Upstart Canadian “ultra-low-cost carrier” Swoop is making its first push into the United States, revealing plans to fly seven routes from five U.S. airports.
The airline’s first US flights start on October 11th, when Swoop launches non-stop service between Las Vegas and Edmonton. The carrier will add six more US-Canada routes by the end of October. In addition to Las Vegas, Swoop’s new U.S. destinations will include Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Phoenix/Mesa, and Tampa.
Swoop will become the first ultra-low-cost carrier to start service to the US. Swoop began flying just this past June and currently serves five Canadian destinations including Abbotsford, British Columbia; Edmonton, Alberta; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Hamilton, Ontario; and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Swoop is a wholly owned subsidiary of WestJet, a low-cost carrier that has grown during the past two decades to become Canada’s second largest airline. As it has grown, WestJet has begun to more closely resemble a traditional carrier. Swoop and WestJet operate as separate stand-alone brands but Swoop will take over four routes that had previously been operated by parent company WestJet. They are Edmonton-Las Vegas; Hamilton-Las Vegas; Hamilton-Orlando and Edmonton-Phoenix/Mesa.
Swoop is the airline that will allow the WestJet Group of Companies to compete against other ULCCs and serve more markets with continued growth and expansion of WestJet into a global airline.
Swoop’s fleet consists of just six Boeing 737 jets. Three more are scheduled to arrive by October, giving Swoop the aircraft it needs to launch the US routes. Four more Boeing 737’s are expected to arrive by early 2019, growing Swoop’s fleet to 10 aircraft. That will fuel more growth for the carrier, though the company has so far declined to offer specifics about where it’s looking. Swoop says that could be in Canada, the US or possibly to destinations in the Caribbean that appeal to Canadian travelers.
