Pilgrimage Places

Because most people who travel are not business executives with a generous expense account, the majority of travelers have a keen interest in getting cheap flights. One way for Canadians to save money on air travel, quite unfortunately, is not to fly from a Canadian airport. It is a sad fact that air travel from Canada to many destinations in the U.S. is significantly more costly than crossing the border and flying out of one of the American airports that are close to the border. For example, the cheapest flights to Phoenix from the area of Vancouver, BC are to be had on Allegiant air that flies out of Bellingham, Washington. This is also true for airfare to Las Vegas. Especially for a family of four, the savings can be several hundred dollars. Not only is airfare usually lower, but so are parking fees.

Torontonians have long known that air fares from Buffalo, NY are often much better than to fly out of Toronto. Folks who live in Southern Alberta may be better off taking off from Montana than from Calgary. Those who live in Manitoba are more and more using airports in Fargo or Grand Forks, ND rather than paying more by using Winnipeg International Airport.

Recent newspaper reports have revealed that the losses to Canadian businesses are mounting to the extent that calls for the government to reduce airport taxes and other fees are becoming louder. We feel it would be good for airports that fly the Maple Leaf to become more competitive with those south of the 49th parallel. Especially now that Vancouver’s new rapid transit Skytrain service makes it so easy to connect with YVR.