An Unexpected Journey

I'm flying up to Montreal this weekend - just for one night. Indulgent? Yeah, but not purposefully - and the flight is totally free.

Earlier this week, CanJet announced that it was suspending its scheduled service as of this Sunday, 10 September. What wasn't stated clearly in its press releases was that it would also be the end of its airmiles programme. I was only alerted to the problem on Tuesday, when my sister-in-law's boyfriend called to offer me a free one-way flight he'd earned with CanJet, which he was unable to use before it expired on Sunday.

Well, I'd earned myself a one-way flight with CanJet as well - plus, I had a $50 credit voucher that was sent to me a few months ago as a result of a serious delay on a previous CanJet flight I'd taken. So I then spent much of Tuesday morning on the telephone, trying to decide if and where I might go this weekend, to use the flight credits before they expired. In the end, I decided to fly up to Montreal Saturday morning, have a visit with J., and come back Sunday evening. Luckily, seats were still available at that point, and I was able to make a booking.

Obviously, a free flight to an exciting city is always a good thing. But I am a bit miffed about CanJet's closure. Not only will it likely mean higher air travel prices (with only two carriers now serving Atlantic Canada), but I'd been saving up those airmiles in anticipation of a possible trip to New York City next year. I'll have to start from scratch again with another airline now.