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$ 500 airfare to travel in the province of Quebec

To the point As of June 1, 2022, airfare to certain remote areas of Quebec will cost a maximum of $500. Here are the details to take advantage of it.

This post is also available in: FR

Government of Quebec Regional Air Access Program

In May 2022, the Government of Quebec announced a plan to ensure that all travelers can benefit from affordable and frequent air travel in the province.

Effective June 1, 2022, the maximum round-trip fare is $500 for passengers flying to and from remote regions. Then, the excess cost of the airfare will be paid by the Quebec government.

To obtain a cheap airfaire ticket, the flight must have as departure point or final destination the airport of Montreal, Quebec or Saint-Hubert, regardless of the number of stopovers if any.

The regions eligible for the Regional Air Access Program (RAAP) are :

  • Abitibi-Témiscamingue
  • Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine
  • Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and Chibougamau
  • Côte-Nord
Map of eligible regions

This price is for all Quebecers as well as travelers from outside the province.

The maximum amount for a one-way trip is $250, even if there are one or more stopovers during the trip.

The discount is applied at the time of ticket purchase. The maximum purchase is three $500 round-trip tickets or six one-way tickets per year, between April 1 and March 31.

Despite the bad press this program has received in recent months, there are still some good deals to have. For example, I had to decide:

  • Do I take a 6-hour bus ride for $145 from Saguenay to Montreal with a transfer in Quebec City or a1-hour direct flight for 190 $ from Saguenay to Montreal ?

In my personal situation and for the time savings, I preferred to fly through the RAAP even if it cost $45 more.

Eligible airlines and destinations

The airlines have financial assistance to pay the difference in airfare. The average cost of a ticket negotiated with each carrier is determined by reference to the pre-pandemic cost.

At this time, these air carriers are eligible:

  • Pascan Aviation
  • Air Canada
  • Air Creebec
  • Air Inuit
  • PAL Airlines
  • Air Liaison

They serve the following cities:

Rouyn-Noranda Val-d’Or Chibougamau Mont-Joli Bonaventure Gaspé Magdalen Islands
Saguenay – Bagotville Baie-Comeau Sept-Îles Schefferville Fermont Port-Menier Havre-Saint-Pierre
Natashquan La Romaine Chevery Whale’s Head The Snuffbox Saint Augustine Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon

It should be noted that a carrier must serve a destination in a remote area throughout the year in order to receive financial assistance.

For example, Air Canada only serves the Magdalen Islands in the summer. Therefore, she is not eligible to offer $500 tickets. However, if Air Canada gives a firm one-year commitment to the Quebec government, it may be entitled to the compensation.

Here are the eligible routes, cities and airlines for the $500 ticket.

Programme accès aérien aux régions aéroport et compagnies aériennes

Examples of $500 airplane tickets

$ 500 ticket Montreal - Magdalen Islands with Pascan

Pascan is one of the airlines offering a $500 ticket to the Magdalen Islands from Montreal.

When searching on their site, you must choose the PAAR option. The cost per trip is $249.97.

PAAR YUL YGR

Saguenay - Montreal

PAAR vol YUL YBG
PAAR YUL YBG
Aeroport de Bagotville YBG
Aeroport de Bagotville YBG

Blanc-Sablon - Montreal

YBX YUL Blanc Sablon PAAR

To further reduce the cost of airfare

One trick we really like is to reimburse the cost of an airline ticket with points.

Simply charge the cost of the airline ticket to a credit card offering rewards points and then apply the points to the purchase. A credit is then applied to the card account.

For example, redeeming 55,000 NBC Rewards points for a $500 airline ticket with Pascan could reduce the bill by $500. In total, your flight would cost you $0!!!!

This post is also available in: FR

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Caroline Tremblay
I'm Caroline, a loyalty program specialist! I use my points to travel more often and at a lower price with my spouse and our two children. I'm passionate about writing about the latest rewards news and how to put more points in your pocket.

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