O Canada, This Air Pact Is Real Neighborly, Aye?

If you haven’t been paying close attention, Canada may seem like the same neighborly, northerly, placid, occasionally overlooked nation it’s been for the last century or so. But California-based travelers should look again. Last year’s binational Open Skies agreement has made the nation to our north a more convenient destination, and in many cases a more affordable one.

As I write, in the last days of February, four airlines are offering round-trip restricted coach fares (good for travel through late May) for as little as $180.

These changes were set in motion Feb. 24, 1995, when top U.S. and Canadian transportation officials signed the Open Skies pact, which allowed Air Canada and Canadian Airlines International unlimited route rights from Canada to American cities and reduced most limits on flights by U.S. carriers to and from Canada. (Remaining restrictions on U.S. carrier service to Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal are to be lifted in phases over two to three years.)

Within two weeks, Air Canada was adding flights, and now flies more often between the two countries than any other carrier. Meanwhile, amid the jostling by other carriers, United and Alaska airlines have been scheming to boost their West Coast U.S.-Canada offerings, and Reno Air last May began connecting service between Los Angeles and Vancouver via Reno. To handle all this traffic, and the further increases that are forecast, a new international terminal is soon to open at Vancouver’s airport.

Tallying flight figures from May 1 to Dec. 31, Vancouver airport officials found that U.S.-Canada air passenger traffic increased 22.9% over the same period the year before. In its March issue, which explores the Open Skies pact after a year in place, Frequent Flyer magazine forecast an overall increase of 150% in air passenger traffic over the next decade.

Airline officials say demand has caught up with supply remarkably quickly, perhaps because the Canadian dollar has remained weak against the U.S. dollar (exchange rates are hovering around $1.30 Canadian per $1 U.S.), and the Southern California film and television industries are sending more and more production crews to Vancouver and Toronto. Partly as a result, travelers shouldn’t count on easy availability.

Here’s a roundup of recent developments and their impact on Southern Californians. (Keep in mind that many other carriers offer one-stop or connecting service to Canada.)

* Air Canada grows. Air Canada flies nonstop from LAX to Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal--the most Canadian cities of all carriers. On Oct. 29, Air Canada began running two nonstop flights daily from LAX to Vancouver, and two more from San Francisco to Vancouver. To lure customers to the new service in winter months, Air Canada began by offering its cheapest round-trip coach fares for as little as $128, but in February set its cheapest, most-restricted round-trip fares at $180 (excluding taxes) for travel before May 22.

At press time, Delta, United and Canadian Airlines International, each of which also fly at least daily between LAX and Vancouver, were offering the same fare. (Delta Airlines has not expanded its Canada-California nonstop service since the Open Skies pact, but continues to offer two daily nonstops between LAX and Vancouver, one between San Francisco and Vancouver and one between LAX and Calgary.

* United adds routes, cuts fares. March 2, United began flying a daily nonstop LAX-Vancouver flight, along with a daily Denver-Vancouver flight. (Until this month, United flights from Los Angeles stopped at Seattle on the way to Vancouver.) The carrier began daily nonstop service between San Francisco and Vancouver last May. Prices have improved too. A United spokeswoman notes that in February, 1995, the airline’s cheapest restricted fare for the one-stop flight from LAX to Vancouver via Seattle was $230. A year later, the cheapest fare for more-convenient nonstop service is $50 less.

* The Vancouver airports expands. To accommodate increases in air traffic to and from Vancouver--and update an aging facility--officials at Vancouver International Airport plan to open a $200-million international terminal on May 1. The building will include 1.25 million square feet and 16 jet boarding gates. Officials expect most of the new tenants to be airlines flying U.S.-Canada routes.

* Canadian Airlines International responds. Canadian (which is partly owned by American Airlines and has a code-sharing agreement with the U.S. carrier), battling in the newly crowded marketplace, has cut back from three to two flights daily between San Francisco and Vancouver. But the carrier continues to offer four flights daily from LAX to Vancouver, and last month upgraded its business class compartments--a move that a spokesman acknowledged was calculated to attract more entertainment-industry business travelers from Los Angeles. Top officials at Canadian estimate that overall U.S.-Canada fares have fallen 25% to 30% over the last year.

* Alaska looks forward. Alaska Airlines will begin twice-daily flights San Diego-Vancouver and back on May 6. In 1997, when further restrictions are eased, a spokesman said, the carrier aims to substantially increase its number of flights to Vancouver, with an eye toward eventually having its Vancouver operation just as busy as its Portland operation, where 47 planes depart daily. (As of late February, Alaska was selling its cheapest San Diego-Vancouver restricted coach tickets for $268 round trip, excluding taxes..

Reynolds travels anonymously at the newspaper’s expense, accepting no special discounts or subsidized trips. To reach him, write Travel Insider, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053; telephone (213) 237-7845.