Calgary to China

Westjet, Air Canada and Delta have been all over the map lately with their prices. Literally.  Delta was running European specials last week. To go to Stockholm, Sweden from Grand Forks, ND was under $500 including all taxes and fees.  Yesterday, Air Canada ran a special that went from Edmonton, AB to anywhere in Asia. Today, Feb 23rd, it's Calgary to Asia.  For example, a one-way pre-tax fare from Calgary to Beijing is $260.  Hmmm.

Westjet has been very quick to match Porter Airlines with their discounts of 30% on the east coast. Say a person wanted to go from Montreal to St. John's NFLD, from April 6th to 12th. It would be a very sweet $132.32 each way. That's $373.34 after taxes etc.   Sure, I've flown from YWG to NAS for less than that, but it's still a good deal.

Delta currently has a promotion on travel to Spain. Seats are limited. A few weeks ago, it was Dublin, Ireland at a bargain.

Most airline deals last merely a day or two, but can be a great bargain if you're ready to pounce. The best deals, in general, can be found about 8 weeks out of when you want to travel. My suggestion is to know your price and your route and be patient. Keep checking. Also sign up for their automated fare reduction notifications. (See flightnetwork.ca) Once you mark a route, they will e-mail you each time the price drops, even if it's just $10.

I mention Delta, specifically for us in central Canada. Delta flies out of little airports, like Minot, Grand Forks and Fargo North Dakota. They are feeder planes that take you to Minneapolis in less than an hour. From Minneapolis (one of 3 main North American hubs for Delta). Delta, surprisingly, runs 5 daily flights to Minneapolis, from Minot. There really IS a convenient time every day to catch a flight.

I flew Delta this past Christmas, but out of Winnipeg. I'd do it again. But that's another story, for another day.

A Vancouver Bargain

Earlier today, when the daytime temperature peaked at -33 with the wind chill, I was thinking about tropical vacations and getting the hell out of here. It's not an unusual thought considering the harsh winters around here. But looking into the current travel situation I was disappointed with the high cost of travel this year.

I've been keeping my eye on the pulse and price of travel over the last couple years and (likely thanks to the recession) there were some bargains to be had. This year...not so much. It was not uncommon for YWG to NAS to be priced at $149 each way, or $99 to PHX or LAS. However, those prices are typically 60-80% higher this year. 

With the Canadian dollar at par with the US, it makes sense to travel to the states. We chose Maui this past Christmas and got a heck of a deal. While Hawaii has typically been one of the more expensive destinations, it was certainly affordable this time. 

Anyways, the point of this note tonight is to point out Air Canada's deal on Vancouver departures. Starting Feb 2nd and going until 1000 flights are discounted (typical sell out is 24 hours or less) by 15%.  That means you can travel to Las Vegas (LAS) for $110 each way. That's a deal. But the route I would jump on would be YVR to OGG.  (OGG being the airport in Maui, HI)  Each way is as low as $178. Roundtrip with all taxes and fees came to $465.26 for travel March 2-7th. WOW. That's a deal to go to Hawaii, especially when our dollar is so good. $700 & up is the typical price. Honolulu (HNR) was higher priced at $220 each way. 

To take a direct flight to LAX at this sale price is $93 each way or  $292.11 round-trip, all taxes in. 

Flight dates are up to April 15th, 2011. Some blackout dates apply. Some days will be higher than others, There are lots of routes to choose from. This sounds like a great deal to me.