A charter airline company will offer weekly direct flights between Victoria International Airport and Los Cabos, Mexico, starting Nov. 1.
Sunwing Travel Group will be offering the seasonal flights on Thursdays to and from the popular winter vacation area on the west coast of Mexico.
The announcement Monday adds to the selection of warm-weather getaways from Victoria airport.
Starting Sept. 6, WestJet will offer direct flights to Las Vegas until the end of May. It will also operate direct flights to Puerto Vallarta and Cancun, both running Nov. 3 to April 27, to Phoenix from Nov. 2 to April 26, and to Honolulu from Nov. 21 to April 17.
In addition, CanJet will fly out of Victoria to Puerto Vallarta from Dec. 19 to March 27 and to Cancun Dec. 20 to March 28.
Geoff Dickson, Victoria Airport Authority president and chief executive officer, anticipates strong interest in the Los Cabos flights.
"That's the one that we see is the largest unserved market," he said. "That's why we are so happy that Sunwing is doing this."
Customers want non-stop service to sunspots, Dickson said. "It really helps with your vacation planning - no fuss, no muss. You just go out non-stop and that's what people want."
A total of 1.49 million passengers went through the Victoria International Airport last year. For the first six months of this year, 720,486 passengers used the airport, up 0.6 from the same months last year.
July had 137,943 passengers, down by 2.1 per cent from July 2011.
"The sunspot markets represent about three per cent of our total traffic and has been the fastest growing area over the past four years," Dickson said.
Los Cabos flights will depart Victoria on Thursdays from Nov. 1 to Dec. 6 at 10: 35 a.m. Between Dec. 13 and March 21, flights will leave at 9 a.m.
Flights from Victoria to Los Cabos start at $435, plus taxes of $330 per person, for seven nights, said Daniela Masaro, marketing manager for Sunwing Vacations. Prices are subject to change and based on availability.
Costs for vacation packages start at $795, plus taxes of $330, based on double occupancy in a deluxe room at the Royal Solaris Los Cabos hotel, Masaro said.
The company's champagne service is included in its standard fare, she said.
Passengers can upgrade for $40 per flight to receive features such as extralegroom seats, advance seat selection, advance boarding and a 30-kilogram baggage allowance.
