Tax Me, I'm a Canadian Traveler

Cripes. I knew this 35 years ago. Edmonton - New Orleans(at that time could fly foriegn airlines to States from Canada)with 6 hr layover in Atlanta both ways - Air Canada $2,567.00. Delta(with 2hr layover in Salt Lake City) $796.54 with then exchange rate.We are such suckers. Now you know why Air Canuckistan's un-official motto is.....We're not happy until you're unhappy!

The legacy costs for past employees plus aggressive unions means Air Canada is on the track to bankruptcy. Its costs are about double its competition and the unions keep coming back to feed at the trough one more time. The people who bought shares bringing it out of bankruptcy last time had to be pure idiots.

We need to encourage Westjet etc. to develop international routes so there is something left when Air Canada tanks for the last time. And I suggest the government not consider bailing it out. All the stupid airlines with stupid unions but Air Canada are already broke.

Westjet doesn't really need encouraging, being viable internationally would appear to be the endgame of the direction they're taking with the acquisition of new turboprop planes.

Posted by: Justthinkin at July 4, 2012 12:30 PM

Edmonton-New Orleans on Air Canada with 2.5 layover in Chicago is about $850.

Just checked it out the other day since we're planning of go during Mardi Gras next February.

BTW, it's we're not happy unless you're not happy.

Cheers

In the middle of a real life example of this as I am about to celebrate July 4 in LA.. A flight to Los Angeles for our family of five was $1,500 cheaper from Bellingham, WA then Kelowna (our home). Even with the drive (4 hours) and hotel before (necessary) and after (optional) it still was $1,100 less. It is like a penalty for living 300 kms from the border instead of 30 kms over the border. Change needs to come.

What Scar said.

Other than that, it is the airport taxes and fees that add considerably to the cost of flights in Canada.

We avoid flying with Air Canada whenever possible. In fact, we are flying with KLM to Italy later this year.

people still fly ?

I gave that up along time ago and i fix build and repair them for a living !!

flying used to be fun , not anymore , your stuffed poked nad proded onto the plane then told to shut up . no smoking , cant drink to much cause you will be to loud and may be seen buy others as enjoying yourself and that is an arrestable offence !!

I cannot stand flying hence the reason i took a job building the twin otter 400 series instead of flying around the world to fix other peoples sh!t ....i do love pilots though they keep us employed for sure ...thier ego's are almost as big as thier watches!!! anyone who flies knows what i am saying !!

While I agree that flights in Canada are expensive, and taxes are stifling, if you pick your times and look for seat sales, you won't be paying such high amounts. Air Canada return fare Saskatoon to Victoria for example (taxes etc. included) is $481.86. Toronto to Vancouver is $737.97. This is in July/August.The article seems to have picked the higher end of the fares to make the point.

Posted by: rita at July 4, 2012 1:33 PM

Somebody exaggerated to make a point?

Naw. Say it ain't so.

The problem then becomes (with international competition) who will fly the money losing routes? Timmins to Toronto? Sudbury to Thunder Bay? And the rest of the non-profitable multitude of minor flights. Lufthansa? Air France?

These routes will all be shut down as airlines restrict their schedules to only the money making ones. Canada is too big not to have flights available to far flung communities.

Unfortunatly the tyranny of distance combined with a small dispersed population hurts us terribly.

I thought it was "We're not happy UNTIL you're not happy"?

It matters not whether the subject is air travel,or the cost of any commodity,Canadians pay more from food to hardware to booze,just because we're Canadians.

We also are offerred lesser "deals" on many products,than our American counterparts even when the product is made and imported from a third Country.

Oh, but we DO have "free" healthcare,so I guess that makes up for it.

Which is Why I fly out of BUFFALO. Costs roughly half of what it does to fly to the same destination from Toronto.

Red Jeff, the question is moot. If it's a money-losing route, why does Air Canada service it? I don't think there is such thing as a money-losing route, only a money-losing airline. If the airline can't make money on a route, it will close. That's called economics. If the government feels that passenger service is necessary to certain communities, it can subsidize the route to the point that a business can operate it profitably. But that isn't the airline's job. It's the government's.

PS looking forward to the competition when Westjet rolls out it's prop flights and starts competing in Medicine Hat!

