Air Travel Is Making A Huge Comeback In Canada But Here's Why It's Still So Expensive

Air travel in Canada is on the uptick and is even nearing pre-pandemic levels again, but the cost has gone sky-high in the last few months.

According to a recent report from Transat, there are a few different reasons for both the high demand for air travel and the soaring prices.

In the airline and travel company's second quarter, they outlined what exactly the high demand for air travel means for them.

Transat says it has seen a slew of Canadian travellers putting down deposits for future trips — around $494.2 million — in the last few months, so much so that it represents 80% of the numbers they were seeing before the pandemic.

This figure also represents a 60% increase since their last quarter, which would suggest that things are on the upswing. According to Transat, it's a product of two years without a vacation for many Canadians.

But demand isn't the only thing increasing, the cost of a plane ticket has risen dramatically recently as well.

The biggest reason they point to is the cost of fuel, which has been steadily increasing and reaching massive highs across Canada all year.

The cost of such an essential resource for air travel has put "strong pressure on our operating costs and profitability," according to the company.

But, with the increasing demand and high costs comes other complications for Canadian travellers.

The wait to get a passport renewal in Canada has been so long that the federal government has promised to take "additional steps," such as expanding wait room capacity, to reduce wait times.

Canada's biggest airport, Toronto Pearson, has also been experiencing some significant wait times, with some people reportedly waiting hours to get through security.

The long lines and delays have prompted the Ministry of Transport to work with airports and other government agencies to hire more employees and find other ways to make air travel easier this year.

And, along with that, the federal government is also soon expected to announce that vaccine mandates will no longer be in place on domestic flights.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.