It could be just a trend but if you’re a frequent flyer it might be just what you need. The Go Travel Pass launched by Canadian LCC Flair could well be a bargain for Canadians who need to city-hop for work, or students seeking to get home at the end of term.

But is it too good to be true? Passes start at just CAN$499 plus taxes and fees, for which a passenger can fly as often as they want, anywhere between 13 February to 13 May – but here’s the catch – You can’t travel on Friday and Sunday and there are “blackout dates”.

Excluding any extra fees, two trips across the nation on the unlimited pass would more than pay for itself. But the extra fees can add up for the passenger with a Go Travel Pass.

The biggest way to keep your spending down, as on any LCC or regional airline flight, is to abandon extras at check-in. The flights may be cheap, but the add-ons can come thick and fast and be expensive. Extra bags, seat selection, internet access, changing your booking, even buying water onboard can see that golden air ticket price soon lose its shine.

But there’s an upside? Budget airlines may not operate out of major airports (which makes connecting flights difficult to arrange) and the back-of-the-seat entertainment may be missing, but LCCs and regional airliners force competitors to match their prices. So, a cheap and efficient flight without a meal and without Tetris on the seatback screen is something I can live with.

Despite my initial scepticism, let’s hope that some form of frequent flyer pass makes its way to Europe soon, so LCCs and regional airlines will finally be viewed as buses with wings and bring support to the industry.