Once you have made the decision to go with air travel, things start to get tricky. How much luggage are you taking with you? What airline do you wish to fly with? What is your budget? Should you buy flight insurance? Are you willing to sacrifice luxury for cost?
There are so many factors to consider. With so many different airlines out there, it can be hard to know which one to choose. While the destination may cut down on part of this decision for you, it is important to do your research so you can get the most for your money. This is where budget airlines come in.
Differences Between Canadian Low-Cost Airlines
While it is always exciting to find low-cost flights, it is important to do some research on the airline before you book. Even though all of the airlines are registered with the Canadian Transportation Agency, they aren’t all equal.
While some airlines are cheap, they tend to have many delays and cancellations, which can affect your trip. The other airlines, however, may have luxuries you don’t need and don’t want to pay for. Depending on the amount of money you are willing to spend and what you are looking for in a flight, there are a variety of airlines to choose from. Here are a few of the most popular airlines and what they offer to their customers.
Air Canada Rouge
Air Canada created Air Canada Rouge and offers cheaper, more competitive prices than Air Canada flights to domestic, international, and warm-weather destinations. It is considered to be Air Canada’s budget airline, which allows it to offer cheap fares in comparison to Air Canada’s prices. It offers services in parts of Canada, Mexico, Europe, the US, and South and Central America.
They have a premium economy section that’s better than most average economy sections, but still not quite up to the standards of business class. It offers things like extra legroom and wider seats, which can be difficult to find with other airlines. On the other hand, it doesn’t offer in-flight entertainment. They do offer iPad rentals for $10 if you need them. You are also able to purchase food with Air Canada Rouge; however, not all locations qualify for this.
The amenities that Air Canada Rouge offers, as well as the number of destinations this airline offers, put it a step above other discount carriers and are the preferred option for longer flights. It isn’t the right fit for everyone, but it is a great low-cost option if you still want some luxury in your travel. It is considered to be one of the best low-cost airlines.
Porter Airlines
Porter Airlines is another ultra-low-cost carrier to consider if you are looking for cheap tickets. They offer one-way tickets for an average of $150, sometimes even lower than that. That being said, they only offer flights to destinations in major Canadian cities, the United States, and the Americas. They even operate out of larger airports such as Calgary International Airport and airports in Quebec City. However, they are headquartered at Toronto’s island airport, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
Even though it is low-cost, it offers free wine, beer, snacks, and refreshments. It also has loyalty programs for frequent flyers, which is something that most other low-cost airlines don’t offer.
Flair Airlines
Flair Airlines was established in 2017 and focuses on being an affordable airline. Currently, they have over 35 North American and Canadian destinations and are continuing to expand. Their priority is safe and reliable travel with no compromises.
The feature they advertise about their prices is that they are unbundled. This means you can select the basic price and make any additions that you would like. You are not obligated to have any luxuries that you don’t want or would rather save money on.
All of the flight prices include government taxes and airport improvement fees. There is a $15 plus tax charge for all bookings done through the call center, whereas online booking is free. They include 1 small carry-on item (personal item) that’s free, but no free checked bags. This includes things like purses, laptop cases, and briefcases. Carry-on bags are between $29-$49 plus tax if added online, or they cost $59 plus tax if this is done at the airport.
All additional bags come with a cost as well, which goes up with the more bags that you add. However, there are bundles you can select for your luggage that are significantly cheaper depending on how much you need to travel. A basic bundle that has a carry-on bag and checked baggage allowance ranges between $49.3-$83.30. The Big Bunch includes this but also offers priority boarding and cancellation up to 3 hours prior, which is $62.40-$94.40.
On top of all of this, there are some small cancellation and flight change fees. It is important that you make the right selections when booking your flight in order to ensure that you won’t be spending any more money than you intended to.
Is It Reliable?
Because Flair is a smaller airline, the risk of cancellation is much higher than taking a flight with a larger airline. They have fewer planes, so if a flight is cancelled, it can be more difficult to obtain a different flight, which can impact your trip. That said, as long as your flight isn’t cancelled, Flair is a great airline to fly with. Just remember, the risk of cancellation or changed flight times does happen with these smaller airlines, so it might be something to factor into your plans.
