New Canadian Air Pass

If you are planning to visit the Atlantic provinces of Canada, look into a new air pass offered by Air Nova, a regional airline, in association with Air Canada and the four maritime provinces.

The 30-day Atlantic Canadapass allows travel to various destinations in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The pass costs $249 Canadian (about $207 U.S.) for three stops, $299 for four stops, $349 for five stops and $399 for six stops.

The passes are good until Dec. 15.

Discounts can be up to 60% off regular air fares. However, passengers must spend at least one Saturday night in the area and can’t backtrack to a destination already visited. In addition, the pass must be bought at least seven days before departure.

Also, travelers must be ticketed for the entire itinerary before departure. No changes are allowed in the itinerary, and tickets are nonrefundable. Travelers can change their flight time, but that might mean flying standby on another flight.

Among the cities that can be visited are St. John’s and Gander in Newfoundland, Goose Bay in Labrador, Halifax and Yarmouth in Nova Scotia, Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island and Fredericton and Saint John in New Brunswick.

Contact travel agents or Air Canada toll-free (800) 422-6232.

VIA Rail Canada offers a Canrailpass good for eight days and covers the western or eastern regions or the maritime provinces.

Another pass covers 15 days, good throughout the country. The eight- or 15-day passes are on a consecutive-day basis, but you get unlimited travel within that period for the region or whole rail system.

The eight-day pass costs $169 Canadian within the western region, which includes the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and such cities as Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg.

The eastern area, which costs $161, takes in Ontario and Quebec provinces, including the cities of Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec. The eight-day pass for the four maritime provinces is priced at $84.

The 15-day pass costs $254. Extra days, up to a maximum of 15, cost $7.65 a day for the 15-day pass. You can buy extra days (up to seven) for the eight-day passes for $7.65 a day. However, extra days have to be bought before departure.

Contact travel agents or VIA Rail Canada toll-free at (800) 665-0200.