Air Travel in Canada: Part I (Domestic Flights) – by Jawaad M.

Canadian Deals & Coupons

Introduction

Buying a plane ticket isn’t quite the same business as it was when Sinatra was crooning about buying a ticket to Acapulco Bay. People no longer dress in their Sunday finery. No one makes stops in Gander and the Azores anymore – the day of refueling stops ended with the appearance of the long range Boeing 707. Low-cost airlines entered the business since Southwest in 1971 and the No-Frills style of airfare has no less than the late Sir Freddy Laker’s “Skytrain” in its pedegree.

Saving money on flights has always been challenging; the entire travel agent profession revolves around finding ways to save cash, while providing the best vacation possible. This business suffered through much shocks when the Internet appeared; however, for those without any inside links or understanding, booking through a travel agent is still probably one of the best ways to get a deal on a flight.

This three-part series is intended to give you a bit of an understanding so the next time you are booking a flight, you understand the differences between domestic and international flights, as well as the differences between different fares. Our first part deals exclusively with domestic fares. This is based on the Canadian market; do not make the mistake of assuming it is the same in the USA, most European countries and Japan. Canada is in the unfortunate position of having its small population spread over its vast territory, and as a result has few competitors in the domestic airline market.

My love for flight has always been there, but being from a strictly middle-class background kept me grounded. As my mom always explained to me, airplanes were very expensive for families, and we couldn’t possibly afford for us to go on those expensive vacations that we saw on TV. Our dreams of Disneyworld ended at the “Welcome to West Virginia” sign, as we crawled by in our rusted up Ford Taurus. Of course, the reality was that my family didn’t know anything about the airline business. The only ticket prices my mom was aware of were Karachi’s Quaid-e-Azam International to Montreal’s Dorval, not Montreal’s Dorval (now Pierre-Elliot Trudeau Airport) to Vancouver International Airport. Unlike the cartel-dominated world of International air travel, domestic airfare was and still is significantly affected by low-cost airlines that sprouted up everywhere. I can’t go back in time and teach my mom the lessons I know, but I am volunteering this knowledge so that no other children are victimized by a vacation in Morgantown ever again.

There are four things to take into account when trying to get the lowest airfare;

– supply vs. demand
– the date the flight is booked
– the rigidity of one’s schedule, and
– whether you are flying from the US or Canada

Notably missing on this list is where you buy your ticket; contrary to popular opinion, you cannot save money on domestic Canadian plane ticket by booking on independent websites. If you keep these simple facts in mind while booking, and the penny-pinchers among us should be set.

Fact 1: Booking a Month From Now Does Not Make It Cheaper

Most people are bound by invisible constraints; they have a specific destination in mind when they leave, as well as a specific time they need to be there. If you want to have any sort of peace of mind about a trip, you really do need to book in advance. However for those of us with more flexability, last minute booking can save money, especially if one is purchasing straight from the airline. Our example for this will be Montreal to Vancouver, as it is probably the longest (read: most expensive) flight available in Canada. These prices were obtained on the morning of December 6th, 2006, and involved two dates

According to Aircanada.com, I can get a flight on December 8th on AC129 for $263.99 (Taxes included). Now when I look for the same price on January 26th, 2006, it is available for $347.17. Westjet.ca offers the exact same fares for December 8th on WS629 ($263.99), and a $275.38 fare on the 26th of January. On the surface, it is clear that you are saving some dollars by booking at the last minute; what is the catch?

Well, for one, look at the times the planes leave. WS629 leaves at 5:35 PM (so you need to be there around 3:30, when rush hour traffic has already starte piling up in Montreal), and arrives at 8:07 PM in Vancouver. AC129 leaves at 7:55 PM (meaning you are going to be in the bumper-to-bumper phase when you get to the airport). More importantly, you have no choice over the time you leave; all the other timed flights are significantly more expensive. Planning in advance costs more, but you have more control over your itinerary.

Of course, your next question is probably “Why is it cheaper??”. The answer is, of course, supply and demand. Vancouver has been battered by rainstorms and snowstorms at the time of this writing; it isn’t exactly a good time to be on the West Coast. Airlines sell a certain number of seats to bulk dealers and base their ticket prices on sales. Clearly, sales to the west coast aren’t particularly strong, and are reducing traffic on the flight. The reverse flights (from Vancouver to Montreal) are more expensive, almost $240 + tax for the 8th.

Fact 2: You do not save on domestic flights at smaller websites.

