Deep discounts on airfare enticing Canadian travellers
Canadian airlines are offering deep discounts this summer, likely with the hope of reigniting interest in travel.
With much of the population now vaccinated with their first shot, many are ready to climb aboard and head abroad.
Elaine Schacter will be Vancouver-bound in mere-months. By mid-September, she, along with her 96-year-old father, will visit family on the west coast.
“My brother hasn’t seen his granddaughter yet,” says Schacter. “It’s been way too long for us to see family and close friends.”
To fly from Toronto to Vancouver, return, will cost Schacter $231 with Air Canada and for $93, Flair Air will take her from Ottawa to Toronto, return.
“The prices are rock bottom,” says Schacter. “It’s rock bottom.”
The low cost to travel, has more Canadians thinking it’s time to fly once again.
“It’s been crazy the past two months,” says John Ostris, manager at Centrum Travel. “People are booking fall and winter. People have credits from last year, prices are great, seats are going, and we’ve now got an uptick in people travelling this summer in Canada, especially Alberta and B.C. and even business travel overseas to Europe.”
Ostris says the travel agency has rehired staff and has added two more members to maintain demand. He does not expect the business to slow down anytime soon.
Airlines continue to require masks on the plane as well as pre-boarding questionnaires and temperature checks. Anyone arriving internationally is required to stay at a hotel, be tested and quarantine for two weeks.
Federally, there are no restrictions when flying within Canada; however, each province has its own rules.
On Tuesday, Manitoba premier Brian Pallister announced a vaccine passport. Residents can apply for the card two weeks after receiving their second shot and with it, they will not be required to isolate for 14 days when returning from interprovincial travel.
“You will exempt from the self-isolating requirements if you are deemed a close contact by public health,” says Pallister. “If you get call from public health notifying you that you have been in close contact with COVID, because you have this card and because it’s evidence that you have been vaccinated twice, you won’t have to self isolate as a result.”
More provinces will likely begin relaxing regulations soon and Dr. Frederic Dimanche, director with the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ryerson University, says now is the time to book because low airline costs are in place to increase demand.
“It’s a strategy to get people to start thinking and talking with their family and friends and say, 'Hey, look at those prices,'” says Dimanche. “But I think it has two objectives; one is to sell tickets actually, but the other objective, probably, is to get people to start thinking about travel again. Airlines want them to feel comfortable, we want them to feel confident about travelling again because we have not been; we have been very leery about travelling and we have been told for months now that it’s unsafe, we shouldn’t travel, to stay at home.”
Dimanche adds that while the prices are rock bottom now, as more Canadians plan their summer and fall vacations, the travel industry will rebound and so will the cost of an airline ticket.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.