New UK carrier out of YVR means cheaper flights to Europe

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – If you’re planning your summer vacation and you notice some extremely low fares to the UK, you might want to take advantage of them while they last.

A new UK carrier is flying out of YVR to London for the first time tomorrow, and that added service to Europe will mean cheaper flights.

For the last couple of weeks, you may have seen ads for double-digit ticket prices out of YVR to London from a variety of carriers. Andrew Henry with Uniglobe Travel says that’s because of the added competition brought on by Virgin Atlantic‘s arrival on May 24th.

“Any time another airline will come to Vancouver on a route where there is competition, you’ll definitely see a lowering of fares,” explains Henry.

He says there are already a handful of carriers doing the non-stop run to London, such as Air Canada, Air Transat, and British Airways; so, adding one more gets companies to work harder for your dollar.

“It’s already a fairly well-served [route] to London, so bringing in a new airline on a well-served route will further push prices down and that’s a really net positive for all travellers from BC heading to Europe,” he suggests.

Henry says the competitive pricing could spill over into connecting flights in London which also bodes well for travellers.

Though trips from BC to Europe should be less expensive in the long-term, you aren’t likely to see that reflected in the deals you’re seeing right now. With the Summer Olympics in London, you could see a bump in fares during that two-week period.

Henry tells us Virgin Atlantic coming to Vancouver raises the city’s and airport’s profiles, which may get more people to come here. “It won’t bring in more air carriers but it is certainly a big vote of confidence for Vancouver as an airport and as a destination.”