat Saab 340B airplane. The changes came after WestJet changed carriers from its “WestJet Link” to “WestJet Encore” services in Spring 2024.

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