Dust off your suitcase and grab your sunhat and set off for warmer climates. Escaping a Canadian winter, even if only for a few weeks has been around as long as the commercial airline industry. Glossy timetables and advertisements showing beautiful beaches and sunny sky’s have been a part of the airline business plan from conception.
We may feel that air travel has become more expensive with less perks over time. While that may be true, the cost for a few days in the sun is one of the few things that have gone down over the years. Flying in Canada has always been expensive with charter routes between major cities often costing a pretty penny for seemingly little in return. However, the next time we feel like gawking at the price from Edmonton to Vancouver, it might be useful to remember that the price for Commercial Airlines to fly from Fort McMurray, Alberta to Aklavik, NWT cost $410 in 1929 – roughly $7288 in today’s money.
That seems astronomically expensive considering you would be going from one cold place to an even colder place. However, the prices for international travel weren’t much better even as airlines became bigger and more popular. For Canadian Pacific Airways in 1952 a flight from Vancouver to Dehli, India would have cost $1710.00 for a round trip – roughly $20,000 in today’s money… I don’t know any destination worth remortgaging a house but the cost between Vancouver and Honolulu, Hawaii may have been slightly more in reach at just $288 in 1952 (around $3300 today).
The “Golden Age” of flying in the 60’s may be what we romanticize the most. The big seats, good food, the height of fashion and sophistication. A snowbird trip from Edmonton to Miami in 1964 with Trans Canada Airlines would cost $208.90 ($2092.80 in 2025) for a first-class seat for some fun in the sun. This was still a little pricey for most but in reach for more people. In 1965, Canadian Pacific Airlines offered several international destinations as part of their service. Some of the interesting destinations included were Edmonton to Mexico City where a round-trip economy seat cost $322.20 (3151.26 in 2025) and Edmonton to Sydney, Australia which would set you back $1155.80 (11,304.96 in 2025) for a round-trip economy seat.
Now these prices may seem extreme, but when one considers at this time, a long-haul flight meant several layovers, multiple planes and the transfer of luggage, it makes a little more sense. By the 1980’s Airlines like Wardair didn’t advertise their fares with their timetables. More people were traveling which meant more variables and often cheaper prices. It became more commonplace to book with a travel agent.
In 2025, we depend on the internet to find the best deals for our vacation to Hawaii, or Mexico. We only need to ask Google to consult the hundreds of websites and multitudes of airlines to make sure we make the most of our holiday. It is possibly what makes air travel
now so much cheaper than 60-70 years ago. So when we book those vacations and spread sunscreen on our nose, we can be thankful that our escape to sun and sand won’t require a second mortgage on your home.