Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

If you aren't booking it as one itinerary, you are taking the risk, and won't be covered if something happens. I don't think that is enough time as you will have to collect your bag and clear customs, then check in again.

If it is all one itinerary then they have already decided that is enough time and will cover you if you miss it.

If he books it on aeroplan with a connection that would be 1 itinerary though...

[Fuzz]

Ya, I wasn't clear if it was one flight through aeroplan, and the connection booked independently. That's why I mentioned both...

[calgarygeologist]

Thanks for the help. It is a single itinerary from Calgary to Miami. I think I might take that short stopover and hope for the best.

[fundmark19]

Every time I clear customs in Montreal it is a breeze. Long walk but normally max of 2 people wait. I wouldn't worry about it from my 5 or 6 times going.

[tvp2003]

Got an email from gojumpon.com about a flight from Calgary to Kelowna that is only $169 round trip (after using a $70 off promo code for members or when you sign up - JUMP70). It leaves Friday Oct.16 @ 06:00PM and returns Sunday Oct.18 @ 06:00PM.

They are also "auctioning" standby seats starting at $100 -- http://www.gojumpon.com/standby/

[something]

I am just copying and pasting here so its gonna look a bit dumb, hopefully its coherent.


Some amazing deals from YYC to Iceland/Europe:







YYC REK

Calgary Reykjavik






Depart
Fri, Jan 15, 2016

Return
Sun, Jan 24, 2016

$501

Find Flights



Lowest prices seen for the next three months
Oct 2015
$798
Nov 2015
$688
Dec 2016
$1,010




YYC LON

Calgary London






Depart
Tue, Jul 12, 2016

Return
Thu, Jul 28, 2016

$616

Find Flights



Lowest prices seen for the next three months
Oct 2015
$653
Nov 2015
$648
Dec 2015
$675




YYC MAD

Calgary Madrid






Depart
Tue, Oct 20, 2015

Return
Thu, Nov 5, 2015

$660

Find Flights



Lowest prices seen for the next three months
Oct 2015
$660
Nov 2015
$692
Dec 2015
$1,259




YYC PAR

Calgary Paris






Depart
Mon, Feb 8, 2016

Return
Sun, Feb 21, 2016

$685

Find Flights



Lowest prices seen for the next three months
Oct 2015
$699
Nov 2015
$699
Dec 2016
$826

[darklord700]

I try to score a deal over Christmas for Orlando, LA or Las Vegas. What will be a good time to book?

[Nyah]

Where did you get those flight deals? I can't find any flights that match those dates/prices?

[temple5]

I figured I would post the FYI here just so people are aware of what could happen if you book Aeroplan.

So my wife and I have decided to wean ourself off Aeroplan Credit Card and go full on with the Westjet Mastercard because of some issues with out flight to Europe last year with Aeroplan/Air Canada. So we maxed out our points to get enough to have one more trip to hawaii and one more to europe

So we booked YYC-YVR-OGG-YVR-YYC (YVR was simply the place we changed planes, it could have been timbuctu for all I care but).

About 3 weeks ago we got flight schedule change. Usually those are slight changed to times, I took a brief looked at it and saw that we left YYC same time same flight same date and came back to YYC same time same flight same date.

We have in infant in lap so my wife called last week to add our child to the itinerary and the agent asked her about the layover in Vancouver. My wife said yah we dont mind 3-4 hours, it was ok. The Agent said it was a day both directions.

So I went back to check the original change in time email and yes, the actual dates to OGG and back had change from one day later and one day before respectively (it looks like Air Canada cancelled all flights to and from OGG those days)

So on the call with the Agent we would obviously prefer to get there and back on the same days. The Agent put our request in and said it might take a week to get back to us as there were "others in the queue before".

Needless to say that made us a bit nervous as we had already pre-paid accomodations, car rental, and shuttle after we booked with Aeroplan. So yesterday after 8 biz days my wife calls back and a different agent answered and said the likely problem is the vancouver mid point and no other partner carriers fly from vancouver to hawaii. My wife told her we dont care where we fly though we just dont want to fly backwards (say YYC-IAH-OGG) but where we change plans who cares.

So this agent booked us through LAX there and SFO on the way back.

Just be aware when dealing with Aeroplan, obviously Air Canada is to blame for cancelling a flight due to scheduling or profitability issues 60 days before the flight but when you talk with them about changing your flights, especially if its connecting - stress to them you dont care where you connect, just so long as you get there (where you connect and the number of connections is up to you).

So overall I would rate the above Aeroplan/Air Canada as follows

Air Canada -1
Inital itinerary change of 1 day stop over in YVR both days -1 (not sure who to blame there)
Aeroplan first agent - 1
Aeroplan second agent +1.5 (when given clear instructions and not allow them to think for themselves).

