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Searching for cheap flights within Canada used to be super challenging. As a frequent traveler, I knew from personal experience that it was usually cheaper to fly to the States, Mexico or even EUROPE than to fly within Canada.
Thankfully, all that is changing.
Canadian's REJOICE!
There are now more low-cost airlines in Canada than ever before, which is causing more competition and you guessed it, cheaper flights within Canada!
Now you can see more of this beautiful country for less.
As Canadians we’ve been used to flying with 2 major airlines, WestJet and Air Canada. Now there are a few new kids on the block. For cheap flights within Canada we can now look towards airlines like Swoop, Flair Airlines, Canada Jetlines, and a few other up and coming airlines. Having more choices is a good thing, because it also causes WestJet and Air Canada to be a little more competitive in their pricing as well.
This blog is going to show you how to find the cheapest flights possible for travel within Canada.
How To Find Cheap Flights Within Canada
First, let’s meet the new low-cost airlines in Canada: Swoop and Flair.
When you fly these two airlines, you’ll find the cheapest possible flights within Canada, hands down. Another newbie on the scene that is not quite flying yet, but promises to have even lower flight prices, is ‘Canada Jetlines’. Once they launch, there will be 3 low-cost airlines operating within Canada!
Swoop and Flair keep adding new routes and airports all the time, so it looks like the demand for cheap flights keeps going up! They also have added many routes to the US, Mexico and Caribbean, which is also a major bonus for Canadians looking to escape winter.
One trick that Canadian low-cost airlines Swoop and Flair are using to keep ticket prices at rock bottom is: flying out of smaller regional airports instead of large major ones. The airport taxes are much less in smaller airports, which passes on the savings to YOU the traveler!
(Example: flying out of Abbotsford instead of Vancouver, or Hamilton instead of Toronto.)
Here are the airports within Canada in 2020 that are going to have the best flight deals:
Best Airports for Cheap Flights Within Canada:
- Abbotsford
- Edmonton
- Halifax
- Kelowna
- London
- Victoria
- Winnipeg
Okay, now it’s time to look at just how cheap these Canadian flights are.
When I was doing research for this blog, my eyes just about popped out of my head! There are some INCREDIBLE deals this year for flying within Canada, unlike I have ever seen in the past.
You can fly almost anywhere between Canadian cities now for under $100 each way. Some of these flights, like London, Ontario to Edmonton, Alberta – are coming in as low as $29 one-way. That is insanity.
We Canadians have been used to paying 20x’s that amount for a cross-Canada flight in the past, so these are very welcome changes!
So where can you fly within Canada for an ultra-low cost? Check out this list:
Cheapest Flights Within Canada – (Most UNDER $100!)
Abbotsford
To Edmonton – $59 Swoop, $54 Flair
To Calgary – $69 Flair
To Winnipeg – $82 Swoop
To Hamilton – $49 Swoop
Calgary
To Vancouver – $69 Flair
To Abbotsford – $79 Flair
To Winnipeg – $79 Flair
To Toronto – $159 Flair
Edmonton
To Abbotsford – $43 Swoop, $67 Flair
To Vancouver – $79 Flair,
To Kamloops – $49 Swoop
To Kelowna – $67 Flair
To Winnipeg – $62 Swoop
To London – $49 Swoop
To Hamilton – $72 Swoop
To Toronto – $99 Flair
Hamilton
To Hamilton – $82 Swoop
To London – $59 Swoop
Kamloops
To Edmonton – $99 Swoop
Kamloops
To Edmonton – $67 Flair
To Winnipeg – $82 Swoop
London
To Halifax – $39 Swoop
To Winnipeg – $39 Swoop
To Edmonton – $29 Swoop
To Abbotsford – $39 Swoop
Toronto
To Edmonton – $149 Flair
To Vancouver – $179 Flair
To Winnipeg – $89 Flair
To Calgary – $159 Flair
Vancouver
To Toronto – $179 Flair
To Edmonton – $69 Flair
To Calgary – $79 Flair
Victoria
To Winnipeg – $122 Swoop
Winnipeg
To Abbotsford – $82 Swoop
To Calgary – $89 Flair
To Edmonton – $58 Swoop
To Hamilton – $49 Swoop
To Kelowna – $82 Swoop
To London – $49 Swoop
To Toronto – $99 Flair
To Victoria – $49 Swoop
How to book flights with low-cost airlines in Canada:
It's Easy! Both Swoop and Flair have their own secure websites and booking engines.
Truth be told, I like Swoop’s online booking engine better than Flair’s because it allows you to see the price over multiple days in a calendar at a glance. (as seen in the pic below)
Simply visit either airlines website and start searching for your preferred dates.
