coolboarder

Could any of you point me in the right direction towards cheap flights to Canada. We are at the begining of our visa application and feel we need to spend a 3 week hol there next year.

Trouble is we have 3 kids so i recon its going to be well over the 2 grand mark just to fly. Any usefull web sites to book flights would be much appreciated.
Thanks.

andy_sheila

http://www.flyzoom.com/
http://www3.canadianaffair.com/searchframe.asp

R2D2

The more well known budget ones tend to be Globespan who use Air Transat (can pick up a Globespan brochure at the travel agents) .......Fly Zoom........Canadian Affair.com who use My Travel and Thomas Cook airlines.

We've used Canadian Affair and Globespan in the past

Atlantic Xpat

Don't rule out Air Canada either. If you keep a close eye on their web fares you can get some bargains, particularly during seat sales. Of course it also matters where you are flying too - I only have one choice for St. John's!

gooding

Depends where you fly and what time of year.
Canadian Affair are the only one I think that charge less for children. This is why we always used them, also they are by far the cheapest. However both these and Zoom have been notorious lately for cancelling some flights, mainly from Manchester. Can Affair is the agent and they use My Travel and Thomas Cook Airlines. We have never had problems with them.
Average price for us in past 2 years to Vancouver is between £199 and £350 return, with Can Affair, ( not many £199 ones left these days.)

Air Transat and Globespan are one and the same, but they do not fly Oct-May.

Air Canada flights average £600, but at present are selling some seats for £330 ( with taxes comes up to over £400) this is to Vancouver. These tickets are no refundable/ changeable/ no cancellations.
I get the feeling they are trying to compete with Zoom / Can Affair, by offering these types of tickets, as I have never seen them doing these cheaper flights.

British Airways prices are about £500-£600, but do have offers from time to time.
We are getting ready to land so I have been searching all prices for the last few days.

Souvenir

You have a big advantage here. Time.

The cheapies are OK. I have flown Air Transat, My Travel, Canada 3000 and so on without problem. Not everyone is so lucky, from what I have seen. The timings are generally not great and delays/cancellations/bankruptcies are fairly common. I don't think you want that if you're travelling with kids.

The scheduled airlines will screw you if you try to buy a ticket quite close to the travel day. Book as early as you can, though an agent.

I am flying to London, from Ottawa, on Sunday with Air Canada. I knew my itinerary weeks ago and was able to book my ticket in advance. I am being charged the princely sum of $772, or about 370 quid. And there is a reasonable chance that the airline won't go out of business while I'm travelling.

Sort out your dates, check the airline websites to compare prices and then tell an agent to do better. You're probably looking at about two grand whoever you fly with.

AnnetteM

You have time on your side, so can wait for the seat sales, which begin later in the year for both Air Canada and BA.

I am eternally thankful that I cancelled my flight on Canadian Affair earlier this year, as it turned into a fiasco of changed airports, days, etc etc. I will never, ever use the charters again. I got a newsletter from Canadian Affair last week, in which they tout tourist spots in England. It's so full of errors it's no wonder they have problems running their airline!! For instance, they feature the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol as being the link between Wales and the south west. In fact, it only links one part of Bristol to the other, and the Severn Bridge - miles away - is the link to Wales. If they can't even do simple research, I don't trust them with my travel arrangements!

dbd

My parents are currently here. They came because they saw a two-for-one offer in the paper. They ended up paying 578 pounds for two tickets in the upgraded section of a Zoom flight. (I hope they are return tickets).

gooding

Most of these offer prices have one way in small print. Are you sure they are going home????????????

Souvenir

Don't parents get the message when we emigrate?

dbd

Oh, I think we can count on them leaving. Some things that offend them are dogs, the mentally disabled, unsuitable couples, recreational drug use, promiscuity, frivolous cars, Americans and the French. We have a small house containing all of the above.

dbd

Well quite.

Souvenir

Hopefully not all at the same time?

Perhaps they need a memory to take home with them. May I suggest a family dinner at Zelda's, with OT dressed as he used to dress, before the operation?

Voyager970

Hi there

We went in July this year for 22 days, me, the wife and 3 kids, cost was just over £2k
Looking at going over again next year, using Canadian Affair, if we book just now it will be £1850, going in July

If you go in May I think it was about £1100, big difference in price, but her indoors wont take the kids out of school until the summer break officially starts which is the end of June.

Eddie

dbd33

Ah, Zelda's, beloved hangout of daughter #2 before she moved to Montreal. I haven't been there for ages, not since otraynor arrived, taking her to that strip would be tempting fate.