More new ultra low-cost routes coming to Canada (and teaser of our guide with all routes)

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Ultra low-cost carriers (ULCCs) are the best thing to ever happen to the aviation industry. At least for those who want lower air fares (even those who don’t even fly ULCCs, because competition from ULCCs lowers prices on other airlines too).

You can read my ultimate guide to ultra low-cost carriers for all the details on this completely different business model (with 80+ ULCC flights under my belt, I know it better than just about anyone).

Canada was very slow to get ULCCs and when they finally started here, they mostly had domestic flights sadly. Now, finally there will be a lot of international ULCC routes at very low prices.

In the past week, another one has announced routes to Toronto and Montréal (but it’s really not as appealing as previous announcements) and an existing ULCC announced a new route from Toronto to Cancún.

Recently, another new international ULCC had announced new routes starting this fall, from Toronto and Montréal to a sunny Caribbean destination (and beyond to even more interesting destinations all over the Americas with its hub model). Prices are as low as $215 roundtrip. That’s really great!

But also, Canadian ULCCs have announced many new international destinations in their fall schedules from 12 Canadian airports. Prices are as low as the $100s roundtrip! I’ve listed every ULCC route for Canadians below as a teaser for our detailed guide coming very soon (that will also have handy map infographics to show ULCC routes).

Contents hide
New ULCC 1: Sun Country
New ULCC 2: Arajet
All ULCC routes in Canada (teaser)
Summary

 

New ULCC 1: Sun Country

Here are the 2 seasonal routes recently announced by American ULCC Sun Country Airlines:

  • Toronto (YYZ) – Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP)
    • From June 13 to August 25
    • 2x/week (Thursday, Sunday)
  • Montreal (YUL) – Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP)
    • From June 21 to August 26
    • 2x/week (Friday, Monday)

These are just seasonal flights, but it adds an intriguing option. Minnesota isn’t the trendiest destination, but it can be appealing for nature lovers.

 

Airline

Sun Country Airlines is a ULCC that is generally a little more expensive than other ULCCs. It is based in Minnesota and is very regional. Still, it has a fleet of 54 aircraft (Sunwing has 32 for comparison).

Sun Country B737 (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

 

The carrier is very old: it’s been around since 1982… but initially, it wasn’t an ultra low-cost carrier.

But like everywhere else in the world, the business model of not being a ULCC but not being a legacy carrier either doesn’t really work well anymore. So they converted to a ULCC in 2017.

They have a fleet that is 100% composed of Boeing 737s, as is typical of ULCCs. While most ULCCs have very young aircraft fleets, Sun Country’s is rather old considering that it’s precisely an airline that converted to being a ULCC.

 

Prices

The current lowest prices of flights to Minneapolis are $337 roundtrip from both Toronto and Montréal, which is exceptionally bad for a ULCC. Maybe better deals will appear, it’s excessively early to book short-distance flights for summer 2024 obviously.

Sun Country Montréal-Minnesota flight prices (image credit: Skyscanner)

 

Destination

I guess you didn’t have Minnesota as #1 on your bucket list, let’s be honest. Still, if flights are cheap, it’s a different destination that can be very pleasant.

And nature lovers are in for a treat. The north of the state looks magnificent.

Palisade Head, Minnesota (photo credit: Brandon Cormier)

 

And the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolis is pretty big, with almost 50% more population as Vancouver. So there’s plenty to do, like catch a Twins baseball game, a quintessential American summer tradition.

Minneapolis (photo credit: Nicole Geri) 

 

New ULCC 2: Arajet

Here are the routes recently announced by Dominican ULCC Arajet:

But their hub allows you to travel to 10+ other countries (in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America) at very low prices! All these great destinations are about to become more affordable than ever. It’s a really cool new ULCC, and its arrival is great news for all travelers!
 

Airline

Arajet is an ultra low-cost carrier launched in 2022 with brand-new aircraft, and they already serve 20 destinations. They are well financed, including by one of the world’s largest capital firms (Bain Capital).

Arajet B737 MAX 8 (photo credit: Arajet)

 

Arajet essentially replicates the business model of WOW air (and its successor Play, which serves just the Toronto area at the moment), but to the Americas instead of to Europe.

Usually, ULCCs just have direct point-to-point flights, but this variation of the model gives you plenty of destination possibilities with a connection in Santo Domingo.

Toronto and Montreal are the first 2 North American cities to be chosen by Arajet.

 

Prices

Obviously, prices change every single day.

But we’ve already started to spot many deals at $215 roundtrip for flights from Toronto to Santo Domingo.

Price for an Arajet flight from Montreal to Santo Domingo (photo credit: Skyscanner)

 

And for $216 roundtrip for flights from Montreal to Santo Domingo.

