Sunwing is reporting strong results early in its winter season (starting Nov. 1), in part reflecting key measures designed to “bolster operational readiness” for the peak season to come. The airline says it has already carried nearly 100,000 customers on 600 flights to destinations throughout the tropics – and all of them “successfully completed.”

“We are thrilled with the strong operational results for the start of our winter season, and have invested significantly in enhancing our operations over the past year to provide a more robust and seamless passenger experience,” says Len Corrado, President of Sunwing Airlines, who adds the airline is expecting a record season that will meet if not surpass pre-pandemic travel numbers.”

Among the measures implemented by Sunwing over the past year are:

• Increased hiring of pilots and cabin crew to support winter operations and to account for any irregular operations, such as inclement weather events, including added reserve coverage for more remote regions in the country
• Fortified its Operations Control Centre with several added positions across network operations, and increased various administrative roles across the airline
• Enhanced its Flight Alert system to provide customers with more timely and consistent communication related to any flight disruptions
• Enhanced its service letter agreements with key service providers to ensure operational efficiencies; and
• Operating five aircraft on a wet lease basis with WestJet to support Sunwing’s peak operations, including leveraging WestJet crews to support as required, in addition to operating several aircraft on a wet lease basis with Smartwings to further support operational needs for the winter.

“We are excited by the strong start to this winter season and have already seen an impressive number of bookings for vacation packages and customers travelling in the first half of November,” says Sunwing Vacations Group President Andrew Dawson.

Sunwing announced its initial winter schedule in July 2023, which included significant capacity growth over the previous winter season, including more travel options to Cuba, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

New and notable for this winter season are packages from Toronto and Montreal to the Cuban destinations of Cienfuegos and Manzanillo de Cuba. Sunwing Vacations will have more options for destinations in Pacific Mexico, including Los Cabos, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta, plus Puerto Plata on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic.