Explore and Save With Canadian Airline Deal

Air Canada is offering a fall discount deal that is somewhere between a bargain and a bonanza, depending on how much of Canada you want to see, between now and Dec. 17.

The airline’s deep-discount “Freedom Flyer” fare is good for travelers 55 years and over, plus a companion of any age, as long as both parties travel together.

There are three fares available for flights originating in the United States: a flat fare of $575 for a trip to as many as 4 destinations; $675 for a trip to 5 to 8 destinations, and $775 for 9 to 12 destinations.

The savings can be significant. For example, a regular four-destination coach fare (Los Angeles to Calgary to Toronto to Halafax to Los Angeles) is $1,744.

A 14-day advance purchase is required for the “Freedom Flyer.” No more than one stopover is allowed at any one destination.

And there are one or two other hitches to the program.

First, all flights must be booked prior to ticket issuance, and there is an extra fee for changes or cancellation.

Second, like most airline deep-discount fares, these are capacity-controlled. This means that only a portion of the seats on any flight are set aside for Freedom Flyer fares, making early reservations important.

The program is not strictly limited to Canada, either. “Seniors may also travel on Air Canada to Air Canada’s U.S. destinations,” says Air Canada district manager Jim Gould, “so long as they do it through Canada.”

For example, you could fly from Los Angeles to Montreal for one stopover, then fly Air Canada to perhaps Boston or New York for another stopover. The return to Los Angeles would have to be through Toronto, with or without a stop.

Air Canada has nonstop flights to Toronto and Calgary with easy connections to Montreal, Quebec City and other major Canadian cities. For those visiting relatives in smaller cities, Freedom Flyer fares are valid on Air Canada’s connector airlines as well.

For more information, call Air Canada at (800) 776-3000.

Pismo Beach will host its second annual “Senior Celebration” throughout January, 1991. City officials are still putting together the hotel, motel and RV discount package plans, rounding up more discounts in dining and shopping, and setting up the senior entertainment program.

Senior groups who want to get an early start on plans can write to the Pismo Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, 581 Dolliver St., Pismo Beach, Calif. 93449.