Domestic flight prices within Canada continue to shine, and cheap prices are available on dates throughout 2022.
It was not that long ago you would easily be paying a minimum of $500 roundtrip after taxes to fly from Western Canada to Ontario or Quebec or vice versa. Those same routes are now routinely in the ballpark for less than half that price, and occasionally a third.
Back then you had two choices, WestJet or Air Canada. Then Air Transat started flying certain domestic routes, which helped with prices between major cities, such as Vancouver to Toronto. Then Flair entered the mix, starting with cheap flights from smaller Canadian airports, and gradually worked their way into the larger airports.
WestJet responded to this new upstart named Flair by creating Swoop to compete in the low cost carrier space.
And then there's Porter, who has been biding their time in Eastern Canada, but now appears poised to finally expand across Canada with their 80 new aircraft.
Not to mention Lynx Air, who is already selling tickets and will begin flying in April out of Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary.
Oh, and Sunwing is back to selling domestic flights between Vancouver and Toronto.
And last, and perhaps deservedly least, is Jetlines who is claiming to finally be getting off the ground in 2022. (It should be noted that Jetlines has made similar claims for the last 6 or 7 years).
It's conceivable that soon Canada will have 4 or 5 airlines competing on some popular domestic routes. Can we handle this many?
Yes, many routes within Canada are still dominated by 1 or 2 airlines, keeping prices high on those routes (Air Canada and WestJet still operate about 80% of domestic flights). Most places with less than 200,000 people are still going to have expensive domestic flights and limited airline choices.
But I think to say that Canada's domestic market has a real lack of competition is no longer true like it once was.
Exploring for cheap flights
If you click on the links below, it will take you to an example Google Flights search you can start with.
When you get to Google Flights, you can click on the departure date box to open the calendar view and browse for the cheapest dates to fly.
If you open the calendar view on Google Flights you can adjust the trip length at the bottom.
Vancouver, Abbotsford, or Victoria to Toronto, Hamilton, or Kitchener, Ontario
Vancouver to Toronto
Vancouver to Toronto
Vancouver to Toronto
Vancouver to Kitchener-Waterloo
Abbotsford to Toronto
Abbotsford to Hamilton
Victoria to Toronto
Victoria to Toronto
Vancouver or Abbotsford to Ottawa, Ontario
Vancouver to Ottawa
Vancouver to Ottawa
Abbotsford to Ottawa
Vancouver or Abbotsford to Montreal, Quebec
Vancouver to Montreal
Vancouver to Montreal
Vancouver or Abbotsford to Calgary / Banff, Alberta
Vancouver to Calgary
Vancouver to Calgary
Vancouver to Calgary
Abbotsford to Calgary
Abbotsford to Calgary
Vancouver or Abbotsford to Edmonton / Jasper, Alberta
Vancouver to Edmonton
Vancouver to Edmonton
Abbotsford to Edmonton
Victoria or Comox to Calgary or Edmonton / Jasper, Alberta
Victoria to Calgary
Victoria to Calgary
Victoria to Edmonton
Victoria to Edmonton
Comox to Calgary
Comox to Edmonton
Vancouver or Victoria to Kelowna or Prince George, BC
Vancouver to Kelowna
Vancouver to Kelowna
Victoria to Kelowna
Victoria to Kelowna
Vancouver to Prince George
Vancouver to Prince George
Vancouver to Saskatoon or Regina, Saskatchewan
Vancouver to Saskatoon
Vancouver to Saskatoon
Vancouver to Regina
Vancouver to Regina
Vancouver to Winnipeg
Vancouver to Winnipeg
Vancouver to Winnipeg
Abbotsford to Winnipeg