Is Air Canada charging more than advertised? Class-action lawsuit before Supreme Court

An Air Canada plane gets a pushback from its gate at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Dorval, Que., on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear arguments on a class-action lawsuit that alleged Air Canada charged passengers more than the advertised ticket price.

The long-running case was brought forward by a consumer advocacy group and Montreal resident Michael Silas, who said the airline did not include all extra fees in the price listed online, violating a consumer protection law passed weeks before his ticket purchase in 2010.

Silas said he was charged $124 more in taxes, fees and surcharges than the fare price shown during the first step of the ticket-buying process on Air Canada’s website.

In a ruling last year, the Quebec Court of Appeal ordered Air Canada to pay passengers more than $10 million in damages in the case.

The Court of Appeal said Air Canada showed “ignorance and laxity” when the airline concluded it was exempt from a provincial Consumer Protection Act provision because air transport generally falls under federal jurisdiction.

Both sides were granted permission to appeal to the Supreme Court, though no hearing date has yet been set.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2026.