Or use Google Flights:
I also like to use Google Flights to do my research. While Swoop and Flair have some crazy low deals, that is not to say that Westjet or Air Canada might not win for a lower price once in a while.
If I search my dates using Google Flights, it allows me to compare the prices for ALL of the airlines at the same time, which is nice to double check to make sure I’m actually getting a rock-bottom price.
Watch Out For Added Fees
Yes, Swoop and Flair can give you $29 flights, but what about the fees?
Since they are low-cost airlines they DO charge for things like seat selection, baggage (yes, including carry-on) and snacks. However, even if you pay for baggage, seats and food, you’re still likely to be cheaper than Westjet or Air Canada simply because they fares are just SO much lower.
Still – you’re going to want to add up all the extras to make sure you didn’t just create a more expensive trip for yourself.
Here are some of the average extra costs you can expect to see on Swoop and Flair for all their ‘extras’:
Swoop Baggage Fees:
Carry-on – $35 at time of booking, $45 at online check-in, $50 at airport
Checked – $35 at time of booking, $45 at online check-in, $50 at airport
Swoop Seat Selection Fees:
Short Flights (up to 1600km) – $10-$40 at time of booking, $20-$50 at check in
Long Flights (over 1600km) – $20-$50 at time of booking, $30-$60 at check in
Swoop's Snack/Drink Prices:
- Soft Drinks $1.99
- Juice $2.49
- Tea $2.99
- Alkaline Water $3.29
- Coffee $3.49
- Spirits $5.99
- Beer $6.99
- Wine $7.99
- Gummies $1.99
- Biscotti $2.49
- Brownies $2.99
- Chocolate Bars $2.99
- Pringles $2.99
- Hummus and Lentil Crackers $4.49
- Beef Jerky $4.49
- Oatmeal $3.49
- Mr. Noodles $3.49
- Instant Pho $5.49
- Snack Plate $6.99
Flair Baggage Fees:
Carry-on – $35 at time of booking, $50 at check-in (online or airport)
Checked – $35 at time of booking, $40 at online check-in, $50 at airport
Flair Seat Selection Fees:
Plus seats and Exit rows: $26.25 at time of booking, or by call centre
Front half of plane – $15 at time of booking, or by call centre
Back half of plane – $10.50 at time of booking, or by call centre
Flair’s Snack/Drink Prices:
- Water $3.00
- Coffee $3.00
- Teas $3.00
- Soda $3.00
- Juice $3.50
- Clamato $4.50
- Spirits $9.00
- Beer $9.00
- Wine $9.00-$10.00
- Kit Kat $3.00
- Pringles $3.75
- Croissant $4.00
- Soup $4.00
- Charcuterie Kit $9.00
- Bruschetta Kit $9.00
Tip: As long as you are not bringing on any liquids, you CAN bring your own food through security and on board with you to save money.
Pack Light on Low-Cost Airlines in Canada
For both Swoop and Flair, you are allowed to bring on a ‘personal item’, like a small backpack or purse, for free! They speculate that it must fit under the seat in front of you and be less than 15lbs to qualify as a free personal item.
But… this means that if you pack light, you could save a lot on extra baggage fees!
Don't be over-weight! If you go over-weight on your checked baggage, you could pay as much as $115 at the airport. Yikes.
What's The Experience Flying with Swoop or Flair?
Last summer I had to get from Kelowna to Winnipeg, so I decided to try Swoop's new direct route between those cities. Best part – it was only $79 CAD!
In the past, I've had to connect in Calgary, plus pay about 3x's or 4x's the price with Westjet to get from Kelowna to Winnipeg, so I was very pleased.
Even after checking a bag and paying for the emergency row seat, I still came out way cheaper than usual.
All in all, I had a good experience. I did a full review blog of my flight with Swoop, including pictures of inside the plane.
At the end of the day, flying with Swoop or Flair airlines is going to be a lot like Westjet or Air Canada. They all get you from point a to point b. There just won't be as many perks included.
Salvish
Thursday 6th of February 2020
Many people are yet not aware of the modus operandi of low cost carriers, however, it is just a wonderful idea for being able to choose the services you want to pay for on air flights and save on anything that you probably don't really need. Besides Google flights, for Canadians, I think Farenexus is a good alternative - often it has better prices than the big fish in the market.
Kashlee Kucheran
Thursday 6th of February 2020
lol- do you work for Farenexus? Because I can't imagine someone suggesting it over booking directly with either Swoop or Flair, or using the amazing calendar feature on Google Flights. Sorry, but Farenexus is an awful tool