Oneworld member British Airways and Star Alliance carrier Air Canada both have attractive offers for nonstop business class flights from London Heathrow to Montreal & Toronto in Canada. Roundtrip prices start at €1,282 (~£1,101) for flights in late 2020 and early 2021. On most travel dates, both airlines charge almost the exact same price.
British Airways sends a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on its seven hour journey across to Montreal. These aircraft feature a 2-3-2 seating pattern up front. But due to BA’s intelligent design, every seat enjoys direct aisle access nonethenless. Enroute to Toronto, you can enjoy BA’s new Club Suite on board an Airbus A350-900.
Air Canada operates a mix of Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787-9 from Toronto. You can expect a 1-2-1 lie-flat configuration on each of these aircraft. An Airbus A330 will take you to Montreal.
Search & Book
According to the fare rules, BA’s offer expires on March 31, 2020. It is valid for trips completed up to February 2021. A minimum stay of at least one night from Saturday to Sunday applies. Sadly, flights over christmas are excluded by the fare rules. We couldn’t find any fare rules for the Star Alliance offer.
For your convenience, we have compiled all possible travel dates at the lowest fare in our availability calendar. We checked both destinations for trips up to two weeks:
You can check further flight dates using Google Flights. While you may find cheaper tickets through online travel agencies, we strictly advise you to book directly with the airlines like British Airways or Lufthansa. Only this way, you can take advantage of their eased rebooking rules during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Mileage
British Airways issues these tickets in booking class I. This is a moderate booking class, granting around 100% of your travel distance with most Oneworld frequent flyer programs:
- 17,730 Award Miles + 10,638 Elite Qualifying Miles on Alaska Mileage Plan
- 10,638 Avios + 280 Tier Points on British Airways Executive Club
- 10,638 Avios + 1,000 Elite Points on Iberia Plus
- 10,638 Miles on American AAdvantage
- 10,638 Points on Finnair Plus
- 10,638 Avios on Aer Lingus AerClub
- 8,866 Avios + 60 Qpoints on Qatar Privilege Club
- 8,866 AsiaMiles + 90 Club Points on Asia Miles
- 8,866 Miles on Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- 8,866 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 8,866 Miles on Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
- 8,866 Miles on Royal Jordanian Royal Club
- 8,866 Miles on SriLankan FlySmiLes
- 7,092 Points + 16 Elite Points on Malaysia Airlines Enrich
Air Canada issues these tickets in booking class P. A roundtrip to Toronto results in the following mileage, not accounting for tier bonuses:
- 14,184 Miles on Ethiopian ShebaMiles
- 14,184 Miles on TAP Miles&Go
- 14,184 Miles on Aegean Miles+Bonus
- 10,638 Award Miles + 2,128 PQP on United MileagePlus
- 10,638 Miles on Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 10,638 Miles on Copa ConnectMiles
- 10,638 Miles on GOL Aéreos Smiles
- 10,638 Award Miles on Azul TodoAzul
- 10,638 Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 10,638 Miles on Egyptair Plus
- 9,220 Miles on EVA Infinity MileageLands
- 8,866 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 8,866 Award Miles + 7,092 Tier Miles on Avianca LifeMiles
- 8,866 CV Points on Vistara Club Vistara
- 8,866 Award Miles on Etihad Guest
- 7,092 Miles on Asiana Club
- 7,092 Award Miles + 400 Points on Miles&More
- 7,092 Points on SAS EuroBonus
- 7,092 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 7,092 Miles on Thai Royal Orchid Plus
Information & Tips for Canada
The North American country of Canada is the second largest country in the world in terms of surface area. In Canada, English and French are the official languages. Tourists visit Canada because of its many natural attractions and large cities, and the flight prices vary between the east and west coasts. Flights to the east coast e.g. to Toronto or Montreal regularly cost less than 400€. For flights to the west coast, e.g. to Vancouver or Calgary, prices are closer to 400€ – 600€. Other destinations are mostly only reachable with an additional domestic flight. Just like in the USA, most airlines now only offer cheap fares that do not include checked baggage. For checked baggage you should budget an additional 50€ per direction.
