Border Brilliance

It was only a matter of time before a tour operator took the initiative to offer the 5 million Canadian travellers who fly out of US border cities a chance to do it with a Canadian company.

And it seems only fitting that Sunquest is the operator to do just that and effective immediately, it will be offering 26 new routes — 14 to U.S. destinations and 12 to the Caribbean and Mexico — departing out of five new U.S. gateways: Bellingham (WA), Burlington (VT), Buffalo (NY), Bangor (ME) and Detroit (MI).

Sunquest president, Frank DeMarinis said: “As long as significantly cheaper flights are available from the U.S., Canadians will continue to fly from U.S. border cities. We are giving customers what they clearly want, which is an option to save money on their vacation by booking cross-border packages with a reputable Canadian company and paying for it in Canadian dollars.”

DeMarinis also points out that three out of four U.S. border city packages are cheaper than the equivalent Canadian package. In real terms, a family of four flying from Toronto to Orlando could save almost $1,400 on their vacation simply by booking the same package departing out of Buffalo.

Examples of available prices include Buffalo to Punta Cana for $1,096 per person; Burlington to Cancun for $1,420 per person; Bellingham to Las Vegas for $450 per person; and Bangor to Jamaica for $1,373 per person.

Sunquest also points out that there is a “huge convenience factor” for people travelling from Canadian cities that are closer to the border than they are to the nearest Canadian-based international airport. This includes Windsor (approximately 35 minutes to Detroit) and St. Catharines (approximately 50 minutes to Buffalo).

As for travel agents, they earn their regular Sunquest commission on packages for a whole new and growing segment of travellers.

Said DeMarinis: “Through this new service we are also providing our agent partners with even more options for their clients, and in turn more opportunities to increase their revenue.”

New routes to the Caribbean and Mexico include:

!!! Bangor to Cancun, Montego Bay and Punta Cana (US Airways, Delta, American Airlines).

!!! Burlington to Cancun, Montego Bay and Punta Cana (Delta, US Airways, United Airlines).

!!! Buffalo to Cancun, Montego Bay and Punta Cana (US Airways, American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta).

!!! Detroit to Cancun, Montego Bay and Punta Cana (American Airlines, US Airways, United Airlines).

To U.S. destinations, routes include:

!!! Bellingham to Las Vegas, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Honolulu (Alaska Airlines, Delta, United Airlines).

!!! Burlington to Orlando, New York City and New Orleans (United Airlines, Delta, JetBlue).

!!! Buffalo to Las Vegas, Orlando and New York City (Delta, United Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue, US Airways).

!!! Bangor to Orlando (US Airways, Delta).

!!! Detroit to Orlando and Las Vegas (Delta, United Airlines, US Airways).

All of the new border city routes are available to book in Revnet (the blue screen), where agents also have access to Sunquest’s entire range of product, as well as the flexibility to book any duration, in any of these destinations, from any of these gateways.

Agents can also use their favourite shopping platforms (GDS/Sirev) to access a selection of these new routes, including all of the sun destinations.

And the operator promises to continue to adding new routes to the program.

For full details, go to http://www.SunquestVacationsAgent.ca .