Not all Canadian airlines are created equal, and after flying Air Canada, WestJet, Flair, and Air Transat over the years, I have thoughts. Some are better for international travel, some always have enough of "the chicken" to go around, and none will believe you have COVID-19 and give you your money back.
Here's my honest ranking of the Canadian airlines I've flown most, based on price, experience, and overall value.
Flair Airlines
I have such a nuanced relationship with Flair. Flair is the airline I fly most these days — and most of the time I love it. I live in LA, and Flair has an amazing cross-border West Coast leg. From YVR, there are three outbound flights to the US: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco.
💸 Cost: Because I live in LA, I do the LAX > YVR round-trip as many times as I can afford. Which is pretty often, because I've gotten a one-way ticket to Vancouver for as cheap as $35.
That said, some cross-country destinations aren't as sweet a deal. For instance, a round-trip from YVR to YYZ can run you over $900. It's hit or miss when it comes to deals.
They do have lots of offerings throughout the year, though, so if you are the Type-B spontaneous friend, have your email alerts set, because you can probably take some really cheap cross-country flights to surprise your long-distance best friends!
✈️ Destinations: Flair is a budget airline, and keeps it pretty simple with their options— meat and potatoes, but in the best way.
Flair flies to a total of 28 cities. All the major Canadian cities and a few other small suburban airports like Kelowna and Abbotsford, five cities in the USA (LA, Vegas, San Fran, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale), and a few cities that are the go-to all-inclusive resort vacation spots (in Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica).
Keep in mind, there are only a few combos per destination. So if you're flying from Toronto, the only US destination options are in Florida. No California for the Canadian East Coasters!
🧳 The Catch: Nothing comes for free — only super cheap with a bunch of fine print. Flair doesn't do refunds or have any real support staff in place. They will nickel-and-dime you for EVERYTHING. Your seat. Your carry-on bag — they will measure it to make sure it's the right size.
You're allowed to take one personal item, but they will measure that personal item. At the check-in desk they attendants measure your purse to see if it fits in a pretty small box. So if you have a stuffed backpack, it probably won't fit.
I also swear they make their website a bit sneaky on purpose. One time, I booked a round-trip in reverse, and I wasn't able to get a refund. They do have a call support line. But everything is managed online. So I had to rebook it and pay twice.
Pro tip: quadruple check your booking before you pay.
⭐ Best For: Solo flyers and commuters. No baggage, no pre-selected seat, no problem.
💯 Grade: A- when she studies. B+ Average (most of the time).
Air Transat
I'll start by saying this: Air Transat gets a worse rep than it deserves. It's really not as bad as people make it out to be.
That said, it's also never the first place my mind goes when I'm booking a flight. I've never gone straight to the Air Transat website as an instinct. It's more like, if it pops up on Expedia and the price is right, I'm open. Whereas with Air Canada or Flair, I'll usually check those sites directly before I check Google Flights or SkyScanner.
💸 Cost: Air Transat tends to live in the middle zone for me. It's not usually the absolute cheapest option, but if there were a circumstance where it was, I would definitely consider it. It doesn't have the same bargain-bin thrill as Flair, but it doesn't have the same reliability and reach that Air Canada does — so if there's only a couple of hundred dollars difference for a transatlantic flight, I may spring for Air Canada. Really depends.
Plus, when there's not much of a competition on a route (or if there's a strike), the fares can get a little bold, which kind of defeats the whole appeal.
✈️ Destinations: Air Transat feels the most vacation-coded out of the bunch. Fewer commuter flights, more Europe, an all-inclusive beach trip, and "I bought a matching Aritzia sweatsuit for this girl's trip" energy.
I've flown Air Transat to London, and even that sort of sums it up: they fly into Gatwick, not Heathrow. And even though Heathrow's a nightmare (specifically if you have only a 45-minute layover to get to Dublin!), it's my no-brainer choice when going to the UK from Canada.
🧳 The Catch: Leisure isn't a synonym for luxury! I don't know who needs to hear that. OK, I do.
It also seems like the Air Transat experience is wildly inconsistent. Some people seem to have great experiences, and others absolutely do not.
