Article on flying out of us vs. Canada

[2gr8DisneyKids]

I saw this and had to share it!

It would be so great if the fees were reduced and we could fly cheaply out of Canada!

Montreal Gazette Article "More Canadians crossing the border to fly"

 

[Diamondintheruff]

I always fly out of the states now. Last time I went to Vancouver instead of flying Toronto to Vancouver I flew Buffalo to Seattle. I saved myself $500 a seat and there are five of us in my family which was totally worth the extra time of traveling in and out of the states.

 

[irisesareblue]

we live west of Winnipeg and we often drive to Fargo or Grand Forks, North Dakota to fly out on Delta - we save about $300-$500 a ticket by driving an extra 3 hours. Allegiant Air has really good deals from Fargo as well but we never seem to make the dates work.

When we do get a good deal from Winnipeg to Orlando, it's often on Delta.

My daughter flew to Germany last year and she flew from Winnipeg to Minneapolis then onto Amsterdam to Stuttgart. We saved a lot (sorry can't remember how much but I remember being REALLY surprised) for her trip on Delta than what we would have paid on Air Canada.

I don't get it - it's the same thing as when we shop in the U.S. and buy things made in Canada for about 3/4 of the price. It's the same item for less money and the manufacturing jobs are still being met so I can't see the harm there..... There was even a feature on CBC about how Menards in Grand Forks is the busiest Menards in the mid-west and they are opening a warehouse in Winnipeg to facilitate delivery to their Canadian customers - and the fellow from Menards stated that they use a lot of Canadian suppliers (Menards is like a lumber store).

Well - that's my rant for the day.

 

[webworm]

It's a no brainer for a family of 5 to fly out of the US versus Pearson. This March break we are flying the 4 of us to Flordia for a total of $497.00. The same from Pearson into St.Petersburgh Clearwater airport was $2700.00

 

[Kat&Dom]

My friends are saving over $2,000 on our November trip by flying out of Seattle. A family of 4 can fly Seattle to Orlando for under $1,000 whereas 1 flight out of Kelowna is $800.

I was fortunate to get a great seat sale on Delta in November out of Calgary. I paid $361 per ticket. We are a family of 2 paying $722. My friends are a family of 4 paying $960 to fly out of Seattle.

I wish the government would realize that if they would lower the taxes that we would support Canadian Airlines. I also wish it was cheaper to fly across Canada - I would love to see the East Coast but flight costs deter me every time. I can do a Disney trip for way cheaper than I can fly across my own country!

 

[mommasita]

It is awful. The taxes are insane. When you actually check out the base cost of a ticket, it more than doubles.

I am an airline employee, and get these questions from passengers all the time. We need the government to step in and actually do something about it.

Just ranting with everyone. It is crazy when those of us can drive an hour or so to the US, and pay 1/3 of the cost.. One would be crazy not to.

 

[disneymath]

The idea of crazy is that Toronto is our primary "connector city" and it often costs more to fly from home to YYZ than it does to fly from YYZ to where we're actually going!

We often travel as a party of 8 - and a lot of hte time we suck up the 16 hour round trip drive to Toronto to fly from there - although we've pretty much convinced ourselves that if we're driving that far already, an extra 2 hours into Buffalo is worth the extra savings.

The only time this is really a problem is during the (potentially 8) months of the winter ... then we tend to just fly from home so that any weather issues are dealt with through one carrier.

 

[TPNaida]

Family of 4 to MCO

Manchester, NH - $1400 CAD + 7 hr drive

Saint John, NB - $4800 CAD

No brainer, well worth the drive.

 

[ccudmore]

My wife recently wanted to go to Sault Ste. Marie from Ottawa and realized it was cheaper to fly Ottawa to Cuba, stay a week at a resort and then fly to Sault Ste. Marie and then do the same thing on the way back, than it was to fly Ottawa to the Soo direct.

Crazy fares!!

 

[DaniB]

Last year Air Canada & Westjet (Toronto - Orlando) wanted $1,800 and $2,100 for a family of 4.

Our TA suggested Buffalo and we ended up paying $637 US (still less than $700 CAN).

