WestJet expands T.O. options, FinnAir cheap flights to Europe, Whistler news

A lot of the focus from WestJet on Monday was, understandably, the naming of Nanaimo and Fort St. John B.C. as cities to be served by their new, regional carrier, called Encore.

From a Toronto standpoint, and we all know the world revolves around this fair city, there's plenty of news from regular WestJet. At the same time it was slipping into new destinations in B.C., they also announced twice-weekly service from The Big Smoke to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and upped the Orlando service from seven times a week to 11.

What I hadn't noticed in the flurry of announcements was an increase of WestJet flights from Toronto to Miami (see photo at right) from seven a week to eight, plus new flights (three times a week) from Toronto to Fort McMurray, Alberta. They also significantly bumped up flights from here to Saskatchewan, adding three more per week to both Regina and Saskatoon for 10 flights a week to each city in total.

As well, they added two more flights a day from Toronto to Vancouver (now 11 per day), Calgary (also now 11 in total) and Edmonton (8 per day). They'll fly to Winnipeg from Toronto five times a week.

One of the company's press releases on Monday also said they'll extend service to Aruba , Liberia , Costa Rica , and Trinidad and Tobago on a year-round basis and add one extra flight each week between Toronto and Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica , Varadero, Cuba , St. Martin, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and Cancun.

There are rumours WestJet may soon take aim at Air Canada's international network, and wouldn't that be fun to watch?

SKI WITH AN OLYMPIAN - AND GO WATCH SOME AT THE GAMES

A couple of things to note for fans of the Olympics. Whistler-Blackcomb  has expanded its Snow School offerings with the addition of a "Ski with an Olympian" program. The new offering lets ordinary folks hear stories and get tips and spend time with an Olympic athlete as their personal guide.

You get a full day of skiing or riding with an Olympic athlete, with capacity limited to just five people per group. Guests also get lift line priority.

Thirteen ski and snowboard athletes are taking part, including noted Olympic skier Rob Boyd. For more information, visit whistlerblackcomb.com.

Speaking of the Olympics, tickets for the 2014 Winter Games (how did this happen so quickly?) in Sochi, Russia are now available for Canadians to buy at cosport.com. Fans will be able to choose from a variety of packages that combine tickets with hotel stays or hospitality services.

Individual tickets start as low as $22. I suspect a ticket for the gold medal hockey game would be slightly, just slightly, more than that. 

FINNAIR BARGAINS TO EUROPE

Finnair is offering a series of round-trip economy deals for spring. Prices start at just $679 Canadian for flights from Toronto to Helsinki, Saint Petersburg, Stockholm, Warsaw and even Prague (with a stop in Helsinki). I went online this morning and found a roundtrip flight from Toronto to Prague for just $778; which is about the same as a round-trip flight on Air Canada to San Francisco in April.

The deal is valid for a host of other cities, including Riga, Oslo, Norway and Krakow. Travel must be taken from May 23 to June 20 and from Aug. 21 to Sept. 5.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on offer for a beautiful Alaska cruise, priced at $1,315 (including $591 in taxes) Here are the details:

• 7-night Alaska Cruise sailing on the ms Amsterdam, departing and returning to Vancouver, BC
• Includes return airfare from Toronto or Montreal to Vancouver
• Ports of Call include: Vancouver, BC; Glacier Bay; Skaqway, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Ketchikan, Alaska; & the Inside Passage
• Accommodations in one of the following staterooms: Oceanview (Category H) or Verandah (Category BB or BC)
• Includes daily breakfast, lunch and dinner at various complimentary dining options  
• The ms Amsterdam is an exquisite ship with fanciful details and beautiful artwork
• Alaska is as exhilarating as it is beautiful, with breathtaking scenery and fascinating wildlife
• Enjoy culinary demonstrations and other delicious activities in the Culinary Arts Centre

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on the following departure dates: May 24, 31, June 7, 14, 21, 28, July 5, 19, 26, August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, September 6, 13, 2013
• Pricing: (Rates are per person, plus tax, & based on double occupancy)
  
  Toronto:
  May 24:
  Oceanview: $724 + $591 tax
  Verandah: $1446 + $569 tax
  
  May 31:
  Oceanview: $804 + $591 tax
  Verandah: $1526 + $591 tax
  
  June 7:
  Oceanview: $884 + $602 tax
  Verandah: $1709 + $602 tax
  
  June 14:
  Oceanview: $884 + $602 tax
  Verandah: $2018 + $602 tax
  
  June 21 & 28:
  Oceanview: $936 + $602 tax
  Verandah: $2018 + $602 tax
  
  July 5:
  Oceanview: $936 + $585 tax
  Verandah: $2018 + $602 tax
  
  July 19:
  Oceanview: $936 + $602 tax
  Verandah: $2018 + $602 tax
  
  July 26:
  Oceanview: $936 + $585 tax
  Verandah: $2018 + $585 tax
  
  August 2 & 9:
  Oceanview: $936 + $585 tax
  Verandah: $2018 + $585 tax
  
  August 16:
  Oceanview: $936 + $585 tax
  Verandah: $1709 + $585 tax
  
  August 23 & 30:
  Oceanview: $884 + $598 tax
  Verandah: $1709 + $598 tax
  
  September 6 & 13:
  Oceanview: $884 + $598 tax
  Verandah: $1709 + $598 tax