Ottawa travellers see flight relief amid higher summer airfares

With the school year ending, summer travel plans are kicking into high gear.

Generally, the price to fly domestically remains high in Canada. But according to data from Flight Centre Travel Group, those flying for business and booking last minute corporate flights can expect to pay even more.

Flight Centre says airfares between July and September for corporate travel are expected to be on average 14 per cent higher compared to last summer.

“We do see this average increase, and that’s due to several factors including a decrease of seating capacity,” says Amra Durakovic, head of communications with Flight Centre Travel Group.

“Where you have less competition, less airlines, less seating, you’ll see prices go up.”

Flying for leisure will provide travellers out of Ottawa the opposite effect though.

Durakovic says the best deals can be found when booking flights two to three months in advance, which means good news for those still planning a late summer vacation.

“Luckily for Ottawa, the expansion of Porter means you have more seating, which means your prices have actually stabilized.”

“If anyone in Ottawa wants to fly out right now, to Halifax let’s say, you can get a one-way ticket for around $100.”

With the airline industry still recovering from the pandemic years, Durakovic says prices will remain higher than pre-pandemic levels due to demand.

“We just don’t have enough aircraft to support all of the Canadians who want to travel. So you will see an increase in prices.”