There is good news for air travellers booking flights out of Castlegar this winter. Air Canada plans to continue operating the weather-cancellation shuttle that was introduced last year at the West Kootenay Regional Airport (WKRA).
If there is a last-minute weather-related landing or take-off issue on the Vancouver route, the airline re-routes passengers through Kelowna and offers bus service to and from Castlegar.
A new addition to the service is the bus from Kelowna will make a stop at the Grand Forks arena, allowing passengers with a final destination of Grand Forks to avoid backtracking over the pass.
The bus initiative is directed and financed by Air Canada but was brokered by WKRA staff. Kootenay Charters has been contracted to provide the service.
Utilizing the service is free and optional, and rescheduling flights continues to be an option.
Since the shuttle began in December 2023 through the end of September 2024, flights have been cancelled 45 times and the bus was activated 37 times. The decision on activating the bus is made by Air Canada.
Approximately 1,800 people have used the shuttle service since it began.
According to WKRA management, during the same period of time, the landing/take-off success rate was 84 per cent. When adding the shuttle service, same-day trip success was 97 per cent.
For just the 2023/2024 winter season, the same-day success rate was 90 per cent, but with the shuttle service in full swing, management expects even higher success rates this winter season.