A Huge Plane Ticket Price Jump Is Coming — Here's What Canadian Travellers Need To Know

Strap on your seatbelt, the cost of airfare in Canada is about to take off. Plane ticket prices are already rising and are expected to soar to pre-pandemic levels by this summer.

Travel app Hopper attributes the predicted price jump to inflation, which is driving the cost of jet fuel to the highest levels since 2008. The report suggests that worldwide supply took a downturn following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, doubling prices since early 2019.

Up to a third of airline operating costs stem from fuel costs and with rates likely to remain elevated in 2023, airlines are under pressure to compensate for their higher operational costs by raising ticket prices.

"Canadian domestic airfare in February is averaging $285 per ticket, in line with 2022 prices," Hopper Lead Economist Hayley Berg told MTL Blog.

But she says, "international flights from Canada are up 24% compared to 2022, currently averaging $873 per ticket."

January saw highs of $975 per ticket for out-of-country trips, which marks a price break for travel hopefuls ahead of students' reading week in March.

By this summer, however, airfare is likely to go up around 20%, as high demand for tickets continues to outpace airline capacity.

Hopper reports that 96% of its users — mostly Gen Z and Millennial travellers — plan to take at least one trip in 2023. If that includes you, be sure to brace for some sticker shock.