It seems this is definitely a you-get-what-you-pay-for situation.
⭐ Best for: Vacationers, occasional flyers, and deals too good to pass up.
💯 Grade: C+
WestJet
I've never had a terrible experience with WestJet, which is part of what makes it hard to drag. It is a perfectly fine airline. But to me, West Jet and Air Canada are kind of like Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke. If a restaurant only has Diet Pepsi, I'm not freaking out. I'll still drink it. Still, not my go-to if I'm seeing both cans side by side in the fridge.
💸 Cost: Again, WestJet sits in that middle zone for me. It's not bargain-bin cheap like Flair — at least, I've never seen an outbound flight for under $50, open to be corrected. But it doesn't always feel premium enough to justify choosing it over Air Canada if the price is similar.
✈️ Destinations: WestJet makes the most sense for domestic travel, Western Canada, and fairly standard North America or sun destination routes. Particularly Hawaii. In fact, when I think of Hawaii, I actually do think WestJet over Air Canada.
🧳 The Catch: There isn't really one. I think it's generally as advertised. It's Air Canada's main competitor — that's it really. It's solid. It's not Air Emirates First Class. But I don't have a negative association with it at all.
⭐ Best For: Family trip to Hawaii. Kids by the toilets. Parents by the pilot.
💯 Grade: B-
Air Canada
Air Canada is my Diet Coke! I'm aware that may be partially branding — because no one who remembers those tiny salt-and-pepper airplane shakers from the 2000's came out of that untouched. But whatever the reason, it's usually the airline I think of first.
I can trust that the TVs are the good kind, and the snack service is frequent enough that I don't have to press the attendant button. I've never had my luggage go missing (maybe I'm lucky). I've missed flights and been placed on the next available one. And if I'm paying for a more comfortable seat, I'd argue that Air Canada has the strongest premium economy options in Canada.
💸 Cost: Yes, Air Canada can be expensive, but it can also be totally reasonable depending on your destination. In my experience, they've always had really good deals to the UK, which is a great jumping-off point if you're interested in hopping around Europe via cheaper local airlines.
The Aeroplan points can also really save you a pretty penny. I was able to get a one-way ticket to London with 30K points, which in the world of points isn't actually a lot. Again, the flight game is all about when you book and when you go.
✈️ Destinations: I've never personally tried to get somewhere Air Canada couldn't take me. On time? Not always. But we do get there. And if I'm flying internationally, especially to Europe or the UK, it's usually the first airline I check. Between the route network and Aeroplan, it feels like the most well-rounded and best default option.
🧳 The Catch: I've never had a terrible experience with Air Canada. That doesn't mean everyone agrees with me — there are horrendous reviews out there — but to play 😈's advocate... I'm seldom motivated by a "pretty good" experience to leave a review. In fact, I never even think about leaving good reviews — unless, of course, the person I am dealing with is a small-business owner and I know it'll help them a lot. But I'm not going to Sephora, get my Hourglass Concealer colour-matched to perfection, and then write a 10/10 review of it. I just enjoy the good experience and feel a bit of loyalty.
You know, the only time I think about writing a review? When someone crossed me, and I wanna get revenge.
All this to say, can we trust reviews? Yes, but also, (almost) never the full picture.
⭐ Best for: No-brainers. Quick bookings. Transatlantic flights.
💯 Grade: A+
The truth is, a lot of airline complaints are really just travel complaints. Flying has become an endurance test: screaming kids, fake caste systems designed as boarding zones, the carry-on police with measuring tapes, and staff who sometimes also (understandably) don't wanna be there.
So yeah, reviews can be brutal. And while certain airlines are definitely better than others, I also think the entire flying experience has taken a nosedive (pun not intended) since COVID. Bags get lost — get an airtag. Flights get delayed — everyone hates it, until they're the ones late for the plane and the pilots hold the doors for them.
At the end of the day, there's only one thing I care about when I fly. The only question that needs to be answered to get an A+ in my book. Did I die?
No?
Then we're doing just fine. We're all gonna graduate.
This article has been updated since its original publication date.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
