Brandon will soon celebrate six years since Westjet put it on the travel map by bringing commercial air service to the city with regular flights between the city and Calgary. Itâs been an absolute game changer for a lot of folks in Westman, be it those who use for work or those who fly for personal reasons without the hassle of the extra drive to and from Winnipeg at sometimes ungodly hours.
For the budget traveler weâve even been fortunate to have the odd deal come up that can't help but leave one previously accustomed to being forced to make the Winnipeg drive for travel feel a little spoiled at our new air travel normal.
That doesnât mean there arenât times where flying out of Winnipeg is still hard to overlook even after accounting for costs to first make the two hour ground trip East, parking a vehicle and for some an overnight hotel room. Now is such a time, with the competitive dynamic in Winnipeg on the YWG to YYC route giving rates for July that are in many cases half the cost if not better.
A look at current prices on a sample 7 day round trip from YBR-YYC shows a best-case July rate of $533 on July 17-24. A 7 day round trip as of the time of this posting cannot be had for under $500 until late August departures going by a Google Flight search done this morning. That compares to flying from Winnipeg at the rate of $306 to the same destination on the same day, also a direct flight with the same airline. If days are flexible one can do the round trip for as low as $243 in July or August with one late August departure showing as low as $218 round trip. Options are abound for Air Canada at comparable rates.
The big variable on Brandon vs Winnipeg flight comparisons has always been the size of the party traveling. If flying solo, expenses associated with the ground trip East eat into savings enough that any air fare savings are given back to the point of making a Winnipeg booking often not worth the trouble. When saving more than $200 as is the case in July and a good portion of August itâs possible even the solo traveler will have reason for pause, nevermind the family of four.
I think a lot in Brandon will respect that the cheaper YWG flights appear to primarily be a result of competitors in Winnipeg that arenât present in Brandon. I think most also understand that as much as theyâve been a good corporate citizen locally with presence in so many local raffles and advertising dollars invested locally, Westjet as a corporate entity is not here as a charity. Local travelers most likely hope it nets enough profit out of runs to and from YBR for it to be worth the while. But there will be times when depending on oneâs priorities and financial situation other airports may get a look.
For those with a longer horizon in bookings, the conversation may change with many 7 day YBR to YYC flights coming in close to $400 for early September departures and several options at $392 thereafter in the fall compared to the $243 that seems quite common into October out of Winnipeg. Itâs worth noting that by November both Westjet and Air Canada are showing what could be seen as more standard pricing on the YWG-YYC route with competitor Flair Air pricing as low as $158 as a base round trip fair at many points during the month.
Iâd be curious to hear local thoughts on the topic. Would you travel more during the summer if rates from Brandon were lower? What amount of air fare gap if any reaches the point where Winnipeg or perhaps another airport enters your conversation in trip planning?
Because prices and sales are always changing, if reading this very long after the time it was posted or if wanting to price connections in and out of Calgary I strongly recommend checking a flight price search service and airlinesâ own websites to verify current pricing for your potential trip!