[something]

Originally Posted by Nyah

Where did you get those flight deals? I can't find any flights that match those dates/prices?

'Twas an email I received. It did say these were the best deals that members of that flight search agency had found in the last week, so there could be some variance for actual prices today.

I did a quick search to verify the YYC-REK flight on January 15-24th. I came up with 750 all taxes in. Still a pretty darn good deal.

A friend of mine booked a flight back home to the UK for ~600 including all taxes. There are some deals to be had.

If you want the email, PM your contact info and I will forward it.

[Wormius]

Maybe those were US prices you got?

[Fuzz]

Air Canada has attempted to ruin enough vacations for us, so we went KLM to AMS this time. Not the most convenient and $100 more, but worth it, for the free booze, gluten free meal on board and not being treated like a cardboard box. Also, Portugal is a beautiful country, well worth it. The entire south west coast is a park and has incredible beaches and cliff walks.

[cmyden]

Calgary to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for Carnival - $701 CAD roundtrip including taxes

United Airlines has dropped the price of their flights from Calgary to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil down to $701 CAD roundtrip including taxes.

Availability
Departures between October 2015 and February 2016.

Rio's famous Carnival is from February 5 to 9, 2016.

blog post with the details & example searches: http://yycdeals.com/calgary-to-rio-d...ncluding-taxes

[Fuzz]

I just want to say we flew KLM to Europe this time, paying a bit over $100 per ticket more than the Air Canada ticket. We did this because we were tired of Air Canada ruining our vacations. KLM was fantastic in comparison. I even got my gluten free meal and snacks. Well worth it, especially compared to our last trip with Rouge, where I got nothing, and had to pay for alcohol- which you would need plenty of on a Rouge flight- given no entertainment.

The only issue was checking in in Lisbon, where the desk agent said "and your final destination is Toronto?" Words you never ever want to hear. Fortunately he just got confused by the airport codes!

[rd_aaron]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I just want to say we flew KLM to Europe this time, paying a bit over $100 per ticket more than the Air Canada ticket. We did this because we were tired of Air Canada ruining our vacations. KLM was fantastic in comparison. I even got my gluten free meal and snacks. Well worth it, especially compared to our last trip with Rouge, where I got nothing, and had to pay for alcohol- which you would need plenty of on a Rouge flight- given no entertainment.

The only issue was checking in in Lisbon, where the desk agent said "and your final destination is Toronto?" Words you never ever want to hear. Fortunately he just got confused by the airport codes!

We just booked Europe next summer with non-Rouge Air Canada. I assume the service/leg room is better in these planes (I think it was 79cm as opposed to 76cm or whatever Rouge has)?

[Fuzz]

I'd confirm it is actually AC proper. I thought most of their flights to Europe were now Rouge. Last time we thought we had booked a normal AC flight, but when I logged in to check the booking it was Rouge. Either way, you are still subject to all of AC's other flaws....

But ya, you should get at least alcohol included on a normal AC flight, and perhaps meal options.

[heep223]

Pumped about the new direct Westjet route Calgary-London. $800. That blows Air Canada's $1,500 fare out of the water, and I'd rather travel WJ anyways. Only downside is that you have to fly into Gatwick but nbd really.

[ranchlandsselling]

Do Costa Rica deals come up often? Looking to go there sometime soon.

Originally Posted by cmyden

YYC Deals Alert: Calgary to Costa Rica - $409 roundtrip including taxes

other Central American countries for $20 more
Belize, Panama, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, etc.

Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR) $409
San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO) $410
Guatemala City (GUA) $421
San Salvador, El Salvador (SAL) $426
Belize City, Belize (BZE) $429
Roatan, Honduras (RTB) $430
San Pedro Sula, Honduras (SAP) C$430
Tegucigalpa, Honduras (TGU) C$430
Panama City, Panama (PTY) $433
Managua, Nicaragua (MGA) $443

full details: http://www.yycdeals.com/calgary-to-c...es-for-20-more

[dubc80]

I booked this Costa Rica deal after seeing the notification from Chris. Leaving in just over a week. Can't wait!

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by ranchlandsselling

Do Costa Rica deals come up often? Looking to go there sometime soon.

Highly unusual prices from Calgary to Costa Rica ($300s to $500s roundtrip including taxes) have happened the following number of times in the past 5 years or so:

July 2015
March 2015
December 2011
September 2011
March 2011
February 2011

http://yycdeals.com/search?criteria=costa+rica

Otherwise, anything in the mid to high $600s to low $700s is where Costa Rica prices generally bottom out. Don't forget to look at both international airports (LIR and SJO).