Best Time to Travel
Canada is a huge country with many varying climate conditions, but it is safe to say that the winters (November to March) are very cold and snowy in most regions. Summers are relatively mild and partly rainy.
Immigration & Visa Requirements
Most EU citizens do not need a visa for tourist stays of up to 6 months. However, an electronic travel waiver (eTA) must be applied for, similar to the ESTA required for entry into the USA. This costs CA$7 (~€5) and is valid for up to 5 years.
Currency
Canada’s national currency is the Canadian Dollar (CAD). One euro is approximately CA$1.47. Many credit cards may charge a foreign currency fee of up to 2% to pay in CAD.
Transfer from Canada to the USA
Canada is located north of the USA and is the only other country apart from Mexico that shares a border with it (2 borders, actually: Alaska borders Canada in the southeast!) At many airports in Canada US immigration is already done before departure, so you arrive in the USA as a “domestic” passenger in the domestic terminal which can potentially save you lots of time since you do not have to stand in line at customs upon arriving. By land the same entry formalities take place as at the airport or by train at the station in Canada. Most EU citizens don’t need a visa and can instead make use of the digital ESTA procedure.
Finding the Best eSIM Plan
We’ve compared various eSIM providers, such as Airalo and Maya Mobile. To see which plan is best for your travel needs, and which network offers the best coverage, feel free to read our detailed guide:
The Best eSIM Plans for Canada 🇨🇦 Compared
→ All Dealz for Canada
Information & Tips for Montreal
While Quebec City is the political capital of the province of Quebec, Montreal is the economic and cultural center. At the same time, it is the second largest city in Canada!
Flights to Montreal
Just like Toronto, Montreal is a pretty cheap destination for flights. Air Canada flies non-stop to Frankfurt/Main and Lufthansa flies non-stop from Munich to Montreal. In addition, there are many other connecting flights with stopovers in Europe or Toronto (mostly with Air Canada) as well as via the USA. Return flights for around 300€ (only hand luggage, checked luggage mostly 80-100€ surcharge) are a common sight. However, you should avoid the school holidays – especially the summer holidays! During this period, airfares quickly rise to over 500€ and reach highs of up to 1.000€ for a direct flight in economy class. Do not expect good deals during this time.
Best Time to Travel
The best times to visit Montreal are from March to May or from September to November. Thanks to comparatively mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine, these months are best suited for tourism. If you want to experience the Canadian winter you can also visit between December and February, but at this time you have to deal with weather restrictions.
From the Airport to the City Center
By taxi you pay a fare of $40CAD (approx. 27€) between the airport and the city centre. With the STM Airport Express (bus number 747) you pay $10CAD (approx. 6,70€) – the ticket is also valid on citywide public transit for 24 hours. The travel times by taxi as well as by bus depend strongly on the traffic and can take more than one hour during peak times.
→ All Dealz for Montreal
Information & Tips for Toronto
Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. The city is located on the northwest coast of Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes of North America.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit Toronto is in late spring (April/May) or early autumn (September). Thanks to mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine, these months are best suited for tourism.
From the Airport to the City Center
Toronto has two commercial airports, Toronto Pearson (Canada’s largest airport) and Toronto Billy Bishop. The latter is located on an island and is serviced by a free ferry every 15 minutes – if you land here, you are downtown in 10 minutes! Toronto Pearson is a little further out, a taxi to the city centre costs $53 CAD. The Union Pearson Express train connects the Union Station in the city center with the airport in 25 minutes, a one-way ride costs $12.35 CAD for adults.
→ All Dealz for Toronto
Cover Picture: © mario beauregard - Fotolia.com
Comment (1)
These still have BA’s terrible old Business class where you stare at your neighbour and have to climb over them to get out of your pod. Not worth it.