I went ahead and checked some of the last minute travel sites for airfare quotes. This is what I got:

December 7th, 2006
itravel2000: $367.17 + tax
expedia.ca: $354 + tax
travelocity.ca: $350 (Tax Included)
travelmix.ca: $263.99 (Tax included)
flightcentre.ca: $262.99 (Tax Included – Appears to have been a mistake on the site, as the taxes are $1 less than they are supposed to be)
flightnetwork.com: $263.99 (Westjet), $283.99 (Air Canada)
orbitz.com: $404 (American dollars)

January 26th, 2006
flightcentre.ca: 275.38 (Westjet) and $338.38 (Air Canada) (Tax included)
travelmix.ca: $275.38 $347.14(Tax included)
travelocity.ca: $354 (Westjet) and $412 (Air Canada) (Taxes Included)
flightnetwork.com: $275.38 (Westjet)

As you can see, these prices are the same, or more, than what Air Canada and Westjet charge. Air Canada and Westjet have a deliberate policy of listing the lowest domestic fare on their website (note, this is NOT THE SAME as the lowest international fare; more on that in the third part of this series)

Fact 3: The United States is ALWAYS CHEAPER than Canada… except at the last minute.

The US should, logically, be cheaper than Canada. More competition, more airlines, more sales – what isn’t there to like? Well, for one, the US has a better economy, and more people move around than in Canada. As a result, the last minute sales just don’t exist; how could they when there is no excess capacity?

Look at Burlington -> Seattle (the closest we can get to Montreal->Vancouver) is 500 dollars for a last minute booking; US Dollars at that. However, long term bookings are obscenely cheap. Kayak.com has Burlington -> Seattle for $102, I have no doubt you could find something cheaper if you looked. Booking beforehand can save you a lot of money, especially if you are flying out of hubs for major discount airlines. This isn’t to say that money should be your only factor; there has been a deep decline in customer service ever since the tragic events of 9/11. I personally have been interrogated and kept aside for a period of 4 hours (on top of the normal luggage check-in), on a trip to Japan which only stopped for refueling in Detroit. Still, as long as you don’t have a funny middle-eastern sounding name like I do, you won’t share my unfortunate experience.

If the potential hassle doesn’t bother you, the question becomes “Is Burlington -> Seattle REALLY cheaper than Montreal -> Vancouver?”. Taking a flight from Montreal to Burlington flight is out of the question, because you have to pay the airport taxes (which is what hobbles most Canadian flights, including Montreal -> Vancouver). The train is out of the question as well; I am well versed with taking VIA and trust me when I say that it is not the “cheaper” way to go, by any sense of the word. Taking your car to Burlington from Montreal costs about $40-60 in gas, but then you need to arrange for parking. Assuming you have no family in the area, this could easily cost a lot.

The cheapest way to spend those two hours getting there is to leave by Greyhound, and it costs $32 American. The flight from Burlington to Seattle costs the aforementioned $102 (USD taxes included). The bus stop (345 Pine Street) is about 4 miles away from Burlington Airport; let’s say a $10 taxi fare. It works out to $165 American, and 3 extra hours. Of course, this assumes the bus gets you there in time (The only daily bus arrives at 2:15 PM, which is good for any flight that leaves around 4:30 PM). There are several buses from Seattle Airport to Vancouver, and they all cost approximately $40. This brings you up to $205 American, and another 2 hours. Factoring in everything, it is $220 Canadian, which is about 55$ cheaper than the cheapest flight in Canada. Although it might not seem like much, remember that this is a 20% savings over flying in Canada, with all expenses factored in. In short, if money is a bigger problem than time, it is worth it to fly through the US when booking in advance. This is doubly true when flying to the US, a situation we will cover in the next article.

Conclusion:

There ARE ways to save money in flight, even in the money-dry world of Canadian aviation. Whether you are in Montreal, Quebec, or Inuvik, NWT, the planning and thought you bring to booking your flight will pay dividends. Even in the busy vacation time, a little foresight can yield great dividends. Now, admittedly, this is of limited use. After all, like I said, all my vacations as a kid were in the US; how can a family save money going to Florida or Hawaii? Our next part will deal exclusively with Canada -> US travel, and some surprising stories of how you can get your family to Florida without having to take out some of that home equity. 🙂


13 responses to “Air Travel in Canada: Part I (Domestic Flights) – by Jawaad M.”

