I’ve always condemned the charter airlines (like WestJet and Canada 3000) for advertising cheap fares by using the “one way fare based on return travel” gambit. They advertise a $99 fare to Toronto, but then, in smaller print, tell you that this is the one way fare, but that you have to buy a return ticket. So the real fare is $198.

Until now I hadn’t seen Air Canada adopt this deceptive technique. This changed last night when they announced their latest seat sale.

They’re advertising a one way trip to Boston for $189, a fare which, deep into the fine print, you read is “each way based on return trip travel and may only be purchased on a return basis.” So the real return fare to Boston is $378. This isn’t a bad fare, but it’s not fantastic — I’ve flown with little advance notice in the past year for $490. It’s certainly not a “jaw-dropping” fare, as they suggest on their website.

I wish Air Canada would stop the sneaky tactic; they shouldn’t have to lower themselves into the charter gutter to compete.

It is interesting to note that you can fly to Zurich from Charlottetown for $10 more than it costs to fly to Seattle from Charlottetown.