Triangle travelers will be able to fly nonstop to western Canada fromRaleigh-Durham International Airport next year.

Canadian airline WestJet will begin flying between RDU and Calgary on June 9. The seasonal service will extend through Oct. 13.

WestJet will fly from RDU three days a week — Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — using Boeing 737s capable of seating between 174 and 189 people. Flight time to Calgary, just east of the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, is about five hours.

WestJet is Canada’s second largest airline, after Air Canada. The RDU flight will take travelers to the carrier’s hub in Calgary, with connections to 39 other cities in Canada and nine more overseas.

“This new seasonal service offers Triangle travelers convenient opportunities to visit the Rockies in western Canada and easily connect to WestJet’s comprehensive network of Canadian and international destinations,” Michael Landguth, RDU’s president and CEO, said in a written statement.

Calgary becomes the third Canadian city that Triangle travelers can reach via a nonstop flight. Air Canada flies between RDU and Montreal and Toronto.

All three Canadian airports offer U.S.-bound travelers preclearance for customs and immigration, allowing them to skip that step at RDU. It means the two Canadian airlines don’t need to use one of four gates capable of handling incoming international flights in RDU’s Terminal 2.

WestJet is the second airline within a week to announce its debut at RDU.BermudAir will begin flying two days a week between RDU and L.F. Wade International Airport in St. George, Bermuda, on April 11.

The two announcements mean travelers can now book nonstop flights to 11 international destinations from RDU, a record. In addition to Bermuda and the three Canadian cities, travelers can also fly nonstop to four cities in Europe, two in Mexico and one in Panama.

The addition of WestJet brings the number of airlines doing business at RDU to 19. Two carriers, American and Delta, still dominate the market. But RDU officials say having more airlines gives travelers more choices and creates competition that can help keep fares down.

Richard Stradling

The News & Observer

919-829-4739

Richard Stradling covers transportation for The News & Observer. Planes, trains and automobiles, plus ferries, bicycles, scooters and just plain walking. He’s been a reporter or editor for 38 years, including the last 26 at The N&O. 919-829-4739, rstradling@newsobserver.com.