"Ever sensed that EVERYTHING in Canada were much more expensive than elsewhere?

What a shock I tell you, SHOCK!

Oliver said "I don't think there is such thing as a money-losing route, only a money-losing airline." So true. I remember when West Jet first started flying way back when and offered great sales.Some Air Canada dweeb said to me they would be busted in a year. Two years later,I still couldn't get it through the leftards head,that flying a FULL jet at 1/2 the cost beat flying a 1/8 full one at full cost,every time. And yeah,the sucker bought shares in Air Canuckistan.

Red Jeff:

The smaller routes will (and should be) serviced either by smaller airplanes that can make a profit or by less frequent service. Porter can even make a profit flying to Mt. Tremblant or Myrtle Beach in season. I've flown from Thunder Bay to Sioux Lookout via Bearskin Airways on a small turboprop; I'm certain Bearskin anticipated a profit on that route.

As someone who flies his children from Vancouver to Ottawa three times a year, I can say that Canadian air travel rates are way too high. And they also nickel and dime you death- airport fees, luggage fees etc. West Jet does provide competition but essentially charges the same as Air Canada. What ever happened to open skies?

Open skies is the answer, competition. US carriers can fly to Canada but only in and out direct.

Westjet's competitive advantage aside from labour cost is it's simplistic business model. All jets are 737's. When the TP's come on line it would be the same plane flying all the routes.

AC on the other hand, at last check, flew 16 or more different planes from multiple mfgrs. Imagine the training and maintenance savings that provides.

Of course the step to international travel would require WJ to up the ante to more capable air frames. No way a 737 can make that jump, London would require a stop in Gander.

Quote]I've flown from Thunder Bay to Sioux Lookout via Bearskin Airways on a small turboprop; I'm certain Bearskin anticipated a profit on that route.[/quote]cyclist

The fare from SL to WPG is >$600 RT on Bearskin..
Local's (those that are not Civil Service on Taxpayers dime) don't seem to like Bearskin...

Just saying that if Gov't stops paying for expensive travel...cost will drop

Hi Oliver. I think air travel is far too expensive in Canada. However, when you say "If the government feels that passenger service is necessary to certain communities, it can subsidize the route..." it already does, by affording protected routes to Canadian airlines making it more expensive to fly! In effect it is making air travelers pay the subsidy rather than all Canadians through taxes.

Unless foreign airlines decide to use short hop aircraft exclusively in Canada they will not be competitive... and they won't do that. If the internal routes shut down how does that help consumers in far off communities? Communities that don't have road or rail access?

As Cyclist has said, smaller aircraft and infrequent service is the answer. The question is then 'how infrequent'? I honestly have no answer.

A start, however, is to encourage other airports to have more of a role in domestic AND international haulage... by this I mean Hamilton as competition with Toronto's Pearson. West Jet used to fly from the 'Hammer but left for TO.

One thing I do know, someone tried to purchase a 'reverse flight' ie British Airways Toronto to London and back through a London booking (there was a substantial savings) but they were refused!!! Flying the exact same aircraft, the exact same route and the exact same company had 2 separate and distinct costs dependant on your place of embarkation!!!!! You guessed it, from Canada it was a lot more expensive.

Air Canada from Calgary to Winnipeg on Father's day weekend: all of $700
Greyhound ~$500
Round trip fuel: more or less $300

Guess what I did?

I have been flying to Maui out of Spokane, Wa for years. You can imagine my surprise when last spring I could fly out of Calgary for less money. Still used Spokane because the road travel the airport was half as long.

Years ago I flew Spokane to Vancouver for business rather than Cranbrook or Castlegar because it was less than half price.

Kinda funny, back about 5 years ago I flew from Detroit(DTW) to St. Petes for $87, from Toronto they wanted nearly $400. When the hubby and I wanted to fly to Japan(Narita) last year to visit his family, from Toronto they wanted nearly $4000. We flew out of Detroit round trip for $1300 each.

You realize that levying a tax (defined by Blacl's Law dictionary) is a punishment used to desuade the public from engaging in acts offensive to the state.

Therefore the government is saying your freedom to mobility (travel) is offensive to government. How this can be is strange because the charter guarantees freedom of mobility - awww those gummint lawyers, always finding another end run around individual freedom.