WestJet
In Canada, some people consider WestJet to be a budget airline while others don’t. However, it is relatively affordable. In fact, prices can range anywhere from $47 to $227 for your flight. They’ve been around since 1996 and are considered to be the ones who pioneered low-cost travel in Canada. Currently they:
- Have 15,000 employees
- Have almost 200 aircraft
- Service over 200 destinations
When it comes to purchasing a ticket, you can choose the UltraBasic option, which includes just a personal item. From there, you can pick different bundles if you want other things included, like:
- Carry-on items
- Seat selection
- Checked baggage
- Priority services
- Changes/cancellations
Once you’re on the flight, you can purchase in-flight amenities like snacks, drinks and even internet connection.
Air Transat
Air Transat is what is called a 4-star leisure airline. This is based on the airport quality, onboard products, staff service, seat amenities, food, beverages, IFE, and cleanliness. While Air Transat may not be the cheapest airline out there, they make up for it by being named the world’s best leisure airline. They are also ranked as one of Canada’s best employers.
Air Transat is a Canadian airline that was founded in Montreal in 1986 and has been Travel-Life certified since 2018. They offer flights to 60 international destinations and carry around 5 million passengers every year. Service is one of their main priorities, making them one of Canada’s most popular airlines, even though they might be slightly more costly. Even though they operate around the world, their major hub is Montreal’s international airport.
Air Canada
Air Canada is one of the largest major airlines in Canada; however, it isn’t in the low-cost airline category. Just like Air Transat, Air Canada is in Montreal, and they are known for the premium services that they offer, like:
- Signature Service
- Premium Economy Cabin
- Preferred Seats
- Signature Suite
- Maple Leaf Lounges
- Air Canada Café (in-flight meals)
- Concierge
Of course, this added level of comfort does come with a price. On top of all of these things, Air Canada offers Wi-Fi, and they have culinary and wine talent for the food and drinks. They also have online and App services that allow for:
- Self-Service
- Flight Bookings
- Check-in
- Realtime updates
- Itinerary Management
However, if you aren’t looking for luxury and comforts, Air Canada offers Air Canada Rouge, as discussed earlier in this post.
Other New Cheap Airlines
If you’re looking for a cheap airline to fly with, you don’t have to look very far. There are so many new, different airlines emerging all the time, all over the world. Which airline you choose to fly with just depends on your departure location, destination and budget. Some of these new airlines are only available in parts of Canada as well, not the whole country.
Vancouver
If you’re looking to fly internationally to vacation destinations from Vancouver at a low rate, then your best bet is probably Flair. Domestically, Porter is probably going to be your cheapest option. Anyone you choose, though, is going to have lower rates than the larger airlines.
Toronto
If you’re looking for flights out of Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, you can choose any of the airlines above. That said, there’s also a new airline in Canada that offers flights from different parts of Canada on European routes at a discounted rate. One of the places they offer this is in Toronto. They’re relatively new to Canada, so their prices are currently in USD, and they’re offering different locations all the time as they begin their expansion into Canada.
Former Low-Cost Airlines
When looking at the discount airlines we’ve discussed, you may notice that a few are missing. These are Swoop and Lynx. They are missing because they are no longer operating airlines. Here are some facts about these former airlines.
Swoop Airlines
Another low-cost airline that you may have heard of is Swoop. They kept costs low, so they were able to offer savings to their customers. They started by just charging the basic fare of the seat cost, and then you could add any additions you would like, such as luggage.
They also offered seats with extra legroom at a cost. Again, this was optional. They did have food and drink for sale on their flights as well, but they did encourage customers to bring their own refillable water bottles that could be filled at water stations once they had passed security.
They offered flights to parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Caribbean destinations, and were adding more all of the time. Also, all of their flights were straight to the destination and had no layovers, which was preferred by many travellers.
The one thing Swoop did tell you, though, is that they did not offer credits or refunds for missed flights or any of the optional selections. They were also strict on their check-in times. So, even if you were running just a few minutes behind, you would miss your flight.
Swoop recommended that you arrive 2 hours before your domestic flight and 3 hours before international flights. The gates for a domestic flight closed 45 minutes before and 60 minutes before for an international flight. They ceased operations on October 20, 2023.