Honestly, I wonder how long before the government starts trying to block Canadians from driving to the States to use their airlines. I can't see the government lowing their taxes & fees.

Out-of curiosity, did the government have any part in denying TA's the right to book US airfare for Canadian clients? I remember years ago this was not an issue. Then last year when we booked our trip our TA advised she was not allowed to do so for us. But that we certainly could.

 

[RainbowsMist]

Family of 5 from Nova Scotia for our upcoming March Break Trip. Sunday March 13 - Friday March 25

Boston - $970 Non stop (+ 11 hour drive)
Halifax AC with our same dates and same times - $7200!!! (and this includes 1 stop)

Now more realistically..last year we did SNAG a great price of $2400 but this was end of April - first part of May.

On a more intersting note: Delta out of Halifax same dates and times $1997 CAD!!!! Where was THAT price when I booked back in November!! Kind of makes me laugh though..an American Carrier out of Halifax for the exact same dates is $5000 cheaper!! That's INSANE!!

 

[darlenemckenna76]

Yes i agree my sister is based in canada .... she takes the road route most of the times.

 

[mommasita]

My wife recently wanted to go to Sault Ste. Marie from Ottawa and realized it was cheaper to fly Ottawa to Cuba, stay a week at a resort and then fly to Sault Ste. Marie and then do the same thing on the way back, than it was to fly Ottawa to the Soo direct.

Crazy fares!!

The Soo is incredible. 1/2 my DH's family is from there, and we hear so much. They don't have many airlines right? Ac and Bear?

 

[tgropp]

I have been flying out of Detroit for years now....wish that I would have found out about this sooner. At Christmas time, we flew out of Detroit for $258.00. I flew my children down using airmiles and it still cost $180.00 in taxes. Two weeks ago we flew to San Juan for $365.00, as opposed to $900.00 flying out of Toronto. The Canadian airline carriers are also overpriced compared to the American carriers.

 

[DaniB]

The Canadian airline carriers are also overpriced compared to the American carriers.

Yes! It's not just taxes. Sure, the tax difference is a lot ($21.40 compared to $82.50).

But the ticket itself from Toronto - New York costs $400 (pre-tax) and yet Buffalo - New York only $177 (pre-tax) for the same date. That's a huge difference!! Over $200

(Prices taken from the linked article).

 

[stefanospops]

It may get even more costly to fly to the US from Canada. Obama has introduced a bill that, if passed, will tack on a $5.50 charge to all passengers flying or cruising into the US from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. We are all currently exempt from this charge levied on all other international passengers. The charge won't apply for vehicle traffic. See article here: http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/lo...ian-visitors-110217/20110217/?hub=CalgaryHome

 

[Cdn Gal]

Paying an extra $5.50 is till well worth it. We always fly out of the US b/c it is soooo much cheaper! This March break we are flying to San Antonio for $212 pp. To fly from Toronto or Ottawa was well over $600pp. Ridiculous.

 

[minnie56]

Your TA can book it...but would have to charge you a booking fee because a US Airline will not pay any commission to her...

Last year Air Canada & Westjet (Toronto - Orlando) wanted $1,800 and $2,100 for a family of 4.

Our TA suggested Buffalo and we ended up paying $637 US (still less than $700 CAN).

Honestly, I wonder how long before the government starts trying to block Canadians from driving to the States to use their airlines. I can't see the government lowing their taxes & fees.

Out-of curiosity, did the government have any part in denying TA's the right to book US airfare for Canadian clients? I remember years ago this was not an issue. Then last year when we booked our trip our TA advised she was not allowed to do so for us. But that we certainly could.

 

[drag n' fly]

What would be nice is if I had the choice. Fortunately the airlines do subsize some routes.

 

[ChisJo]

I live in Edmonton. Every year, when we talk about where we want to take our next vacation, we look at flights. Without a doubt, it is ALWAYS cheaper to fly on an American airline to Orlando (or Phoenix, or San Fran...wherever), than it is to fly to Vancouver (sometimes, $200-$300 cheaper). To me, that is ridiculous! We have talked about driving to Seattle to take a flight, or go into Montana, but the driving to us isn't worth it, so we end up having to take a flight from Edmonton or Calgary.