Originally Posted by
menthex
Not going to pretend to be an expert at this. Not sure what's the solution. Unfortunately, AC effectively has a monopoly on a lot of its domestic operations. You either fly AC or drive. If we're actually in a market with competition, this airline would not be able to operate at the current state.
I don’t think I as an individual, or we FTers as a group, can realistically do anything. Even in YYZ, AC is the only reasonable option on many routes. Last year I tried to find alternatives on YYZ-YVR, and realized that AC was the only one offering something above regular economy, unless I could somehow get that one WS B789 flight that only flew on certain days, or connect in YYC. I may give PD a try this year as I have been happy with their service.
What I have been doing are, find a job that doesn’t require much travel, change my personal travel patterns to reduce my dependency on AC and domestic flying in general, and since I am based in YYZ, AC hasn’t gotten any of my international travel for years. Luckily Canada is a huge country and has lots of things to offer. You can take VIA Rail from coast to coast, visit Nunavut on an airline that serves hot meal in Y, or spend Xmas and New Year at Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, for the same price of TCON J RT on AC.