Price for an Arajet flight from Montreal to Santo Domingo (photo credit: Skyscanner)

 

All the many deals we spot are on our cheap flight deals page every day, but you can also sign up for our free newsletter to receive all our deals!

Sign up for our free newsletter

 

But also, since the announcement of Arajet’s arrival, we’ve also been spotting plenty of very low fares to other exciting destinations with connections in the Dominican Republic.

For example, from Toronto today:

And from Montreal today:

 

Destinations

You can take this opportunity to discover the Dominican Republic in a more authentic way! The capital Santo Domingo is a historic city that looks great, and it’s also the most populous in the entire Caribbean.

Santo Domingo (photo credit: Asael Peña)

 

Otherwise, the island is quite small and you can easily go and explore it and have a much more enriching experience than just staying in an artificial resort the whole time without seeing anything (it’s fine for travelers to go and rest for a few days, but our recommendation as travel enthusiasts is to not do just that — if you at least want to travel a little).

Cotubanamá (photo credit: Vladyslav Cherkasenko)

 

But you can also travel to many other countries via the Santo Domingo hub, all of which are equally attractive…

 

Other Arajet ULCC routes via Santo Domingo

With the Arajet connection, you can explore many other destinations:

  • Argentina: Buenos Aires (EZE)
  • Brazil: São Paulo (GRU)
  • Colombia:
    • Bogotá (BOG)
    • Cartagena (CTG)
    • Medellín (MDE)
  • Costa Rica: San José (SJO)
  • Chile: Santiago (SCL)
  • Dominican Republic: Santiago (STI)
  • Ecuador:
    • Guayaquil (GYE)
    • Quito (UIO)
  • El Salvador: San Salvador (SAL)
  • Guatemala: Guatemala City (GUA)
  • Jamaica: Kingston (KIN)
  • Mexico:
    • Cancún (CUN)
    • Mexico-Ángeles (NLU)
  • Netherlands/France (Caribbean territories)
    • Aruba (AUA)
    • Curaçao (CUR)
    • Sint Maarten/Saint Martin (SXM)
  • Peru: Lima (LIM)

 

All ULCC routes in Canada (teaser)

Here’s a quick teaser before our ultimate guide that will have a bonus: the routes from nearby US airports across the border, which can be very convenient for more ULCC options depending on where you live.

This is a list of all ULCC routes from Canadian airports. I’ve bolded all international routes. And I’ve excluded Swoop, Canada’s 1st ULCC, as it’s being merged into WestJet at the end of October.

Airports hide
Destination
Abbotsford (YXX)
Calgary (YYC)
Charlottetown (YYG)
Deer Lake (YDF)
Edmonton (YEG)
Fredericton (YFC)
Halifax (YHZ)
Hamilton (YHM)
Kelowna (YLW)
Kitchener/Waterloo (YKF)
London (YXU)
Montréal (YUL)
Ottawa (YOW)
Québec City (YQB)
Saint John (YSJ)
St. John’s (YYT)
Saskatoon (YXE)
Toronto (YYZ)
Thunder Bay (YQT)
Vancouver (YVR)
Victoria (YYJ)
Windsor (YQG)
Winnipeg (YWG)

 

Abbotsford (YXX)

Flair Airlines:

  • Year-round:
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Edmonton (YEG)
    • Kitchener/Waterloo (YKF)
    • Toronto (YYZ)

 

Calgary (YYC)

Flair Airlines:

  • Year-round:
    • Abbotsford (YXX)
    • Kelowna (YLW)
    • Kitchener/Waterloo (YKF)
    • London, Ontario (YXU)
    • Montréal (YUL)
    • Ottawa (YOW)
    • Toronto (YYZ)
    • Vancouver (YVR)
    • Victoria (YYJ)
    • Winnipeg (YWG)
  • Seasonal: 
    • Cancún (CUN)
    • Las Vegas (LAS)
    • Phoenix (PHX)
    • Puerto Vallarta (PVR)

Lynx Air:

  • Year-round:
    • Hamilton (YHM)
    • Kelowna (YLW)
    • Las Vegas (LAS)
    • Los Angeles (LAX)
    • Montréal (YUL)
    • Orlando (MCO)
    • Toronto (YYZ)
    • Vancouver (YVR)
    • Victoria (YYJ)
  • Seasonal:
    • Phoenix (PHX)
    • Winnipeg (YWG)

 

Charlottetown (YYG)

Flair Airlines:

  • Seasonal:
    • Kitchener/Waterloo (YKF)
    • Toronto (YYZ)

 

Deer Lake (YDF)

Flair Airlines:

  • Seasonal:
    • Kitchener/Waterloo (YKF)

 

Edmonton (YEG)

Flair Airlines:

