Alex McConnachie couldn’t believe his eyes: When he checked Canadian North’s website Monday morning, it said the price of a one-way ticket from Ottawa to Iqaluit had more than tripled to approximately $2,000.
“I’m a hostage to these fares,” said McConnachie, who lives in Iqaluit and shares custody of his 12-year-old son with his ex-wife, who lives in Halifax. Under their custody agreement, McConnachie has to pay for the plane ticket for his son to travel to visit his mother regardless of how much the ticket costs.
“So, if they say that flight is $9,000, I have to pay it,” he said, adding that a drastic increase in Canadian North prices would mean that simply fulfilling his duties as a father might drive him deep into debt.
Turns out, it was all a false alarm.
A “clerical error” led to one-way tickets – which usually sell for approximately $500 – being listed for $1,800 to $2,000 on Canadian North’s website Monday, said Lauren D’Oliveira, an airline spokesperson.
“We can confirm a configuration error during a recent system update did affect fares that would have been visible on our website,” said Pam Plaster, VP for investor development for Exchange Income Corp., the airline’s owner.
She said fares are not being increased.
Plaster said Canadian North would contact passengers, such as McConnachie, who already booked flights at the incorrect prices to issue “appropriate refunds.”
D’Oliveira said she didn’t know the exact number of passengers who will receive a refund or when the incorrect prices first appeared on the website.
Canadian North was recently acquired by Exchange Income Corp. Its chief executive officer, Mike Pyle, promised the sale would not drive up the airline’s fares.
News that the price hike was an error came as relief to McConnachie.
He said the panic he and other Nunavummiut experienced reminded him of a long-running joke that the North’s dominant airline’s motto should be: “Canadian North – what are you gonna do, walk?”
“It’s not like we have other options,” McConnachie said.
Doubling the price of tickets would have contravened the orders of Transport Canada, the federal department responsible for national transportation policies and programs.
In 2023, the department announced conditions for Canadian North’s 2019 merger with First Air that included a 25% cap on annual fare increases. The conditions remain in effect until June 30, 2026.
“Transport Canada monitors Canadian North’s compliance with the terms and conditions and will take the appropriate actions should they not be complied with,” Hicham Ayoun, spokesperson for Transport Canada, said in an email Monday.
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