I am probably aiming this post to those who emigrated a while ago. I am wondering whether there were any such thing as cheap flights years ago or did they come about over the last few years? The reason i'm asking is i'm wondering what the future will hold in light of the current situation. Is this history in the making? Will we be saying to each other 'remember when flights use to cost a couple of hundred?'.....
I have spoken to people who decide on the west or the east to live on factors such as how far they are from family and price fares. I know we don't have a crystal ball but what do people see as the current situation on flight prices to canada? Zoom has gone, how long befoe canada affair go bust! Sorry for being so blue.

blue? lol i mean sorry for being all gloom and doom

<Sigh> Back in the early 90's we used to travel quite a bit with Canada 3000, a Canadian charter airline. A couple of times we got a buy one ticket get one free deal which meant both of us could fly return to Vancouver for just over 300 quid all in <sigh> but they went bust after 9/11.

There are rumours that westJet want to look into transatlantic flights and that they are eyeing up Manchester as a potential destination but that Air Canada are fighting them tooth and nail on the landing slots or whatever its called.

You can still get some pretty good deals in winter and in the shoulder seasons on Air Canada and BA, and often the charters on their last minute availability deals if you are flexible.

I don't think it will ever be Ryanair/Easyjet cheap, but in the early 90's we could fly to Toronto on Canadian Airlines for about 250 quid return and Vancouver for about 350 quid.

Who knows if prices will get that low again given the oil price speculation that is now in the spotlight.

Low Cost Airlines have been around a lot longer than Zoom. Think Max Ward & Freddie Laker, as well as numerous other charter airlines. Many of these have been absorbed into the majors, or have gone down the tubes. Virgin are one of the few who have flourished and turned into a major airline.

Airlines are like every other business, you get what you pay for and they have to make money. Some do a better job than others

What Mr Laker and Mr Ward tried to do for the aviation industry was laudable, however when swimming in a big pond with the big guys, at some point there is a good chance you may sink unless you have the wherewithal to play by the same rules. Virgin came up against BA in the early years, there was even a book written about it - Dirty Tricks: British Airways' Secret War Against Virgin Atlantic

Back in the mid 90's there were flights between Gatwick and Vancouver for £99 one way and £129 return

I can't say for Laker but Wardair's demise came about when they decided to compete head to head with the big guys and become a scheduled airline.

Had they stayed a charter airline it's possible they would still be in business today.

Just my thoughts.

Pretty much the same for Laker. Freddie Laker and Max Ward have become legends as aviation pioneers.

This puts the cost of air travel into perspective with other consumer goods, which we often pay up for without much of a grumble.
http://www.airlines.org/economics/fi...rageBasket.htm