Only travelers traveling for personal purposes will be entitled to a maximum of three round-trip flights at $500 per year, said Minister François Bonnardel, on the eve of the entry into force of his new air access program. to regions.
However, carriers will have to rely on the good faith of their passengers to ensure compliance with the terms of the program, unveiled Tuesday by the Minister of Transport, since there will be no additional checks.
In principle, a person who would like to travel between Montreal, Quebec or St-Hubert airport to a remote region, such as Gaspé, will not be eligible for the subsidized rate if their trip is reimbursed by their employer.
Before purchasing their ticket online on the carrier’s website, a traveler must in particular undertake “that the trip is made exclusively for personal purposes and not for business or in the context of work”.
Travelers will also have to consent “to the transmission by the carrier of any personal information to the Minister of Transport for the purpose of verifying compliance with the certified elements”, can be read on the website of one of the carriers.
But in practice, no government resources will be assigned to verification tasks. “The goal is not to go on a witch hunt,” said Mr. Bonnardel.
On the other hand, non-resident travelers and foreign students will also be able to purchase round-trip tickets at the price of $500, which includes taxes and airport fees.
The objective, recalled the Minister, is first of all to stimulate the regional economy and help to revive tourism. In all, 98,800 discounted tickets will be made available by March 31, 2024, representing 50% of anticipated demand.
“Legal persons still have significant tax deductions for their travel,” said Mr. Bonnardel, when questioned regarding the decision to exclude business travel and travel by workers, who nevertheless represent the majority of travelers on the regional flights.
“For us, what was important was to allow people who are not legal persons, who are not companies, to say to themselves: for the first time in Quebec, I can travel at a reasonable price”, explained Mr. Bonnardel.
“We really believe that this new program will bring people back on the flights,” commented the CEO of Air Creebec, Sylvain Dicaire, one of the six participating carriers, recalling that the pandemic has dealt a severe blow to the regional airline industry.
The new program will somehow “give wings” to Quebecers, by opening the doors of most regions of Quebec, illustrated in turn Julian Roberts, of Pascan Aviation.
Another component of the program, which replaces the Airfare Reduction Program (PRTA), will reimburse 30 to 50% of the cost of a plane ticket for residents of the Basse-Côte-Nord and Côte -Nord, Anticosti Island, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Eeyou Istchee Baie-James and Whapmagoostui.