Good place to look for cheap flights within Canada

[trod]

hi guys....I am searching for cheap flights within Canada and all I see are inflated prices !! Is there any local or other airline that will take me from Toronto to Winnipeg / Regina / Calgary in first week of July that doesn't cost more than $500 - $600 ? Or am I just being too cheap ?

fyi, I have looked at sites like Kayak, Travelocity, Expedia et al but none of them sell for < $500.

I mean for $500 I can go on a roundtrip to South America which is like double the distance away.

Help plz.

 

[LateComer]

I recommend FlightNetwork. I did a quick check and it looks like you can get a return flight to Calgary for $328 + tax.

http://www.flightnetwork.com/?s_kwc...||4720214718&gclid=CI__6KLevKECFUFM5QodSwPJAA

Edit: Oops that price is for the first week of June. July is more expensive.

 

[trod]

Yeah, apparently the whole world is flying in the first week of July with all the celebrations and shit. Ughh

 

[WoodPeckr]

Colgan Air.....

 

[trod]

Thanks woody, I'll see what they offer.

 

[will_north]

Thanks woody, I'll see what they offer.

What they "offer" is under-trained, inexperienced, under-paid, disgruntled, sleep-deprived pilots..... pay the extra few bucks, fly on a jet aircraft and arrive-alive.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124200193256505099.html

 

[ig-88]

I'm figuring that woody and will_north are either ranting or joking.

Continental is a US carrier and cannot perform domestic routes within Canada.

So, your options are WestJet and Air Canada. The lack of competition is probably what explains the prices.

Porter is not really an option since they do not have the aircraft to perform longer flights.

 

[will_north]

........ your options are WestJet and Air Canada......

Absolutely true..... BUT do not rely on Expedia or Travelocity to check their fares. Expedia seems to have a bias against certain airlines....and Air Canada is definitely one of them. Air Canada's lowest fares are RARELY published on Expedia.

Go directly to the airlines web sites.... and check back frequently as they will often publish new, discounted fares based on available capacity. When you see one you like - grab it, because the lowest priced fares are usually restricted to only a handful of seats on any given flight.

Finally, a major reason that Canadian domestic flights are more expensive - airport fees, taxes and security fees in Canada tend to be higher than their US counterparts; so regardless of which airline you choose, these costs are fixed and out of their control. Ugly fact of life for us Canadians!

 

[flubadub]

When you see one you like - grab it, because the lowest priced fares are usually restricted to only a handful of seats on any given flight.

Good advice. I think there is a 15 minute hold on a seat whenever anyone checks a price (just an educated guess), so availability of flights on both airlines sites depends on how many other people are checking or booking. But if you see a good price, book it, chances are high it won't be there when you check again.

 

[will_north]

Good advice. I think there is a 15 minute hold on a seat whenever anyone checks a price (just an educated guess)

Air Canada's "courtesy hold" is 30 minutes if you are booking directly on their web site; but while that seat is on "courtesy hold" it is out of the inventory of cheapest available fares. After 30 minutes, if not purchased, it goes back into inventory - which is why availability of the cheapest seats fluctuates so much.

Also, Air Canada - like most major airlines - has weekly "web fares" - capacity driven sell-offs. I am going round trip Toronto - Ft Lauderdale in a couple of weeks for $74 each way. Another $90 per night for 4 nights at the Westin on Ft Lauderdale Beach (Priceline) and you have very affordable mini-vacation

 

[Fred Zed]

hi guys....I am searching for cheap flights within Canada and all I see are inflated prices !! Is there any local or other airline that will take me from Toronto to Winnipeg / Regina / Calgary in first week of July that doesn't cost more than $500 - $600 ? Or am I just being too cheap ?

fyi, I have looked at sites like Kayak, Travelocity, Expedia et al but none of them sell for < $500.

I mean for $500 I can go on a roundtrip to South America which is like double the distance away.

Help plz.

A friend of mine who is a frequent flier uses: http://www.cheapoair.com/
Sometimes they have great deals particularly for flights to the States.

 

[ig-88]

Air Canada's "courtesy hold" is 30 minutes if you are booking directly on their web site; but while that seat is on "courtesy hold" it is out of the inventory of cheapest available fares. After 30 minutes, if not purchased, it goes back into inventory - which is why availability of the cheapest seats fluctuates so much.

Also, Air Canada - like most major airlines - has weekly "web fares" - capacity driven sell-offs. I am going round trip Toronto - Ft Lauderdale in a couple of weeks for $74 each way. Another $90 per night for 4 nights at the Westin on Ft Lauderdale Beach (Priceline) and you have very affordable mini-vacation

Of course.

To go to Ft. Lauderdale, since it's a transborder trip, AC has to compete with all the US carriers (United, AA, etc.)

And they also must compete with Canadian airlines that specialize in vacation destinations, like Air Transat and Sunwing.

Domestic flights to western Canada suffer from the high taxes, as you previously mentioned, and the lack of competition.