Low-cost carrier Arajet will launch its first flight from Montreal-Trudeau airport in November 2023. Headquartered in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, the airline stands out for its “low-cost” flights to Central and South America, with stopovers at its home airport. Arajet serves 22 destinations in 16 countries, including Curacao, Jamaica, Chile, Brazil, Colombia and several other major Latin cities.

I took part in the inaugural flight from Montreal to Santo Domingo on November 7, 2023 at 11:10 a.m. aboard a Boeing 737 Max 8 in economy class, for a flight lasting 4 hours 45 minutes. A special celebration with live music took place during boarding, along with a bite to eat and official speeches. My return flight, of similar duration, was a few days later, on November 11, 2023, departing Santo Domingo at 6:30 a.m., with no fireworks.

Although online check-in is available, it is not possible to complete the check-in process without visiting the counter at Montréal-Trudeau International Airport. You’ll notice the many French translation errors on the website when you make your reservation or attempt to check in.

When I arrived at the Arajet counter, only one agent was on hand to check in passengers, with or without hold baggage, making for a very long wait. The situation was the same on the return flight from Santo Domingo. You should therefore allow at least an hour for your in-person check-in at the airport counter, especially if you have suitcases to check. Service is provided in English or Spanish.

Like many low-cost airlines, baggage is not included in the base fare. Carry-on baggage costs between US 39.99 and US 84.99, while checked baggage costs between US 24.99 and US 74.99.

The economy-class cabin configuration on Arajet is 3 -3 on either side of the row, with 4 seats at the front in comfort class for a total of 185 possible passengers. My seat was aisle-side on the outward journey and window-side on the return. On-board service is in English and Spanish.

Each seat has a tray table, storage pocket and USB socket. The seat, made of imitation leather, can be reclined slightly, and is equipped with a height and side-adjustable headrest (on outbound flights only). Legroom is the same as on other flights on similar aircraft.

Unfortunately, on both the outbound and return flights, the tray table was very dirty, covered in pen scratches and stained with who knows what. Cabin cleaning, especially for this inaugural flight, would have been more than necessary. There was also some garbage on the ground in the middle aisle.

The outward journey was on time, and the return was a few minutes late.

Please note that the return flight to Montreal from Santo Domingo is very early (6:30 a.m.). If you’re staying at a resort more than an hour’s drive from the airport, you’ll have to leave in the middle of the night to allow time to check in at the counter and grab something to eat before the return flight. In my case, queues at both check-in and security took over 2 hours. As a result, I didn’t have time to stop at the bathroom, go to a store to get water, or buy some food before boarding (since I wasn’t in charge of my own transport).

No meals are included on Arajet flights, although a menu of drinks and light meals is available on board. On the outbound flight, my meal was provided by the company, a ham and cheese sandwich on very dry bread. It’s important to note that the entire menu is not always available, and that the only method of payment is cash, in Canadian, U.S. or Dominican peso dollars. On my early morning flight home, only coffee and a tuna sandwich were on the menu. If you don’t already have your meal with you, you’ll need to bring some money.

My experience of the service on board the Arajet flight was mixed. The flight attendants didn’t seem very happy to be at work, and shortly after departure, not a single attendant was visible to attend to passengers’ needs or refill glasses of water, most of them sitting up front on their cell phones. Unfortunately, my experience was the same on the return trip.

There is no video equipment on board Arajet, nor wi-fi with an online entertainment platform. So you need your own equipment to watch videos or listen to music.

All in all, I found Arajet to be comparable to other low-cost airlines. You pay for what you get, but when you add baggage fees and a stopover in Santo Domingo for flights to the rest of America, the prices are often the same or more expensive than others. There are 3 flights a week from Montreal to Santo Domingo and the many other destinations served by Arajet.

Finally, Arajet does not offer a loyalty program, but you could book your flight using your reward points through a portal such as Scene+ Travel for example. You could also reimburse your travel expense with your points Scene+ if it’s charged to the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card; follow our tutorial to learn all the steps.

Are you planning to visit the Dominican Republic? Plan your getaway with our travel guide.