Lynx Airlines
This airline only started in 2021 and was the newest low-cost airline. With Lynx being such a new airline, it only offered flights to destinations within Canada. These included:
- Vancouver
- Kelowna
- Victoria
- Calgary
- Edmonton
- Winnipeg
- Toronto
- Hamilton
- Halifax
- St. Johns
Their platform focused on low-cost, affordable options. There were no hidden fees, and they had a new fleet of Boeing 737s. If you wanted more specialized features like priority boarding or seat selection, you could pay an extra charge, or you could just stick to the basics. While they weren’t available for trips to sunny destinations like most airlines, they were a great option for Canadians looking to travel domestically. They stopped operating on February 26, 2024.
Canada Jetlines
Canada Jetlines is a relatively small airline that is based in Mississauga, Ontario. It currently operates scheduled flights in the Americas as well as the Caribbean and only launched in September of 2022. They only offer select destinations, have a fleet size of 4 and employ 200 people. The current destinations for this airline are:
- Calgary
- Halifax
- Toronto
- Vancouver
- Orlando
- Miami
- Las Vegas
- Cancun
- Montego Bay
- Georgetown
They stopped operating in September 2024.
Reasons That Low-Cost Airlines Don’t Last in Canada
In Canada, there are many reasons why low-cost airlines don’t make it. Here’s a look at some of these reasons and why they affect these airlines so much.
Less Available Routes: With low-cost airlines, it’s much more difficult to offer a variety of routes. Many just pick specific routes and focus on those. However, this can be difficult to stay afloat because you have a lot less traffic to rely on.
Fewer Aircraft: Unlike larger airlines, small airlines only have a few different aircraft that they use. This can affect the routes that they travel, as well as how many passengers they can have on each flight. It can also affect their ability to make adjustments based on a traveller’s needs.
No Membership Options: Larger airlines offer different membership options in order to entice travellers. Unfortunately, this is too costly for smaller airlines to start making it harder for them to entice customers. This can make it difficult for them to compete with competitors. A commonly used one is an Aeroplan Membership.
Difficulty Price Matching: Larger airlines will often price match with other competitors to try to get more customers. However, smaller airlines usually already offer the lowest price that they can afford and going any lower can really hurt them financially. Due to this, they can lose a lot of customers.
Weather: Due to limited routes and weather conditions, there are some months that are busier than others for these smaller airlines. This can make it hard for those airlines to survive during those months.
Reasons to Fly With a Low-Cost Airline
With some of the Best Low-Cost Airlines in Canada, you can get cheap flights anywhere from South America to downtown Toronto, with some even to Puerto Vallarta. You may not get free wi-fi and priority check-in, but you have more money to spend throughout your trip.
The thing with these flights is that there is a tight schedule, so you can’t be late. There’s also limited availability for travellers depending on the route you plan to take. Whether you’re taking a holiday to Ottawa, France or even the USA, there’s usually a way to travel for less.
The Best Low-Cost Airline in Canada
Currently, WestJet is probably considered to be the best low-cost airline in Canada. It’s been around the longest and even has a rewards program. You can earn WestJet points on certain purchases, and you can even earn more with a WestJet credit card. For points earners and card members, other exclusives are included in your purchases, and you can get free flights.
WestJet also allows you to fly both domestically and internationally. They give you more route options than other low-cost flight options, and you can reach someone on the phone or online. You can even access your trip online and make any changes you need to.
That said, a second option is Flair. They may not have as many options for routes as WestJet, but they do dominate a lot of the routes. They also make it very easy to book and change your flights, all online. You can reach them by phone if needed, though.
When it comes to Flai, though, it is extremely bare bones. If you want any extras, then you will have to purchase them. There’s even a fee for being able to change your flight, get carry-on or any other type of luggage. At the time of your purchase, though, you can choose to get the bundle, which will offer some cost savings.
With either of these airlines, though, you do have to pay attention to the fine print. If you’re late or don’t have your name written correctly on the tickets, or don’t have the correct ID, you could miss your flight. However, they do specify this and give you plenty of opportunities to make any corrections before your flights. You even get reminder texts and the ability to check in up to 24 hours before your flight.
Make the Most of Your Trip
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