Flights to Canada for visiting parents
Fares are the lowest found in recent searches and fill in when available. Each route page shows our own daily price checks: the lowest fare we've seen, a typical day and the cheapest travel month.
Visa, Super Visa and insurance
- Visitor visa or eTA. Visitors to Canada need an eTA or a visitor visa, depending on their passport; Canadian citizens and permanent residents don't. Check canada.ca before you fly.
- Long stays: the Super Visa. It lets parents and grandparents stay up to 5 years per entry, but needs proof of the host's income and private medical insurance from an accepted insurer. Super Visa insurance rules →
- Book the visa before the flight. Buy a ticket only once the visa is approved, or choose a fare you can change or refund.
The easiest trip for older travellers
- Fewer connections beat a lower fare. One connection, with 2 to 4 hours to make it, is usually the sweet spot. Long overnight layovers are hard on older travellers.
- Avoid connecting in the US unless your parents have a US visa: there's no international transit area, so every connecting passenger goes through US immigration.
- Europe and the Gulf: connections in London, Frankfurt, Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Istanbul are common from South Asia. Some countries require an airport transit visa for certain passports, so check the connecting country's rules.
- One ticket, all the way. On one booking, bags are checked through and the airline rebooks a missed connection. On separate tickets, neither is guaranteed.
Help for parents travelling alone
- Wheelchair and assistance: free, and arranged with the airline at booking or at least 48 hours before each flight. It covers check-in, security, the walk to the gate and the connection.
- Medication: pack it in the carry-on, in its original labelled containers, with enough for delays.
- Food from home: declare all food at the Canadian border. Many meat, dairy, fruit and plant products are restricted, and undeclared food can bring a fine.
- Arrival in Canada: they can fill in the declaration ahead of time with Advance Declaration at Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and other large airports, which speeds up the kiosks.
Packing: Checked luggage that stays under 23 kg · Long-haul flight essentials
When fares are lowest
- Delhi: Demand from Canada peaks around the December holidays and summer break; shoulder months are usually cheaper.
- Amritsar: Demand from Canada peaks in December and during the summer school break; spring and autumn are usually cheaper.
- Hyderabad: Demand from Canada peaks in December and the summer school break; spring and autumn are usually cheaper.
- Manila: Christmas is the priciest time from Canada; June to September (rainy season) is usually cheaper.
- Dhaka: December and the weeks around Eid are the priciest times to fly from Canada; other months are usually cheaper, especially if you book early.
- Georgetown: December and the July to August school break are the busiest times from Canada; other months are usually cheaper.
- Port of Spain: Carnival (the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday) and Christmas are the priciest; other months are usually cheaper.
- Lahore: December and the weeks around Eid are the priciest; other months are usually cheaper, especially if you book early.
- Karachi: December and the weeks around Eid are the priciest; other months are usually cheaper, especially if you book early.
General seasons from our route research. For a specific route, the price history on its page shows what we've actually seen.
Flights to Canada, route by route
Common questions
What do my parents need to visit Canada?
Depending on their passport, an eTA or a visitor visa. For long stays, many families apply for the Super Visa, which allows stays of up to 5 years per entry and needs private medical insurance from an accepted insurer. Check IRCC's site for your parents' passport before booking.
Can my parents connect through the United States on the way to Canada?
Only if they hold a valid US visa. US airports have no international transit area, so every connecting passenger goes through US immigration. Routings through Europe, the Gulf or Asia avoid this, but check whether a transit visa is needed there too.
How do I book wheelchair or airport assistance for my parents?
Ask the airline when you book, or at least 48 hours before the flight. It's free, and it covers getting through the airport and to the connecting gate. Add it to every flight on the ticket.
Should I book a one-way or a return ticket for visiting parents?
Border officers may ask about the return, and a return ticket is often cheaper than two one-ways. If the return date may change, compare a flexible fare with the cost of changing a basic one.
When are flights for parents visiting Canada cheapest?
Usually outside the summer school break and the December holidays. Each route page shows the cheapest travel months in our own daily price checks.
Sources
Checked October 30, 2026. Prices, rules and fees change, so confirm before you travel.