Is Europe calling your name?
After two long years of pandemic-imposed travel advisories, Vancouverites are dusting off their passports and planning for trips across the border and abroad. Unfortunately, not all destinations are easy on the wallet.
Air Transat is offering a promotion with flights to popular destinations in Europe at a steal, including Paris, Dublin, Barcelona, Glasgow, Athens, Venice, and much more.
As part of the offer, the airline states you can book a flight and modify both the date and destination for free up to 24 hours before departure. "Simply pay the fare difference, if any."
The "See it for Real Promotion" is valid for travel between April 1 and Oct. 31, 2022. Travellers must book by April 3.
But many of the best deals are on routes from eastern Canadian cities, including Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City.
A flight from Vancouver, even with a layover, costs close to a grand. While this isn't a bad price from Vancouver, it certainly isn't as attractive as some of the lower fares offered back east.
How Vancouverites can lower the cost of tickets
If you want to keep costs low in Vancouver, one of the best ways to do so is by booking two tickets: one with Air Transat and one with a budget Canadian airline.
While this might sound more complicated, it can save you a couple of hundred dollars on a ticket. The only tricky part is lining the flights up. However, if you want to incorporate a visit to another Canadian city, such as Montreal or Toronto, you can fly out a couple of days in advance.
Otherwise, you'll want to ensure the ticket you book has a few hours in between flights. While it might seem like a "time suck," booking flights with a longer layover in between will mean that you don't run the risk of missing your flight.
For example, the examples below show a direct, round-trip flight from Montreal to Paris that costs $600.65 CAD including taxes and fees. You can pair this ticket with direct, round-trip flights with Flair Airlines that cost $115 CAD including all taxes and fees. In total, the trip will cost $715.65 CAD including all taxes and fees, which is over $213 CAD less.
This is only one example of possible combinations you can try, too. There are numerous destinations across the globe that are cheaper out of Toronto and buying a cheap ticket to Toronto will allow you to cut down on costs. It may take a little bit more time to plan your itinerary but it could save you big bucks in the end. Always book trip interruption insurance to cover unexpected schedule changes (it's always prudent to buy comprehensive travel insurance for trips, however).
Book your ticket with Air Transat and book your ticket with Flair Airlines.
Metro Vancouver residents: What to know about travel right now
- Find out everything you need to know about international travel with our comprehensive travel guide for Canadians.
- Find out everything you need to know about Canada's new COVID-19 travel testing rules.
- Discover a tutorial on how to use the ArriveCAN app.
- Find out the best way to get a refund on your flight and not get taken advantage of by the airline with V.I.A.'s air passenger guide.
Disclaimer: Vancouver Is Awesome does not support travel during the non-essential travel advisory. Many foreign governments are implementing strict travel restrictions due to the spread of the Omicron variant and international transportation options may be limited. As a result, you may have difficulty returning to Canada.
