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Toronto to Europe: What happened to flight prices!?

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  • Feb 18th, 2016 12:22 pm
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Newbie
Feb 15, 2016
4 posts

Toronto to Europe: What happened to flight prices!?

I am a frequent (annual or bi-annual) traveler to Vienna, from Toronto. In the past 7 years, I've never paid more than $1200 for a return flight for Toronto to Europe -- and actually the $1200 price was Toronto to Vienna and return to Toronto out of Istanbul. My return flights to Vienna have never been more than $1000.

So you can imagine my surprise when I'm finding one-way flights to Vienna (for August 2016) to be upwards of $900, most actually listed upwards of $1500, and Air Canada's version of a cross-listed Air Austria flight at $1950, when Air Austria is offering the same flight for $900... Considering the obliterated price of fuel right now, relative to when I paid $1000 for a return flight in 2015, you an imagine that I am having a hard time bringing myself to accept this is the price of flying Toronto to Vienna...

Does anyone have any advice? How do I make my trip MUCH cheaper, because I cannot bring myself to be ripped off by an airline like this.

Thanks
18 replies
Deal Addict
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Apr 20, 2012
1876 posts
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Waterloo, ON
Because the Canadian Dollar has went to hell?
Member
Jan 9, 2011
344 posts
167 upvotes
Montreal, QC
brobinsoncc wrote: Because the Canadian Dollar has went to hell?
This. Aviation fuel is paid for in USD pretty much worldwide.
Deal Addict
Mar 19, 2012
1023 posts
298 upvotes
Agree with supply and demand. We do travel frequently and the cheapest ticket we paid for Europe, Istanbul is $1600 something. Plus we don't normally fly peak times. Generally between April and June. Only this year we paid 750$ return to Istanbul and that is in March. You can try your luck and pack your luggage and go to the airport and see if you can get cheap tickets. Most of the times airlines do have last minute available seats(not on peak times of course) for really cheap as they would rather fly full.

It is very annoying and I don't think it's right but unfortunately you can't do anything about it other then protest and don't fly with them.
Banned
Dec 22, 2013
35 posts
12 upvotes
It's called Canada where monopolies and duopolies reign supreme. Drive to a border city and fly from the US and support a truly competitive marketplace.
Deal Guru
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Nov 5, 2001
11979 posts
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Edmonton
brobinsoncc wrote: Because the Canadian Dollar has went to hell?
Yup.

But don't worry, it's great news for Canadian businesses and exporters.

That should help you sleep so much better at night. It will comfort you from the fact pretty much everything you buy will cost 30% more from now on.
Newbie
Feb 15, 2016
4 posts
The dollar isn't a good explanation, since it hasn't fallen that much since September 2015 -- not enough to explain this discrepancy.

Supply and demand would surprise me a little bit, since I'm comparing prices for flights at the same time of year in the last few years.

It's just mind boggling...
Deal Addict
Oct 6, 2015
2463 posts
1401 upvotes
AC's policy has been to price for yield, not price to fill seats, on certain routes.

There's someone on another forum who reported being on an AC Toronto-London around 40% full recently probably due to the recession. Its the airline's prerogative, whether they sell all seats for cheap, or sell a few seats for $$$.
Deal Addict
Dec 25, 2004
2276 posts
226 upvotes
Fuel prices have gone down. AC wants profits up. Way up.
Newbie
Jun 29, 2012
16 posts
2 upvotes
MONTRÉAL
What?
Toronto to Vienna
Aug 3 - Aug 16 -> 1112 CAD$ ROUNDTRIP
Toronto to Vienna 1 hour 30 minutes in London,
flight back is Direct.
(2 weeks; 3 weeks basically the same price...)
Sr. Member
User avatar
Sep 16, 2015
792 posts
1605 upvotes
Calgary, AB
Use Google.ca/flights to find a good price to a major hub, then fly on using a secondary airline. It can save a small fortune.

