It’s still summer in Canada, but WestJet's five new routes for winter 2026/2027 mean it's already time to start planning your escape from the cold.
If you’re already planning your winter beach getaway, good news: WestJet has just announced five new non-stop routes for winter 2026/2027, expanding its reach into Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, with several launching before the end of November.
Dominican Republic, beginning November 28, the earliest of the new routes to take off, and to Belize City, Belize, launching December 14, joining WestJet’s existing service from Toronto and Calgary. Regina adds a weekly link to San José del Cabo, Mexico, also starting December 14, and Ottawa gains a new route to Liberia, Costa Rica, beginning December 20, the main gateway to the country’s Guanacaste region for Canadian travellers.
Between the new routes and its existing network, WestJet says it will serve 50 sun destinations from 15 Canadian cities this winter, more than any other Canadian airline. Sunwing Vacations, now part of the WestJet Group, is layering in its own vacation packages alongside the new flights, including returning routes to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and Roatán in Honduras, with its full winter package schedule running from November 1, 2026, to April 30, 2027, and on sale now through Sunwing.ca.
For travellers weighing where to point their winter plans this year, the new routes lean toward destinations that reward a little advance research. The Belize Tourism Board promotes the country’s reef-to-rainforest mix, with strong appeal for snorkellers and eco-tourists. The Costa Rica Tourism Board highlights Guanacaste’s beaches and wellness retreats. And Mérida, per the Yucatán tourism board, is a UNESCO-recognized culinary and cultural capital that makes a compelling case as an alternative to the more heavily travelled Cancún corridor. Punta Cana rounds out the list as one of the region’s most established beach destinations, detailed on the Dominican Republic’s official tourism site.
None of the new routes fly daily; most run weekly to start. That means seat availability on the exact dates that line up with a Canadian school or work calendar will likely tighten well before December. Booking early here is less about beating a fare and more about beating the calendar itself.