  • Year-round:
    • Abbotsford (YXX)
    • Kelowna (YLW)
    • Toronto (YYZ)
    • Vancouver (YVR)
  • Seasonal: 
    • Cancún (CUN)
    • Las Vegas (LAS)
    • Los Angeles (LAX)
    • Montréal (YUL)
    • Nashville (BNA)
    • Ottawa (YOW)
    • Phoenix (PHX)
    • Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
    • Québec City (YQB)
    • Victoria (YYJ)
    • Winnipeg (YWG)

Lynx Air:

  • Year-round:
    • Toronto (YYZ)

 

Fredericton (YFC)

Lynx Air:

  • Year-round:
    • Toronto (YYZ)

 

Halifax (YHZ)

Flair Airlines:

  • Year-round:
    • Kitchener/Waterloo (YKF)
    • London, Ontario (YXU)
    • Montréal (YUL)
    • Ottawa (YOW)
    • Toronto (YYZ)
  • Seasonal: 
    • Québec City (YQB)
    • Windsor (YQG)

Lynx Air:

  • Year-round:
    • Toronto (YYZ)

 

Hamilton (YHM)

Lynx Air:

  • Year-round:
    • Calgary (YYC)

Play:

  • Year-round:
    • Reykjavík (KEF)

 

Kelowna (YLW)

Flair Airlines:

  • Year-round:
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Edmonton (YEG)
    • Toronto (YYZ)
    • Vancouver (YVR)
  • Seasonal: 
    • Kitchener/Waterloo (YKF)
    • Victoria (YYJ)
    • Winnipeg (YWG)

Lynx Air:

  • Year-round:
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Toronto (YYZ)

 

Kitchener/Waterloo (YKF)

Flair Airlines:

  • Seasonal: 
    • Abbotsford (YXX)
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Cancún (CUN)
    • Halifax (YHZ)
    • Vancouver (YVR)
  • Seasonal:
    • Charlottetown (YYG)
    • Deer Lake (YDF)
    • Fort Lauderdale/Miami (FLL)
    • Kelowna (YLW)
    • Las Vegas (LAS)
    • Orlando/Sanford (SFB)
    • Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
    • Victoria (YYJ)
    • Winnipeg (YWG)

 

London (YXU)

Flair Airlines:

  • Seasonal: 
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Cancún (CUN)
    • Halifax (YHZ)
    • Orlando/Sanford (SFB)
    • Vancouver (YVR)
    • Winnipeg (YWG)

 

Montréal (YUL)

Arajet:

  • Year-round:
    • Santo Domingo (SDQ)

Flair Airlines:

  • Year-round:
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Halifax (YHZ)
    • Vancouver (YVR)
  • Seasonal: 
    • Cancún (CUN)
    • Edmonton (YEG)
    • Fort Lauderdale/Miami (FLL)

Lynx Air:

  • Year-round:
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Las Vegas (LAS)
    • Orlando (MCO)
    • St. John’s (YYT)
    • Tampa (TPA)
  • Seasonal:
    • Vancouver (YVR)

Sun Country Airlines:

  • Seasonal:
    • Minneapolis/Saint Paul (MSP)

 

Ottawa (YOW)

Flair Airlines:

  • Seasonal: 
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Cancún (CUN)
    • Edmonton (YEG)
    • Fort Lauderdale/Miami (FLL)
    • Halifax (YHZ)
    • Las Vegas (LAS)
    • Orlando/Sanford (SFB)
    • Punta Cana (PUJ)
    • Vancouver (YVR)
    • Victoria (YYJ)
    • Winnipeg (YWG)

 

Québec City (YQB)

Flair Airlines:

  • Seasonal: 
    • Edmonton (YEG)
    • Halifax (YHZ)

 

Saint John (YSJ)

Flair Airlines:

  • Year-round:
    • Toronto (YYZ)
  • Seasonal: 
    • Orlando/Sanford (SFB)

 

St. John’s (YYT)

Lynx Air:

  • Seasonal:
    • Montréal (YUL)
    • Toronto (YYZ)

 

Saskatoon (YXE)

Flair Airlines:

  • Year-round:
    • Toronto (YYZ)
  • Seasonal: 
    • Vancouver (YVR)

 

Toronto (YYZ)

Arajet:

  • Year-round:
    • Santo Domingo (SDQ)

Flair Airlines:

  • Year-round:
    • Abbotsford (YXX)
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Cancún (CUN)
    • Charlottetown (YYG)
    • Edmonton (YEG)
    • Fort Lauderdale/Miami (FLL)
    • Halifax (YHZ)
    • Kelowna (YLW)
    • Kingston, Jamaica (KIN)
    • Las Vegas (LAS)
    • Nashville (BNA)
    • Saint John (YSJ)
    • Saskatoon (YXE)
    • Thunder Bay (YQT)
    • Vancouver (YVR)
    • Victoria (YYJ)
    • Winnipeg (YWG)
  • Seasonal: 
    • Orlando/Sanford (SFB)
    • Palm Springs (PSP)
    • Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
    • Punta Cana (PUJ)

