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Living in Kelowna and being a full-time travel blogger, I’ve needed to research and memorize all of the direct flights that come in and out of YLW. I have to admit – Kelowna airport isn’t an international hub by any means – but it still has some good direct flights that lead into major gateways to the world.
My hopes are that the more people start flying out of YLW, the more direct flights we can add to this list!
Here's a detailed list of all the direct flights from YLW airport in Kelowna, BC:
Photo Cred: Aviationrocks99
Domestic Direct Flights from Kelowna
YLW currently flies direct to 5 provinces in Canada
British Columbia
Vancouver
Frequency: Daily
Airlines: Air Canada and WestJet
Roundtrip Prices: Average $265-$350
Victoria
Frequency: Daily
Airlines: WestJet and Pacific Coastal
Roundtrip Prices: Average $232-$330
Prince George
Frequency: Daily
Airlines: Central Mountain Air
Roundtrip Prices: Average $500
Cranbrook
Frequency: Sunday to Thursday
Airlines: Pacific Coastal Air
Roundtrip Prices: Average $350. Seen as low as $270
Alberta
Edmonton
Frequency: Daily
Airlines: Air Canada and WestJet and Flair
Roundtrip Prices: Average $210-$300. Seen as low as $120 on Flair.
Calgary
Frequency: Daily
Airlines: WestJet, Air Canada
Roundtrip Prices: Average $330
Manitoba
Winnipeg
Frequency: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. May to October.
Airlines: Swoop
Roundtrip Prices: Average $200. Seen as low as $169
Ontario
Toronto
Frequency: Daily
Airlines: WestJet and Air Canada
Roundtrip Prices: Average $700. Seen as low as $520
Yukon
Whitehorse
Frequency: Thursdays and Sundays
Airlines: Air North
The best airports you can get to from Kelowna on a direct flight are: Vancouver and Calgary.
From either of these two airports (but especially with Vancouver) you can easily get to any corner of the world with just one additional direct flight.
Here are some examples:
Direct International Flights from Calgary (YYC):
Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Mexico City, Tokyo, Chicago, Denver, Orlando.
Direct International Flights from Vancouver (YVR):
Hong Kong, Sydney, Paris, Delhi, Reykjavik, Honolulu, New York, Los Angeles.
Most travellers, like myself, will use Kelowna’s airport just as a stepping stone to get to either Calgary or Vancouver to have better access to worldwide flights. Both flights are just under an hour, making them very fast and accessible gateways.
International Direct Flights from Kelowna
With the exception of Seattle (which is daily/year-round) the International direct flights leaving from Kelowna are on seasonal schedules. Usually from October to April you will see many flights taking chilly snow-birds from Kelowna and flying them down to warmer areas of the States and Mexico. However, the newest USA direct route with Swoop offers flights to Las Vegas during summer months instead of winter.
United States
When I first moved to Kelowna 5 years ago, there were direct flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Gone are the days when you fly direct into California, but there are still 3 direct USA flights available leaving from Kelowna.
Seattle
Frequency: Daily
Airlines: Alaska Airlines
Roundtrip Prices: Average $425. Seen as low as $360
Las Vegas
Frequency: Sundays and Thursdays. June to November.
Airlines: Swoop
Roundtrip Prices: Average $200
Phoenix
Frequency: Mondays and Fridays. November to April.
Airlines: WestJet
Roundtrip Prices: Average $500
Mexico
Thank goodness Kelowna flies direct to Mexico. I can’t tell you how many times I have taken advantage of these flights down south. The flights are nicely spread out to the 3 most popular vacation regions in the country
Los Cabos
Frequency: Saturdays. November to April.
Airlines: WestJet and Sunwing
Roundtrip Prices: Average $800
Puerto Vallarta
Frequency: Thursdays. November to April.
Airlines: WestJet
Roundtrip Prices: Average $900. Seen as low as $660
Cancun
Frequency: Fridays and Sundays. November to April.
Airlines: WestJet and Sunwing
Roundtrip Prices: Average $900. Seen as low as $669
Cuba
Varadero
Frequency: Thursdays. November to April.
Airlines: Sunwing
Roundtrip Prices: Average $800.
Which airlines fly direct from Kelowna Airport?
WestJet takes the cake with the most direct flights out of Kelowna’s airport. Including international and domestic flights, Westjet offers 9 direct routes from YLW, making them the best airline in the city.
Coming in 2nd place is Air Canada with 4 direct routes flying from Kelowna.
After the West Jet and Air Canada, there are 7 other airlines that offer between 1-3 direct flight routes from YLW. They are: Alaska Airlines, Swoop Airlines, Sunwing Airlines, Flair Airlines, Air North, Central Mountain Air, and Pacific Coast Airlines.
Jetlines, a brand-new airline that is rumored to be Canada’s first and only true low-cost airline, is also looking to offer direct flights from the Kelowna airport.
New Routes for Kelowna’s YLW Airport
Earlier this year the director at YLW airport said he is hoping to add more USA direct routes from Kelowna’s airport. His plans are to resume the Kelowna-Los Angeles route, add a Minneapolis route, and to increase the Las Vegas and Phoenix routes.
I am all for the LAX route returning! I believe that would be a huge deal for YLW!
No matter if you are using this list to fly INTO Kelowna, or from Kelowna to a new destination – happy travels!
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Mahima
Thursday 27th of June 2019
Oh wow, that was a great article. Your article will help me. Thanks for sharing this informative article.