Nunavik resident finds air travel costly

I was just reading the April 30 edition of Nunatsiaq News and on page 18 there is an advertisement for different return fares for Nunavut residents. I find that these fares are really cheap. For instance, the return fare from Iqaluit to Ottawa is only $499. Iqaluit is further from the south than Nunavik.

The return fare from Salluit to Kuujjuaq is $867.26, and there is another fare for travelling from Salluit to Montreal. If one bought and paid for a plane ticket two weeks prior to travelling, it would cost $1,062.83 and this is much cheaper than paying on the day of travel.

Us Inuit who have no income and even the ones who are working find it very hard to pay for plane fares nowadays, and there should be someone out there who should be able to help us in this regard.

I have heard that Inuit own Air Inuit. Although a lot of us have relatives in other communities it is getting harder and harder to visit as we cannot afford the cost of a plane fare.

People from Nunavik have relatives too in Nunavut and this is now going to be harder as the flight that travelled from Salluit to Cape Dorset has now been cancelled. There are some Inuit who have tried to charter Air Inuit, but everytime, the plane is too busy and is not available.

I would like to suggest that another airline, for instance, Kenn Borek, go into competition with Air Inuit. Also I would like the executives of Air Inuit to come to their senses and if they can’t I hope the Inuit will do something about this as I am starting to think that the name Inuit is just being used by the airline.

Where are all the fares going to anyway? I would like this to be taken seriously. But I really would like another airline to start competing with Air Inuit.

Mary (Last name withheld by request)

Salluit, Nunavik