Lynx Air:

  • Year-round:
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Edmonton (YEG)
    • Fort Myers (RSW)
    • Fredericton (YFC)
    • Halifax (YHZ)
    • Los Angeles (LAX)
    • Orlando (MCO)
    • Phoenix (PHX)
    • Tampa (TPA)
    • Vancouver (YVR)
    • Winnipeg (YWG)
  • Seasonal:
    • Cancún (CUN)
    • St. John’s (YYT)

Sun Country Airlines:

  • Seasonal:
    • Minneapolis/Saint Paul (MSP)

 

Thunder Bay (YQT)

Flair Airlines:

  • Year-round:
    • Toronto (YYZ)

 

Vancouver (YVR)

Flair Airlines:

  • Year-round:
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Edmonton (YEG)
    • Kelowna (YLW)
    • Kitchener/Waterloo (YKF)
    • Las Vegas (LAS)
    • London, Ontario (YXU)
    • Los Angeles (LAX)
    • Montréal (YUL)
    • Ottawa (YOW)
    • Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
    • San Francisco (SFO)
    • Toronto (YYZ)
    • Winnipeg (YWG)
  • Seasonal: 
    • Cancún (CUN)
    • Palm Springs (PSP)
    • Phoenix (PHX)
    • San José del Cabo (SJD)
    • Saskatoon (YXE)
    • Windsor (YQG)

Lynx Air:

  • Year-round:
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Orlando (MCO)
    • Toronto (YYZ)
    • Winnipeg (YWG)
  • Seasonal:
    • Montréal (YUL)

Sun Country Airlines:

  • Seasonal:
    • Minneapolis/Saint Paul (MSP)

 

Victoria (YYJ)

Flair Airlines:

  • Seasonal:
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Edmonton (YEG)
    • Kelowna (YLW)
    • Las Vegas (LAS)
    • Ottawa (YOW)
    • Toronto (YYZ)
    • Winnipeg (YWG)

Lynx Air:

  • Year-round:
    • Calgary (YYC)

 

Windsor (YQG)

Flair Airlines:

  • Seasonal: 
    • Cancún (CUN)
    • Halifax (YHZ)
    • Orlando/Sanford (SFB)
    • Vancouver (YVR)

 

Winnipeg (YWG)

Flair Airlines:

  • Year-round:
    • Toronto (YYZ)
  • Seasonal: 
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Cancún (CUN)
    • Edmonton (YEG)
    • Kelowna (YLW)
    • Kitchener/Waterloo (YKF)
    • Las Vegas (LAS)
    • London, Ontario (YXU)
    • Orlando/Sanford (SFB)
    • Ottawa (YOW)
    • Vancouver (YVR)
    • Victoria (YYJ)

Lynx Air:

  • Year-round:
    • Calgary (YYC)
    • Toronto (YYZ)
    • Vancouver (YVR)

 

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Summary

Finally, there are more exciting international connections on ultra low-cost carriers in Toronto and Montreal. There are also more ULCC routes than ever from all parts of Canada.

What would you like to know about the new ULCC in Canada? Tell us in the comments below.

 

See the deals we spot: Cheap flights

Explore awesome destinations: Travel inspiration

Learn pro tricks: Travel tips

Discover free travel: Travel rewards

 

Featured image: Dominican Republic (photo credit: Jean Estrella)

Original publication date: September 13, 2023

 

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Andrew D'Amours

Andrew is the co-founder of Flytrippers. He is passionate about traveling the world but also, as a former management consultant, about the travel industry itself. He shares his experiences to help you save money on travel. As a very cost-conscious traveler, he loves finding deals and getting free travel thanks to travel rewards points... to help him visit every country in the world (current count: 71/193 Countries, 47/50 US States & 9/10 Canadian Provinces).

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Jon September 16, 2023 Reply

    Normally I would look for flights on Google Flights, but only Flari typically shows on the search. Do you have to go to the ULCC websites to see the prices or is there a search engine that captures their flights?

    1. Andrew D'Amours September 16, 2023 Reply

      We do recommend Skyscanner instead though, as it compares even more websites to make sure you see if there are prices that are really lower. It’s always best to book direct with the airline if it’s the same price, but I personally always want to at least know if a third-party site has a cheaper price so I can make an informed decision on whether the price difference is worth it, instead of not even having the option 🙂

      That said, all ULCCs that fly to Canada do appear on Google Flights too!

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