If you like to keep an eye out for good transatlantic airfares, you’re probably aware that a one-way flight can be disproportionately expensive. This is not usually an issue, however, because most folks are booking round-trips anyway. But if you do find a low one-way fare, it could be an opportunity to put together an interesting and affordable itinerary, either by combining it with a reward flight or securing two trips through nested tickets.
Halifax – London Non-Stop Resumes November, 2021
Air Canada’s non-stop from Halifax to London Heathrow is scheduled to return this November with flights 4x a week.
Although WestJet offers service from Halifax to Dublin, Glasgow, London and Paris (Manchester was in the works as well at one point), all of those are seasonal. Same with Condor to Frankfurt (and sometimes Munich). That’s great if you’re travelling in the late spring-summer-early fall period, but not so great if you want to travel in the off season.
Boeing 737 MAX
The aircraft Air Canada will be using is the infamous Boeing 737 MAX 8, the narrow-body plane that was taken out of service for an extended period to repair a defect. If you’re hesitant about flying in one of those or just prefer a wide-body for longer flights, you can choose to connect in Montreal or Toronto.
One-Way Airfare $321
The price of a one-way on Air Canada from Halifax to London Heathrow is currently $321 (both the non-stop or via Montreal or Toronto). Any one-way fares in the $300s are a super deal and you don’t typically find them for transatlantic flights on Air Canada. I’ve seen this one appear in the past but it never stuck around consistently the way it has lately.
Oddly, a one-way non-stop Air Canada flight to London from Vancouver is only $274. The price per mile is so much lower for west coast residents. Maybe it’s just best to take comfort in the fact that a trip across the pond from Halifax is much shorter than one from the other side of the country.
What About Other Cities?
I checked several other European cities that have year round service from Montreal or Toronto to see if there was anything comparable. The lowest was Halifax to Paris connecting in Montreal for $492. After that it jumps up to $762 for a one-way to Brussels and higher for other destinations. London is the only bargain.
Outbound Only
Note that this fare is available in the eastbound direction only. One-way flights in the opposition direction are in the stratosphere at around $2800. Anyone needing a one-way to Canada would be better off booking a round trip and ditching the return flight.
Redeem Aeroplan Points to Come Home
If you have Aeroplan points, using them for the flight back could be a good option. Just be aware that fees are quite high departing from London so it would be cheaper if you were heading home from somewhere else.
For example, maybe after a while in London you’d like to go visit the Christmas markets in Vienna.
November 27, 2021
Halifax – London
Non-stop
Air Canada
$321
—
December 6, 2021
London – Vienna
Non-stop
Ryanair/Wizzair/EasyJet/British Airways/Austrian
$45 – $118
—
December 11, 2021
Vienna – Halifax
Connect in Toronto
Air Canada
Aeroplan 34k + $66 Economy or 59.2k + $66 Business
Redeeming Aeroplan points to fly to London in economy would be a poor value so using them only for the flight home might make more sense. This could also be a scenario where one would opt to redeem points for business class on the longer homebound journey and just buy the cheap economy ticket for the shorter, albeit overnight, outbound flight.
Nested Ticketing
Another option would be to make a round-trip or open-jaw (multi-city) booking departing from Europe and returning some time later.
For example, you could fly to London in late 2021, spend a few days and then take the Eurostar to Paris. Fly home to Halifax on a return ticket in the $500s that will bring you back to Europe in March 2022.
Maybe you’d like to visit Spain next year…
November 1, 2021
Halifax – London
Non-stop
Air Canada
$321
—
November 13, 2021
Paris – Halifax
Connect in Montreal
Air Canada
March 12, 2022
Halifax – Barcelona
Connect in Newark
United
$579
Or perhaps you’d like to see more of France…
November 20, 2021
Halifax – London
Non-stop
Air Canada
$321
—
December 2, 2021
Paris – Halifax
Connect in Montreal
Air France + WestJet
March 1, 2022
Halifax – Lyon
Connect in Toronto, Paris
WestJet – Air France
$585
(Because the last flight segment is a short hop to Lyon, you could forgo the connection and remain in Paris if you wished.)
Of course, you then have to figure out a way to return home from the second trip. Setting up nested itineraries obviously requires a lot of planning, but if you intend to travel to Europe multiple times, it could save you money. It also helps if you have a lot of flexibility and can pounce on any deal.
Final Thoughts
When so many of the non-stops from Halifax to Europe are seasonal, it’s nice to have this reasonably priced one-way fare to London as a possibility. Not having to connect in North America on the outbound is very appealing.
If you don’t currently have the points for a return ticket, you might be able to accumulate at least enough for the homebound flight. The nested ticketing angle is also something to be aware of if you don’t mind adding a bit of complexity to your travel plans.
Anyway, until the pandemic passes and we can take trips again, researching potential money-saving opportunities is something we can do in the meantime.
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