Canadians: this summer, the cost of flying within your home country has reached a 3-year low. The median flight price within Canada is $424, down 20% from summer 2016 and 7% from summer 2017. Cue celebrations from St. John’s to Whitehorse.
While many factors go into this all-time-low, two of the main ones are increased options in air travel and the opening of new, underserved routes. With low cost carriers (LCC) entering the Canadian travel market and larger airlines adopting “branded fares,” you can travel across your great land… for a lot less. Plus, those closest to smaller cities and airports are seeing airlines open up routes, meaning those in Abbotsford don’t necessarily have to travel to Vancouver for a flight. Whether you’re looking to experience the world at home or are planning a domestic getaway on a budget, here’s what you need to know to confidently book your next flight.
What to book
You’ve got options. Low cost carriers and branded fares are making it even easier to find a deal. What’s the difference? Branded fares (like Basic Economy) are larger airlines’ answers to low cost carriers. By removing amenities that were once standard, bigger airlines are now letting you choose what you want to pay for. So while your seatmate paid more to board before you, get a free meal and bring both a checked bag and carry-on — if you booked Basic Economy you were likely the last one on, have to pay for inflight snacks and were allowed only a personal item. It’s “unbundled” pricing, airline style. Low cost carriers, on the other hand, have built their business on limiting amenities and charging cheaper fares across the board. That means there is no “ticket hierarchy” — everyone on your flight is basically in the same boat. If you’re on the fence of what type of fare makes sense, we’ve introduced a Baggage Fee Assistant in our flight search results. By selecting how many and what type of bags you intend to bring, we’ll automatically update flight prices to reflect the full cost of your flight.
The new routes
Both major airlines and low cost carriers are giving smaller airports some love. The big players have added routes in and around the country, making domestic travel even easier and more accessible to a wider audience. For low cost carriers, it’s in their nature to fly out of smaller airports like Halifax, Abbotsford and Winnipeg, where there isn’t as much competition from other carriers and general costs are lower. By opening up these routes, Canadians have more options when they fly, whether their local airport connects them to the major international flight hubs in Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto, or lets them fly nonstop from their smaller city to other parts of Canada.
Where to go
Because of these new routes and increased competition in low-cost flying, our data shows that flight prices within Canada are dropping. Here are the top 10 domestic destinations seeing the biggest drops in airfare this summer, compared to last year:
- Edmonton: Flight prices down 40%, median airfare $485
- Abbotsford: Flight prices down 33%, median airfare $396
- Winnipeg: Flight prices down 30%, median airfare $485
- Hamilton: Flight prices down 25%, median airfare $445
- Moncton: Flight prices down 19%, median airfare $518
- Saskatoon: Flight prices down 19%, median airfare $366
- Ottawa: Flight prices down 17%, median airfare $531
- Kelowna: Flight prices down 15%, median airfare $280
- Vancouver: Flight prices down 12%, median airfare $489
- Calgary: Flight prices down 11%, median airfare $432
For ideas on what to do in some of these cities, see our tips.
No matter where your airport or what carrier you’re flying on, we’ll make sure you’re confident you’re finding the right flight.
Methodology: All data is based on median airfares conducted from KAYAK CA and is intended to be used as a guide. Travel dates are May 25, 2018 – September 3, 2018, and search dates are February 21, 2017 – February 21, 2018. All flights considered are economy, round-trip. To compare year over year findings, KAYAK considered searches from February 21, 2016 – February 21, 2017 for travel between May 25, 2017 – September 3, 2017 . Prices may vary.
