What to know
- A viral X post showed Montreal-to-Calgary round-trip options starting around $1,500 for a November trip.
- The user later said the search was for Grey Cup week; Calgary hosts the championship Nov. 15, when demand may be higher than usual.
- Statistics Canada says air transportation prices were 19.4 per cent higher in September than a year earlier.
- Gasoline prices were also up 27.8 per cent year over year in September, adding to wider transportation-cost pressures.
- The Competition Bureau says limited airline competition and Canada’s user-pay airport system contribute to higher fares.
- It found one new competitor on a route lowers prices by about nine per cent on average.
A $1,500 round-trip flight within Canada has people asking a familiar question: why can it sometimes feel cheaper to leave the country than travel across it?
An X post showing Montreal-to-Calgary flight options for November drew hundreds of replies after the cheapest fare in the screenshot came in at about $1,503 round trip.
“Why aren’t Canadians visiting other places in Canada?” the user wrote. “Well, maybe because of that.”
They later clarified they were searching around Grey Cup week. Calgary hosts the 113th Grey Cup on Nov. 15, meaning those prices reflect a particularly busy travel period rather than typical fares.
Still, the post touched a nerve.
“I don’t think I’ve seen prices this bad before,” one person replied, adding that flying to another continent can sometimes cost less than travelling within Canada.
Another user summed up the reaction more bluntly: “It’s nuts. Might as well travel international.”
‘It’s cheaper to go to Florida’
The original screenshot quickly became a jumping-off point for Canadians sharing their own travel costs.
One person said an upcoming 1.5-hour Toronto-to-Ottawa flight cost them $780.
“It’s cheaper to go to Florida,” they wrote.
Another recalled flying from Montreal to Las Vegas for less than it would have cost to fly to Toronto.
A separate user pointed to Montreal-to-Winnipeg fares they said were approaching $1,350.
“I’ll pass, Chief,” they wrote.
The person behind the original post also compared their Calgary search with international options, saying a flight to Tokyo for the same dates was only about $150 more.
One commenter said they had hoped to vacation in Calgary but ended up travelling to Tampa instead.
“With what is happening with the US, I would have preferred to visit my country,” they wrote.
Others were less focused on individual routes and more interested in what was driving the prices.
“What causes this??? greed??? or just simply too much demand?” one user asked.
“Something needs to be done about this issue,” another wrote.
Those individual fares can’t establish what travellers generally pay across Canada. Prices change dramatically depending on dates, demand, route, booking time and fare class.
But broader data suggests the frustration isn’t coming out of nowhere.
Canadian airfare has been climbing
The frustration comes as Canadians are already paying more to get around.
Statistics Canada reported air transportation prices were 19.4 per cent higher in September than a year earlier.
Gasoline prices were also up 27.8 per cent over the same period, while overall transportation costs rose 8.4 per cent, according to September’s Consumer Price Index.
Earlier this year, travel search data cited by CityNews showed average domestic round-trip fares were more than 25 per cent higher than a year earlier. Flights to Calgary saw some of the biggest increases, according to Kayak search data.
Why does flying within Canada cost so much?
There isn’t one explanation.
A Competition Bureau study of Canada’s airline industry found the domestic market remains highly concentrated, while airport, security and other user-paid fees also add to ticket costs.
Those fees made up roughly 30 per cent of passenger revenue for the full-service airlines studied in 2023.
The bureau also found that introducing one additional competitor on a route lowered fares by about nine per cent on average.
Fuel has added another pressure. Air Canada reported its aircraft fuel expenses were 49 per cent higher year over year in the second quarter.
None of that means every domestic trip costs four figures. Airfares vary considerably depending on the route, travel dates, demand and how far ahead someone books.
But judging by the reaction online, Canadians don’t need much convincing that seeing more of their own country can come with a painful price tag.
