With Canadians increasingly interested in staying home for their vacations this year, a new report from KAYAK finds that domestic airfare prices are up 70% so far in 2026.
It’s normal for domestic flights to increase in price in spring and summer as compared with winter, when Canadians tend to seek warmer climates. But the KAYAK study finds it’s a pretty serious increase; an average hike of $158 for flights between Canadian destinations.
Not only are prices up 70% from January, but domestic airfares in Canada are up 26% in April of this year, compared to the same month in 2025.
KAYAK’s report says the steepest increase is for domestic flights to Vancouver, where average fares rose from $191 to $413, or 116%. Flights to Calgary have jumped from an average of $212 to $361 since January (up 70%), while airfares to Montreal have increased to $489 and Toronto-bound flights to $366 (increases of 29% and 74%, respectively).
The skyline of Calgary. JIM BYERS PHOTO
The good news for lovers of Atlantic Canada is that flights to Halifax from other Canadian destinations were down by an average of 10% in April when compared to the same month last year, falling from an average of $350 to $315.
Better News for International Travel
KAYAK said international flights from Canada have gone up, but not nearly as much as domestic routes.
Their study found the average international flight out of Canada in April cost $1,173; up 12% from $1,052 in January of this year. Prices for international flights in April of this year are up just 3% compared to last year.
A KAYAK spokesperson said flights from Canada to Paris are down as much as 10%.
BEST FOOD AND WINE CITIES IN THE USA: New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles Lead the Way
In this age of Instagram and social media, food has emerged as a far more important part of travel than it was 10 or 20 years ago.
With that in mind, Food and Wine has a nice list of the best U.S. cities for food and wine lovers.
Big eye tuna at Orla Restaurant at the Regent Hotel in Santa Monica, California. Jim Byers Photo
Here’s their list, with a few thoughts of a guy who’s pretty serious (if not crazy serious) about both topics.
- NEW YORK CITY
- CHICAGO
- LOS ANGELES
- NEW ORLEANS
- SAN FRANCISCO
- HOUSTON
- AUSTIN
- PHILADELPHIA
- CHARLESTON
- MIAMI
I don’t see how anyone can argue with New York being tops on a food city list; it’s pretty much a no-brainer. One might push for L.A. in the number two spot, but Chicago offers truly spectacular cuisine of all types (not to mention Chicago-style pizza and Chicago hot dogs). L.A., with its distinctive Asian/Pacific and Latin vibes, comes third, followed by New Orleans, which has amazing dishes inspired by its multicultural population. (A tour guide once told me, tongue only partly in cheek, that New Orleans is the richest city in the Caribbean.) After that comes San Francisco, where the food is almost as innovative as the city’s popular culture.
I haven’t had the pleasure of dining in Houston since 1995, but I’m not surprised to see the city ranked sixth. Austin surprises me a bit in the seventh spot, but I was only there once and it was for a two-day conference and I barely left the hotel. Philadelphia seems like a solid choice for number eight given its cosmopolitan nature, while Charleston has a lot of great options and probably deserves the top 10. Last on the list is Miami, which is a fabulous food city with inspiration from South America, the Caribbean and around the world.
The Food + Wine list gives two top five spots to California (Los Angeles and San Francisco) and two top 10 spots to Texas (Houston and Austin).
There are some other great U.S. food cities that could make an argument for spot on the list, including Washington D.C. and Las Vegas. I’d also include Honolulu, which has an amazingly diverse food culture.
There are several Canadian cities that might have made the list if it had included Canada. To me, my home town of Toronto would be number one on a Canadian list, followed by Montreal and Vancouver.
