Are American Flights Really Cheaper?

According to a Conference Board of Canada report, nearly five million Canadians travel to the United States each year to take advantage of cheaper flights.

For example, a one-way trip from Regina to Las Vegas on WestJet can cost over $300 on a Monday departure, including taxes and fees. The same flight leaving from Great Falls, Montana on Allegiant Airlines is just $90 all-in, and it's not just short-hop flights like trips to Las Vegas that are being taken, it's longer journeys to Hawaii and other parts of the world.

"Unfortunately, airports are still having to pay the federal government rent (for the land airports sit on) which simply makes no sense," says Robert Palmer, Manager of Public Relations for WestJet.  "Of course they pass those costs onto us and those costs are then passed on to the consumer."

As another busy travel season draws near, a Senate Committee on Transportation is reviewing Canada's levies on flights and the impact it's having on Canadian travel.  If there are close to 5 million Canadians flying from U.S. border cities now, Palmer questions how many will there be in a year or two, three, four or five years from now if the situation doesn't change.

While base fares are very similar on both sides of the border, Palmer says it's the extra fees and surcharges in Canada that are encouraging people to travel south to fly from U.S. border cities.

"That's the difference," he said.

Sheena Revet, Marketing and Business Development Manager for Marlin Travel, admits that many customers looking to travel to Las Vegas and Arizona, specifically, do inquire about Allegiant Air Lines that flies out of Great Falls as well as Minot, North Dakota.

While the U.S. does offer less expensive flights, she insists that once you factor in all of the additional travel costs, you won't be saving that much money.

"There's things like travel time, delays, perhaps winter storms, your fuel, your accommodation, which isn't cheap in Minot, and the pricing is very similar when compared with flying right out of Regina."

Revet added that, although there are cheaper flights available across the border, there are still plenty of competitive offers found here at home and agents always keep an eye on that.

"We always send out news blasts and we have Facebook and Twitter accounts where we can post that for the public to see," she said.  "We are very involved in our community plus we take tons of training with each of our carriers.  We know about things that the average joe wouldn't know about."