Palm Springs Council Considers Incentives For WestJet

The Palm Springs City Council will consider putting the final approvals tonight on an incentive agreement with WestJet, which is gearing up to offer non-stop flights out of Palm Springs International Airport to Toronto.

The council will consider the $100,000 airline incentive agreement, which is used to supplement the carrier’s promotions about travel deals, at the 6 p.m. meeting.

Starting in February, the airline will offer flights to and from that Canadian city on Wednesdays and Saturdays. WestJet also offers Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary flights from October through May.

WestJet has brought nearly 116,000 passengers — or “snowbirds” — in and out of Palm Springs airport this year.

The airline, which only recently began year-round service out of Palm Springs, began offering two weekly direct flights to its airline hub in Calgary, Alberta, in June.

WestJet began offering flights out of Palm Springs in 2005.

Funding for the agreement will be taken from the Airport Fund Balance, according to a city staff report.