Connectivity between the Okanagan and Lower Mainland is starting to improve, B.C.’s Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said Monday, as road crews work to repair major highways damaged in the November storms.
Fleming said crews had made significant progress on the Coquihalla Highway over the weekend and by Wednesday, the province will be able to offer a better idea of when the route will reopen again for commercial trucks.
Once it is, he said, Highway 3 will reopen for general travel.
That potentially could be during the holiday season, but Fleming couldn’t say when.
He also said the provincial government is working with the airline industry on expanded regional routes.
“I noticed today that WestJet confirmed increased flights to Kelowna from Abbotsford and we are hearing other carriers expanding their schedule,” he said.
“Both WestJet and Air Canada also announced price caps on those flights and added service in their offering to people travelling over the holidays. So this is all very good news and we appreciate the airline industry flying aircraft to help people safely travel, friends and family, visit different parts of the province over the holiday season.”
Michael J. Ballingall, senior vice-president with Big White ski resort, said he has been watching news about both air and road travel closely since storms shut down the route to the Lower Mainland.
He said he has yet to see evidence of these increased flights, but that he knows more carriers are working through the logistics of creating flights for both Kamloops and Kelowna because there is “huge pent-up demand.”
“We have a commitment from Air North, Swoop, WestJet and Air Canada that they look at adding extra capacity in Kelowna and Kamloops every day,” Ballingall said.
“We’re hoping with more air capacity we will see the price come down in air travel.”
Whether that will help Big White recoup some of the bookings lost in time for the holidays remains to be seen.
Currently, he said, people are still cancelling for the holidays, and air travel isn’t always the first choice for those looking forward to a ski week.
Rather, he said, people who live in the Lower Mainland and had thought of travelling to the mountain are debating driving the route through the U.S., up Highway 97, and coming up again through Osoyoos.
That, he said, is about three hours longer.
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