New flights between Calgary and Fredericton coming in time for summer

The Fredericton airport will soon have a new airline connecting the city to Toronto and Calgary.

Beginning in June, Calgary-based Lynx Airlines will be offering low-cost flights, with a stopover in Toronto.

"This will connect our two communities, and there's such a demand right now for people from the west to come and visit east," said Johanne Gallant, president and chief executive officer of the Fredericton International Airport Authority. 

A one-way ticket to Toronto will cost $79 and a ticket to Calgary will be $199, taxes and fees included. Those fares are available for a limited time and will vary by destination and date, according to a news release announcing the flights. Lynx Air did not respond to an interview request prior to publication.

The cost of each ticket allows the passenger to bring one item on board at no extra charge, to be stowed beneath their seat, while overhead carry-on and checked luggage is subject to an additional fee.

The first Lynx flight out of Fredericton is scheduled for June 12. 

Service will be a through flight

The flight to Calgary will not be a non-stop, but is still considered direct, according to Kate O'Rourke, manager of public relations and marketing for the Fredericton airport.

That's because it's what's known as a through flight, where passengers going to the final destination don't need to get off the plane or switch seats while stopped in Toronto, O'Rourke said. 

O'Rourke said she doesn't know the specific details of the Fredericton to Calgary flight, but said a stop is typically 30 minutes to an hour for a through flight.

The airline saw an opportunity to fill a void in the province's airfare options, Merren McArthur, Lynx Air's CEO, said in a news release.

"Our strategy is to fly to destinations where airfares are high and low-cost options are limited, and Fredericton and New Brunswick are a perfect example of this," McArthur said in the release. 

Gallant said it's nice to have a variety of travel options at the airport, and that Lynx is offers a different product than an airline such as Air Canada.

"It gives the opportunity for people, who might not be able to travel otherwise, to use this type of service," she said. 

Good news for business community, chamber of commerce

The addition of flights to Toronto is good news for the Fredericton business community, said Krista Ross, CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce. 

She said she often hears from chamber members about the importance of flights to Toronto — as a destination and as a link to other places.

"From the perspective of Calgary," Ross said. "I wasn't aware that this was, you know, perhaps one of the key locations for Fredericton businesspeople. But I'm sure [Lynx] has done their market research." 

Though the low cost of a ticket means paying to take anything more than a personal item on the flight, Ross said those options may appeal to business travelers. 

"If I'm a businessperson, and I'm just traveling short term, perhaps I don't need a lot of luggage. I don't need to pay for that."