Quebec announces $500 round-trip airfare for regional travel

The Quebec government said Tuesday it will cap the cost of plane tickets for all travel within the province to the regions, as a way to increase tourism to rural areas located far from the big cities. Starting June 1, anyone -- residents and visitors -- travelling within Quebec won't have to pay more than $500 out of pocket for round-trip tickets to places such as the Gaspe peninsula, Transport Minister Francois Bonnardel said. Speaking at the Mont-Joli Regional Airport, about 570 km northeast of Montreal, in the lower St-Lawrence region, Bonnardel said the $500 cap on ticket prices also applies to trips that require connecting flights. The discount, he added, will be applied at the time of purchase and airlines will be required to claim the difference in price from the government. Questioned whether airlines would be incentivized to increase their prices because the government is subsidizing tickets, Bonnardel said prices would be "negotiated annually" according to the cost of inflation. The government's regional air transport plan, he said, is funded with $261m over five years. All Canadian carriers can participate in the program but must serve destinations year-round to qualify for the subsidy. For example, Bonnardel said, Air Canada flights to the Iles-de-la-Madeleine wouldn't be subsidized because the airline currently offers that route in the summer only. The Transport Department did not specify how often a carrier has to fly to a location for the route to be considered year-round. Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx told reporters that the flight subsidy program opens new opportunities for Quebecers to discover their province, particularly the regions that have difficulty attracting tourism. <br/>