All the provinces of Canada have a number of airports and with both large and small airlines operating in the country this is one of the quickest ways to get around. The standard of airline services is excellent and many people will opt for a smaller airline for a domestic flight due to the frequency of services and cost efficiency. You may find that in poorer weather and at off-peak times of the year the number of flights in and out of remote areas is reduced.

Vancouver airport has a domestic terminal which is connected to the international terminal and from here flights can be taken to a wide number of destinations within Canada. These include Calgary with WestJet, Campbell River with a number of airlines including Air Canada, Edmonton with both Air Canada and WestJet, Saskatoon, Toronto and Victoria with the main airlines and also Orca Airways. Air North operates flights from Vancouver to Whitehorse while there are several small airlines which take passengers to Williams Lake. Passengers are also able to take flights from Vancouver to Winnipeg and Yellowknife.

Flight times vary according to the destination but flights from Vancouver to Calgary take approximately 1 hour. From Vancouver to Edmonton flights are around 1 hour and 20 minutes. Flights to Victoria take just 10 minutes and to Winnipeg are just over 2 and a half hours. Flights to Yellowknife take around 2 hours and 10 minutes and flights to Ottawa are just over 4 and a half hours. Flights from Vancouver to Toronto take around 4 hours and 20 minutes. Flights to Montreal take almost 4 hours and 50 minutes and passengers should allow a similar amount of time for flights between Quebec City and Vancouver. Flights from Vancouver to Saskatoon take just 1 hour and 50 minutes and flights to Whitehorse are around 2 hours.

If you are flying from Toronto you will find that there are 30 domestic destinations to choose from. These include Calgary, Charlottetown, Montreal, Edmonton, Ottawa, Quebec City, Regina, Vancouver, Halifax, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Victoria and St John. In addition there are many smaller airports in Canada which can be reached from Toronto. The same international and regional airlines operate out of Toronto International Airport as do from Vancouver as well as smaller airlines to the more remote destinations.

Flight times from Toronto to Calgary are around 3 and a half hours. From Toronto to Edmonton, passengers should allow the same amount of time. Flights from Toronto to Victoria are around 4 hours and 20 minutes and if you are flying from Toronto to Winnipeg you will need to allow 2 hours and 10 minutes. Toronto to St John is around 1 hour and 35 minutes and if you are flying to Halifax in Nova Scotia you should allow almost 2 hours for the flight. The flight time between Toronto and Ottawa is just 35 minutes and flights to Charlottetown take 1 hour and 50 minutes. Flights to Montreal are just under 50 minutes and flights to Quebec are almost 1 hour and 10 minutes. Passengers flying from Toronto to Regina should allow around 2 hours and 40 minutes for the flight and if you are flying to Saskatoon the flight time is 2 hours and 50 minutes.

Ottawa, Montreal and Calgary airports also have many internal flight options which gives passengers a wide choice of services. Other airlines which offer local services include CanJet which operates in and out of 15 of the main airports including Halifax, Montreal and Ottawa, and Air Canada Jazz, which covers domestic flights in Canada as well as travel services to some destinations in the US.

Booking flights is easy from the websites of the airlines although there are a number of companies which can book you a flight with any airline. Most have regular sales and airlines such as Air Canada operate frequent flyer schemes.

Passengers taking internal flights should be aware that security measures are just as strict as for international flights. Each airline has different requirements regarding luggage and hand luggage and this should be made clear when you book your flight.

Useful Resources

WestJet
Tel: (800) 538 5696
www.westjet.com

Air Canada
Tel: (888) 247 2262
www.aircanada.ca

Orca Airways
Tel: 888 359 6722
www.flyorcaair.com