Airfare surge ahead
- Airfares are climbing for summer travel, with experts advising booking early or using points to avoid higher prices. - Kayak data cited by Open Jaw shows Canada domestic fares up about 26% year‑over‑year; Montreal averages $489 and Toronto $366. - Open Jaw and Kayak linked the route‑level increases to higher jet‑fuel costs and airlines reallocating capacity ahead of summer (openjaw.com).
Airfares for flights within Canada are climbing again just weeks before the summer rush, with Kayak showing April prices above 2025 levels. (openjaw.com) Open Jaw, citing Kayak data published April 20, reported the average domestic fare in Canada was up 26% year over year in April 2026. Montreal averaged $489, up 29%, while Toronto averaged $366, up 74%. (openjaw.com) The increases were steeper on some routes. Open Jaw said Vancouver fares had risen to $413 from $191 since January, a 116% jump, and Calgary fares had climbed to $361 from $212, up 70%. (openjaw.com) One route moved the other way. Halifax averaged $315 in April 2026, down 10% from $350 a year earlier, according to the same Kayak figures. (openjaw.com) The timing lines up with stronger domestic demand. Kayak said in a separate 2026 travel trends report that Canadian searches for domestic summer trips were up 11% from 2025, with hotel interest up 26% and rental-car interest up 23%. (kayak.com) Supply has tightened at the same time. Air Canada said on April 17 that it was trimming about 1% of capacity and suspending several routes because jet fuel prices had doubled since the start of the Iran conflict. (cbc.ca) Open Jaw linked the fare increases to those same pressures: higher fuel bills and airlines shifting aircraft ahead of summer. The International Air Transport Association’s fuel monitor says it tracks weekly jet-fuel prices using data from S&P Global Platts, the benchmark many airlines watch. (openjaw.com) (iata.org) For travelers booking now, the market is behaving like a squeeze: more people are searching for domestic seats just as some carriers are flying fewer of them. That combination is already showing up in April fares, before the busiest summer weeks arrive. (kayak.com) (cbc.ca)
