A point of contention with Canadians for many years has been the cost of domestic travel. Flights within Canada are exceedingly expensive. There are two major airlines, Air Canada and WestJet with New Leaf being a newcomer on the block for ultra low cost fares. However, New Leaf doesn’t not use a full range of airports as of yet and does not fly out of Toronto.
Of course, there’s Air Transat and Sunwing but these are charter carriers that do not have regularly scheduled flights with the country. There is hope on the way, though. WestJet plans to launch an ultra low cost subsidiary sometime later in 2017.
But, for now, we’re stuck paying high prices for flights within Canada. So, we thought for fun, we’d look at the cost of flights from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to ten foreign cities that are further away but less expensive than flying to Edmonton, Alberta.
The prices were taken on Friday, May 26, 2017 for round trip flights leaving Tuesday, October 10, 2017 (my birthday) and coming back Tuesday, October 17, 2017. These prices are for reference only and are subject to change at any time (and probably have by the time this article was published). We were looking for the lowest price only, regardless of the number of stops and the length of the stops.
It should also be noted that flight distances given are direct and don’t include the extra mileage that a stop adds on. Also, prices are in Canadian dollars. Hopefully, this will give you some ideas to go on your next vacation…
List Of Flights (Most Expensive to Cheapest)
Edmonton, Alberta
Paris, France
Kingston, Jamaica
London, England
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Mexico City, Mexico
Lima, Peru
Panama City, Panama
Bogota, Colombia
Reykjavik, Iceland
Los Angeles, California
Toronto to Edmonton
Let’s start with our baseline flight within Canada. A return flight from Toronto, Ontario to Edmonton, Alberta would be $722.01 on October 10, 2017 at its lowest. The carrier would be Air Canada and this would be a non-stop flight. The flying distance is 2,699 kilometres. This works out to 27 cents per KM, nearly three times as much as a flight to Lima, Peru or Reykjavik, Iceland.
Toronto to Paris, France
With one stop at Keflavik International Airport in Reykjavik, Iceland, a flight from Toronto to Paris, France can be had for as low as $680.66. The carrier would be Icelandair and, I believe, you can extend your layover in Reykjavik with no additional cost to your flight. The flying distance from Toronto to Paris is 5,997 KM. This works out to eleven cents per KM.
When including hotel in your cost, it is most often best to look at Air Transat. You can usually get a flight plus hotel deal at not much far north of $1,000 for a week’s stay. The hotel won’t be five star and Air Transat might not be the most comfortable airline, but with the lower price, you can do some extra traveling during your stay in Paris. Flights with Europe’s low cost carriers like RyanAir can be had for really cheap. High speed trains can take from Paris to England, Belgium, Germany and beyond, fast and at a relatively low cost.
Toronto to Kingston, Jamaica
Once again, a package deal would probably be your best bet but if you just wanted airfare, the price is $671.55 from Toronto to Kingston, Jamaica. This would be with Hahn Air Systems (Fly Jamaica Air). This is a non-stop flight. At 2,859 kilometres, this Jamaican city is not much further from Toronto than Edmonton. The price per KM isn’t a whole different either at 23 cents.
Toronto to London, England
The same as with Paris, for hotel and flight packages, try Air Transat. For just the flight, WestJet can take you their on board one of their Boeing 767-300 aircraft for $657.31. There is one stop, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, before heading over the Atlantic Ocean. At a total distance of 5,709 KM, this works out to twelve cents per kilometre.
Toronto to Amsterdam, Netherlands
Another Iceland based airline can take you from Toronto to Amsterdam for just $639.98. WOW air is a low cost carrier with a unique purple livery. There is a stop in Reykjavik before continuing over the Atlantic. With a distance of 5,978 KM, you pay eleven cents per kilometre.
Toronto to Mexico City, Mexico
A few different airlines come are in close competition for flights from Toronto to Mexico City. On our test date, American Airlines wins out. The flight comes in at $606.07 with one stop. With a flight distance of 3,264 KM, the per kilometre average is a somewhat pricey 19 cents.
Toronto to Lima, Peru
A winner and loser. The lowest price for a round trip flight from Toronto to Lima, Peru is $603.27 with Copa Airlines. This is lowest price per KM rate (distance 6,194 KM). However, this does involve a nearly 19 hour layover in Panama City, Panama. For not much more money, that down time in Panama can be reduced significantly. However, with Tocumen International Airport (PTY) being so close to the action, you could do a lot with that those 19 hours.
Toronto to Panama City, Panama
This one is interesting. You can fly to Panama City, Panama via AeroMexico, for $572.82. That flight makes a stop in Mexico City before continuing south. What’s interesting is a flight via AeroMexico from Toronto to just Mexico City is more expensive. The cost is 15 cents per KM with the flying distance at 3,850 kilometres.
Toronto to Bogota, Colombia
Ah, the flight that started all the investigation in the first place. I really want to visit Colombia as it’s one of the most diverse countries, as far as Mother Nature goes, on the planet. It turns out, a flight is not really that expensive.
Via Copa Airlines, a flight from Toronto to Bogota, Colombia is $549.07 with one stop. The flight distance is 4,359 kilometres, which works out to 13 cents per km.
Toronto to Reykjavik, Iceland
The new age hub for low cost flights between North America and Europe, Iceland is cheap to get to. However, once you’re there, your wallet will get a serious workout. Again with WOW air, you can fly to Reykjavik for just $409.98. This is a non-stop flight and comes in at ten cents per kilometre over the 4,198 KM distance.
Toronto to Los Angeles, California
What’s really odd is that this flight comes in even cheaper than crossing the border into Buffalo, New York and taking a ride on Southwest Airlines, Spirit or some other U.S. based low cost carrier. Flying American Airlines, with one stop, will cost just $387.01 for a return flight to Los Angeles, California. This is eleven cents per kilometre covering the 3,499 KM distance.
