lynx air canada

New ultra-affordable airline expanding into Toronto with $49 flights

Restrictions are lifting, the sun is shining, and a brand new "ultra-affordable" Canadian air carrier just announced a major expansion into Toronto — one with flights that'll cost you less than an Uber ride from downtown to Vaughan Mills.

Lynx Air, based in Calgary, dropped the news Thursday morning that it will begin flying out of Toronto's Pearson International Airport in mid-April. Locals can also choose to fly in and out of the John C. Munro airport in Hamilton.

There are only six destinations to choose from so far, all of them within Canada, but the rates are mighty nice if you must, for some reason, travel from Toronto to Halifax, St. Johns, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton or Vancouver (the full flight network also includes Kelowna and Victoria).

The airline is set to celebrate its inaugural flight in just a few weeks, on April 7, from Calgary to Vancouver. You'll be able to fly between cities on the west coast at that time for as little as $39 a pop.

Lynx will begin flying its brand-new Boeing 737 aircrafts out of Toronto on April 11, with the major expansion planned for late June. 

You can fly from Toronto to Halifax beginning June 30 for just $69 each way, per the airline's booking site. Edmonton will join the party on July 28, with seven flights out of Pearson scheduled per week. Hamilton flyers can start visiting both Calgary and Halifax via Lynx Air commencing June 29.

"We are excited to be announcing this major expansion of our network, providing Toronto residents with more choice and competition as they seek to reconnect with loved ones and to rediscover this beautiful country," said Lynx CEO Merren McArthur in a release on Thursday.

"By the end of July, we will be flying 92 flights per week in and out of the Toronto area, which is more than 17,000 seats per week."

To celebrate the expansion, Lynx (named after the impossibly cute Canadian wildcat) also announced a contest today. Entrants can win a free weekend getaway from Toronto to either Halifax, Calgary, Edmonton or Vancouver.

Lynx joins Swoop, Flair, and to a lesser extent WestJet, in the low-cost carrier category for Canada, but plans to differentiate itself from competitors with spectacular service and excellent rates.

The goal, Merren tells blogTO, is not to take business away from other airlines. Rather, the company wants to expand the entire industry by making flights accessible to more people — similar to how things work in Europe, where "budget airlines" have been providing inexpensive short-haul trips since the 90s.

"We are excited to see Lynx Air expand its network and destination list to bring more choice and ultra-low airfares to the city and its neighbouring communities," said Cathie Puckering, President and CEO of John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport.

"Lynx Air is providing more options for those travelling to other parts of Canada, while also giving visitors to Pearson greater opportunities to explore Ontario," said Stephan Rouleau of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (which owns Pearson) similarly.

"This expansion announcement from Lynx Air is welcome news as travel restrictions continue to ease and interest in air travel on the part of the public continues to rise."

Lead photo by

Lynx Air


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