CALGARY — WestJet is adding new nonstop service from Toronto to L.A. and Nashville as part of its 2016 summer schedule.

“We are excited about our schedule and connectivity out of Toronto,” said Bob Cummings, WestJet Executive Vice-President, Commercial. “By this summer we will operate more than 120 flights per day from Toronto including new services to Nashville, Los Angeles and Boston in addition to our previously announced daily service to London, England. Building on our already strong connectivity into Toronto from across Canada is a key element of our strategy for profitable growth.”

WestJet also has also announced enhanced schedules for business travellers with additional service from Toronto to Ottawa, Montreal and Fredericton as well as between Ottawa and Halifax.

Starting June 15 flights operating between Toronto and Ottawa as well as Toronto and Montreal will operate 12 times each daily. Toronto and Fredericton will have a total of three daily flights as of March 5.

Three daily flights between Toronto and Boston will begin March 15.

With additional service between Ottawa and Halifax there will be a total of three daily flights between the cities as of March 5.

Flights are available for purchase starting Jan. 31.

“We look forward to offering guests more options in their travel schedules along with our recently enhanced Plus product, WestJet Connect and continued WestJet Rewards program improvements. WestJet is an attractive option for business travellers across Canada,” said Cummings.

Three weekly nonstop flights are being added between Vancouver and San Diego too. Vancouver will also see additional service to L.A., Honolulu and Maui while Toronto will see additional service to Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and Myrtle Beach. Seasonal routes from Halifax and St. John’s to Orlando will now operate year-round.

WestJet also announced a new nonstop route from Calgary to Thunder Bay.

Meanwhile WestJet is reducing service between Calgary and Edmonton and several more routes to and from those two cities are either being cancelled or scaled back.

“With the downturn in the economy, we’re seeing less demand for travel to and from the energy markets and into areas across Canada,” said WestJet VP Communications and Community Relations, Richard Bartrem. “We’ve decided that we would move some of that capacity into markets where we’re seeing less of that impact so that we’re actually using the fleet as effectively as possible while minimizing the effect on the guest.’”

The decline in traffic has been “noticeable enough’” to warrant changes, but did not specify how big of a drop the airline saw in the affected markets, he added.

WestJet will be removing flights between Calgary and two B.C. destinations – Terrace and Prince George. Direct flights between Edmonton and Nanaimo and Kamloops, B.C. are also being cancelled. Bartrem said customers can still get between those destinations by changing planes elsewhere.

WestJet is also reducing the number of flights between Calgary and Brandon, MB and Fort McMurray, AB and there be fewer flights between the provincial capital and Abbotsford, B.C. and Grande Prairie, AB.

WestJet is transferring more of its capacity to Eastern Canada, meaning more trips between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal as well as to Atlantic destinations like Halifax and Fredericton.