Fly to Amsterdam for ~$1K, then take Austrian Airlines (about $150) or easyjet (from about EUR 55) from AMS to VIE. Or fly to FRA. Or LHR or LGW.

https://www.google.ca/flights/#search;f ... ZAMS0TS340
Newbie
Feb 15, 2016
4 posts
Yea, I'm finding Austrian claims to have a flight (...through Vienna...) to Budapest for "$500" according to google flights --- but when you go to their website, it's $2K.... If the $500 were true, I'd do that and then train to Vienna in 3 hours for $50...

I think you're right about Air Canada being @$$holes anyways --- I feel like they're selling a few seats at a huge markup instead of filling seats for low prices.
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Dec 18, 2007
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Drekemail wrote: It's called Canada where monopolies and duopolies reign supreme. Drive to a border city and fly from the US and support a truly competitive marketplace.
Doesn't apply to European flights unless you could get to NYC or something which is certainly not a border city.

Maybe OP will have better luck flying into Dublin, London or via icelandair? I don't think they fly into Vienna though.
Deal Expert
Aug 2, 2001
18946 posts
10528 upvotes
mike302 wrote: The dollar isn't a good explanation, since it hasn't fallen that much since September 2015 -- not enough to explain this discrepancy.

Supply and demand would surprise me a little bit, since I'm comparing prices for flights at the same time of year in the last few years.

It's just mind boggling...
It's just supply and demand. If Air Canada can sell the seats at a higher price and still fill the plane, they will. When the plane is empty they will lower the prices to fill the seats, because flying an empty plane over and over again will cost them a lot of money. Regardless of the Canadian dollar, the airline industry is ruled by supply and demand, and pending a strategic reason, will not operate flights that generate large losses on a continual basis.

Supply and demand can be affected by many things, such as Air Canada reducing the number of flights to Vienna (therefore reducing supply) or by a greater number of people wanting that route (or part of it).


As a side note, what many people do not realize is that a low fuel price now does not mean that is what an airline is paying. Airlines lock into contracts for their fuel ahead of time, so while they are most likely benefiting (to some extent) from low oil prices, they are not benefiting to the extent they would be based on today's prices. This is of course good and bad - when prices are rising their fuel cost is not - but when prices are dramatically dropping they may be locked into a contract for several more months before their costs drop.
Sr. Member
Dec 14, 2005
923 posts
558 upvotes
Mississauga
mike302 wrote: I am a frequent (annual or bi-annual) traveler to Vienna, from Toronto. In the past 7 years, I've never paid more than $1200 for a return flight for Toronto to Europe -- and actually the $1200 price was Toronto to Vienna and return to Toronto out of Istanbul. My return flights to Vienna have never been more than $1000.

So you can imagine my surprise when I'm finding one-way flights to Vienna (for August 2016) to be upwards of $900, most actually listed upwards of $1500, and Air Canada's version of a cross-listed Air Austria flight at $1950, when Air Austria is offering the same flight for $900... Considering the obliterated price of fuel right now, relative to when I paid $1000 for a return flight in 2015, you an imagine that I am having a hard time bringing myself to accept this is the price of flying Toronto to Vienna...

Does anyone have any advice? How do I make my trip MUCH cheaper, because I cannot bring myself to be ripped off by an airline like this.

Thanks
not sure why your flight is more expensive. On the contrary my flight to East Europe this year is 200 CAD cheaper than previous years
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Nov 28, 2007
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Whitehorse, YT
I've found off-peak fares from Whitehorse to one leg beyond Frankfurt (like Graz, Budapest) to be better than last year's off-peak at $1200 - 1250 return.

I say go back in a week and check again. Last month I tried to book a leg on a small plane in the USA, picked a seat but got rejected at the credit card stage. So started over and found the price had gone up. Booked another seat because the first one was not released but got another cc rejection. After the third attempt and a still higher price I gave up. By next morning the price was back down to normal when we phoned the order in. Prices change all the time for any reason.

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