  1. Jennifer says:

    very informative
    thanks

  2. James says:

    This information is full of conjecture and irrelevant comments (traffic in Montreal has no bearing on ticket prices?). There is too much non air travel opinion here (buses, traffic tie ups,
    Fact 1 does not make sense nor does it offer solutions. Booking a month in advance may be cheaper, more importantly it may be required because sometimes the flights are so full your only choice for last minute is a horrendously expensive business class ticket (have you tried to fly out of Halifax lately?). You never explored the stand-by or student option if you want to chase cheap airfares either.
    Fact 2 states you do not save on smaller websites yet the prices range from $263 to $412…this indicates substantial savings.
    Fact 3 Flying from a US destination to a US destination to go to a Canadian destination is irrelevant unless you live very close to a border airport and wish to travel to a Canadian city close to a border. It also is an unreasonable comparison unless you use the same airlines, times and destinations to make the comparisons.
    I applaud your attempt to clarify some air travel issues but I believe you do not travel enough yourself to understand the issues, consequences or alternatives.

  3. Jawaad says:

    Hello James,

    Just so you know, I have flown extensively for the past 3 years and am passing along tips and tricks i’ve picked up over time.

    I included facts about traffic tieups because I have had to drive through them to get to a flight; it is not fun and tempers get frayed when people think they are going to be late to the airport. If it doesn’t apply to you, skip the paragraph; it is certainly not irrelevent to me.

    Fact 1: I avoided discussing the Standby/Student/Flight Pass or even the round trip option because of how long the article was becoming, I do intend to return to those at a later time. Like I stated, the reduction in price is entirely due to supply/demand pressures, and people are far safer to book in advance. Needless to say, you can probably save a bit using any of the methods, but only in certain situations.

    Fact 2: As you can see, the lowest prices are on the website of the airline, not at places like flightcentre.ca or expedia.ca. They are generally not available on smaller websites. Canadian Airlines generally advertise the lowest available rate on their website for domestic travel.

    Fact 3: Please turn your attention to the following Factoid:

    “The 2001 national census recorded 30,007,094 people; the population is currently estimated by Statistics Canada to be 32.623 million people.[47] Population growth is largely accomplished through immigration and, to a lesser extent, natural growth. About three-quarters of Canada’s population live within 160 kilometres (100 mi) of the U.S. border.”

    Having travelled to the Yukon, to NWT and to Northern Quebec, I can understand that Canada isn’t only Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. However, travel happens along the windsor corridor, the Rockies and to America. If you are out of range of the US to take a flight, you are SOL and need to look at other options to make the trip less of a financial burden.

    Finally, I’m not quite sure what is “unreasonable” about finding ways to save money, but I will leave that to the readers’ discretion.

  4. JJ says:

    The only thing that is full of “conjecture and irrelevant comments” is James entry. You go Jawaad.

  5. Chris says:

    Here is some comments on How to avoid a Speeding Ticket

    The best advice is not to speed. But it’s going to happen, everyone speeds, the police, the Judges and the prosecutors.

    How do you avoid a ticket? There are times and places where you are more likely to get a ticket. School zones and anytime you see a Community Safety Zone are areas that the police are going to target with speed enforcement. Be aware on long straight stretches of roadway, and as you come over the crest of a hill or going down any hill.

    The police look for good places to catch offenders. They don’t always base the set up of a speed trap on the whether there is a good reason to do enforcement, but more on the fact are they going to get tickets.

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    If you re driving 10 to 15 km/h over the limit your very unlikely to get a ticket. The police are regular people doing a job. They are going to use common sense and not stop people speeding a little over the limit. Most officers will set a personal limit as to what they feel is acceptable. A lot of officers will use over 15km per hour and some will say 20km/h. The limit the officer makes is totally within his discretion, and an officer could write you a ticket for even one kilometer over the limit, but we have never seen it happen.

    If you see a police car or officer, stay within the speed limit. If you pass a police car even speeding slightly you could be stopped and given a ticket. It’s wise to let police vehicles pass or reduce your speed in the vicinity of a police vehicle.

    Some officers using radar target the passing lane, especially on the 400 series highways in Ontario. Conventional radar targets the largest, fastest object therefore don’t be the lead vehicle.

    Laser radar can pick a vehicle out of a group of cars all the officer has to do is target the vehicle and pull the trigger recording the speed. Again if you’re the first vehicle, your going to be the first vehicle checked for speed. Never be the first vehicle in a line of speeding vehicles. You can read more at http://www.Ontariospeeding.com

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