Canadian Airline Series: Bearskin Airlines
In today’s post, I will introduce the next smaller Canadian airline called the Bearskin Airlines. It currently serves 12 destinations in Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba. Bearskin Airlines has been known for the best airline which offers connecting service between North West Ontario and North East Ontario. It is also an official partner with Wasaya Airways (which I will introduce in a later post).
A major hub of the Bearskin Airlines is Thunder Bay International Airport and Sioux Lookout Airport. The airline company only operates one type of aircraft, the Fairchild Metroliner which fits 19 passengers.
Bearskin Airlines Route Map
| Airport | Destinations |
| Kupaskasing (Kupaskasing Airport) | Timmins (Timmins/ Victor M. Power Airport) |
| Timmins (Timmins/Victor M. Power Airport) | Kapuskasing (Kapuskasing Airport)Sudbury (Sudbury Airport) |
| North Bay (North Bay/Jack Garland Airport) | Sudbury (Sudbury Airport) |
| Sudbury (Sudbury Airport) | North Bay (North Bay/ Jack Garland Airport)Sault Ste. Marie (Sault Ste. Marie Airport)Kapuskasing (Kapuskasing Airport)
Thunder Bay (Thunder Bay International Airport) |
| Thunder Bay (Thunder Bay International Airport) | Sudbury (Sudbury Airport)Sault Ste. Marie (Sault Ste. Marie Airport)Sioux Lookout (Sioux Lookout Airport)
Dryden (Dryden Regional Airport) Fort Frances (Fort Frances Municipal Airport) |
| Dryden (Dryden Regional Airport) | Red Lake (Red Lake Airport)Sioux Lookout (Sioux Lookout Airport)Thunder Bay (Thunder Bay International Airport) |
| Fort Frances (Fort Frances Municipal Airport) | Thunder Bay (Thunder Bay International Airport)Kenora (Kenora Airport) |
| Kenora (Kenora Airport) | Winnipeg (Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport)Fort Frances (Fort Frances Municipal Airport) |
| Winnipeg (Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport) | Kenora (Kenora Airport)Red Lake (Red Lake Airport) |
| Sioux Lookout (Sioux Lookout Airport) | Thunder Bay (Thunder Bay International Airport)Dryden (Dryden Airport)Red Lake (Red Lake Airport) |
| Red Lake (Red Lake Airport) | Sioux Lookout (Sioux Lookout Airport)Dryden (Dryden Airport)Winnipeg (Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport) |
As a traveller of the Bearskin Airlines, you can earn and redeem Aeroplan points whenever you fly with the airline carrier. When you travel with Bearskin Airlines, your first checked baggage is always free with a maximum weight of 40 lbs. There will be an Excess Bag charge of $26.25 CAD if your baggage is overweight. There will only be one piece of carry-on baggage weighing a maximum of 13 lbs permitted.In April 1, 2014, Bearskin Airlines cancelled all service at Region of Waterloo Airport (YKF) and Ottawa International Airport (YOW) due to new competitors such as Porter Airlines.
Check-in Times
The check-in times for Bearskin Airlines are found on the chart below. You can see that check in time deadline is 20 to 30 minutes before departure time and the final boarding cutoff is 10 minutes before departure time.
Types of Fares
Bearskin Airlines offers three types of fares:
| Types of Fares | Fixed Fares | Flex Fares | Liberty Fares |
| Refundable Ticket | Non-refundable | Non refundable but creditable to Travel Bank | Full refundable to original form of payment |
| Name Change | Not permitted | $50 per direction and fare difference | Complimentary and fare difference |
| Change/Cancel Fee | $75 per direction and fare difference | $50 per direction and fare difference | Complimentary |
| Same-day Airport Change Fee | $150 | $75 | Complimentary |
| Same-day Airport Standby on earlier flight | Not permitted | Complimentary | Complimentary |
| Checked Baggage Allowance | 40lbs and 13 lbs carry on baggage | 40lbs and 13 lbs carry on baggage | 50lbs and 13 lbs carry on baggage |
| Priority Boarding | No | No | Yes |
| Aeroplan Qualifying Miles | 125 | 500 | 625 |
Liberty Fares are usually considered a premium ticket which targets business travellers as it offers a higher baggage allowance and priority boarding.
Here is an example flight from Thunder Bay to Timmins. You can see that it is double the price for a Liberty Fare from the Fixed Fare.
Bearskin Airlines is great if you’re planning to fly to the less populated communities in Ontario as it seems like their focus is there. You can also lock in some Aeroplan points if you happen to travel with Bearskin Airlines.