Towards a “price war” heading to Paris

New Airline to Offer Service from Montreal Next Year

There will be a competition on the air link between Montreal-Trudeau and Paris next year. The low-cost carrier French bee is entering this niche popular with travelers and airlines, was able to confirm The Press. Enough to shake up the price dynamics, at least in the short term.

“There will be a price war, I’m the one who says so,” says aviation expert and McGill University lecturer John Gradek. “The company will want to advertise its product with attractive prices. We can expect attractive offers.”

French Bee has not yet announced its colors publicly. As of Tuesday, the company had not responded to questions sent by The Press by email. However, she informed her employees of her ambitions in a recent internal memo.

“We have also confirmed the launch of Montreal […] from May 2025 with up to five flights per week,” underlines the letter signed by the president Christine Ourmières-Widener, which takes stock of all the group’s activities.

This French specialist in long-haul flights between France and tourist destinations therefore wants to establish itself on the route between Montreal-Trudeau and Paris, where players such as Air Transat, Air Canada, Air France and Corsair compete during the summer season. The addition of a competitor will increase capacity, which should, in principle, please consumers.

A subsidiary of Groupe Dubreuil, a French conglomerate that also owns Air Caraïbes, French bee operates four Airbus A350-900s and two A350-1000s. These models can carry 411 and 480 passengers respectively.

Based on the current capacity offered by Air Transat, Air Canada, Air France and Corsair during the summer season – data compiled by the firm Cirium – between Montreal-Trudeau and the Paris region, the arrival of French bee could result in an addition of capacity, measured in number of seats, of approximately 10%, according to our calculations.

” They [French bee] have a “premium” class in the aircraft, Mr. Gradek points out. The way they have configured their aircraft, they are able to offer service [à ceux prêts à le payer]. We are talking about a good competitor.

A classic model

No carry-on baggage, checked baggage, meals or ticket change options: the airline’s “base” fare reflects the model of low-cost carriers: any additional service incurs additional charges.

It is difficult, at this point, to have an idea of ​​the prices that will be offered by French bee from the metropolis to Paris-Orly, where its planes land, approximately 10 kilometers south of the French capital.

However, outside the Paris Olympics window – a time when demand will be strong – a round-trip ticket between New York (Newark) and Orly airport was being offered for around C$615, according to our checks.

At this price, however, you have to settle for the fare that doesn’t offer any extras. The same trip costs nearly $820 to be able to bring a carry-on bag on board and be entitled to a meal.

The operator of Montreal-Trudeau – Aéroports de Montréal – did not want to say more about the arrival of French bee in 2025 despite the company’s internal announcement.

In an email, the non-profit organization limited itself to saying that it “works and holds discussions on a daily basis with several airline partners in order to continually improve its range of destinations, both annually and seasonally.”

The French carrier’s moves come as the Competition Bureau is looking into the airline industry as new carriers appear to be struggling to enter the market. The year so far has been marked by the collapse of Alberta-based low-cost carrier Lynx Air, which abruptly ceased operations last February after running out of cash.