International flights from Canada are the most expensive in the world: report

International flights from Canada are the most expensive in the world, according to a new report from air travel website Kiwi.com.

Out of 75 of the world’s most popular travel countries, Canada ranked last for cost of international flights on both full-service and low-cost airlines.

The report said an average international flight from Canada costs $123.52 per 100 kilometres on a legacy airline like Air Canada or WestJet, and $57.02 per 100 kilometres on a low-cost airline like Air Transat.

The next most expensive countries are Oman and Taiwan. However, travellers in Taiwan still only pay half the price of what Canadians pay.

The cheapest international flights can be found from China at only $3.71 per 100 kilometres.

Flights out of the U.S. are also substantially less expensive at $23.55 per 100 kilometres on a full-service airline.

For all flights, international and domestic, Canada ranks at number 70 out of 75 for cost.

Travel expert Claire Newell is not surprised.

“We are nowhere in the running of even being competitive, especially when the U.S., – our closest neighbour – is just over $18 per 100 kilometres travelled,” Newell said.

“One of the things that we’re told is that we live in this huge country with a very small population, and it’s the same rules that apply everywhere: supply and demand,” she added. “The other thing is that there is a lack of competition. We essentially have a duopoly in this country with WestJet and Air Canada and there’s no real incentive for competitors to come into this marketplace.”

Despite that, Canadian and international airlines are adding more routes into key destinations in the country. New flights between Vancouver and Rome, Dublin, Brisbane, Delhi, and several Asian cities began in 2015 and 2016, helping to boost passenger numbers at Vancouver International Airport to record levels.

All prices are converted from USD to CAD based on a 1.30 CAD/USD exchange rate.

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