There’s only one month of school left before the year ends, and I, for one, have already started brainstorming places I want to travel to this summer.
If you’re like me, someone who wants to travel but is hesitant to take the Megabus, you’re probably looking to book the cheapest flights possible. However, cheap flights have their pros and cons.
Flair Airlines
I flew with this budget-friendly airline for the first time back in February during reading week. My family and I left on a Thursday night to catch our flight at 7:30 p.m. Our flight took off from Toronto Pearson Airport and headed for Vancouver, B.C., expecting to be there around 10 p.m. PST. It was roughly a five-hour flight in total. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, for starters, a series of multiple delays. After a one-hour delay, we soon learned that our plane had been running late. To be fair, the weather was particularly atrocious that night. When we finally boarded the plane, our flight had been delayed for yet another hour since the plane had to go through a de-icing process to ensure a safe ride. We finally left at 10 p.m. EST and arrived in Vancouver at midnight PST. Those delays turned out to be costly when we arrived, as they messed up our car rental plans. However, that’s a story for another time.
If you’re curious about luggage restrictions, Flair Airlines allows each customer to bring one free personal bag (purses, small backpacks, laptop bags, briefcases and tote bags) that weigh up to seven kilograms and are 15 cm x 33 cm x 43 cm. If possible, my tip is to pack as much as you can into your personal bag since carry-ons and checked-in bags will cost you more. If you are planning on bringing a carry-on bag, they can cost between $29-64 CAD and must be below 10 kilograms and 23 cm x 40 cm x 55 cm.
On the flight, there were no complimentary snacks or drinks, which was already expected coming into the flight. A snack-size bag of chips was $3.50 CAD, as well as all the drinks, except for coffee and tea. Although the prices were not bad, they were still more expensive than what you would pay at your regular grocery store.
Protip: If you don’t want to pay for snacks onboard, remember to pack a few snacks in your carry-on bag before your flight. That way, you save money and are not limited to a few options.
Final rating: 7/10
Swoop
When we flew back home from our four-day trip to British Columbia, we travelled with Swoop Airlines. The best part? No delays!
As for Swoop’s luggage restrictions, they allow each customer to bring one free personal bag that is 41 cm x 15 cm x 33 cm. As for carry-on baggage, they can cost between $42-90 CAD. The great thing about Swoop is that, unlike Flair Airlines, your carry-on bag has no weight restriction.
Similar to Flair Airlines, there were no complimentary snacks or drinks during the flight. Drinks, including pop, tea and coffee, were all about the same price as Flair Airlines’ menu. However, one great thing that Swoop had was various food combos to select from. The Snack Combo, which is $7.98, gives you a choice of one little snack item and one big snack item. Just out of curiosity, we bought this combo which included a small bag of Old Dutch Canadian Popcorn Twists and a large bowl of Mr. Noodles Pho. Honestly? It was surprisingly worth it!
Unfortunately, Swoop has very limited airports in Canada that they fly out of. Instead of flying out of Vancouver, we flew out of Abbotsford, which was a much smaller airport. This also meant we had to walk out onto the tarmac in the rain.
Check here for a full list of airports Swoop flies out of.
Another side note: This flight was fully booked, which, honestly, shouldn’t have surprised me. The flight to Vancouver was also fully booked.
If you are hoping for an empty seat beside you flying on a budget airline, don’t bet on it.
Final rating: 8/10
I consider myself one of the luckier ones flying with these precarious budget airlines. If you asked me to pick which airline I prefer over the other, I would choose to fly with Swoop, especially with all the recent controversy surrounding Flair Airlines. I think the best part about Swoop is that there is no weight restriction for carry-on baggage which really helps.
If you don’t expect much from a budget airline and are strapped for cash, flying with either Flair Airlines or Swoop is definitely something you should consider. Hopefully, this gives you a better idea of what it’s like flying with these budget airlines!