Iran conflict impacting travel costs for Calgary airline passengers

The war in Iran is driving up the cost of fuel for everyone -- including airlines. Multiple carriers are passing costs along to travellers.

The conflict in Iran is forcing fuel to rise in cost, impacting airline passengers’ bottom line.

Irfan Rashedd was flying to Chicago from Calgary on Monday, and said he won’t fly for pleasure -- only business purposes -- until the conflict settles down.

“I am little worried and I am afraid to travel,” Rashedd said.

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He has lived in Canada for several years and is originally from Pakistan. Rashedd says he won’t be going home anytime soon.

“If I go to Pakistan I need to take a connection via Turkiye,” said Rashedd. “Very inconvenient situation that I will travel for pleasure.”

“I am little worried and I am afraid to travel,” Rashedd said

The impact of the war in the Middle East is being felt as WestJet announced it’s introducing a temporary fuel surcharge for bookings made with companion vouchers.

Starting April 8, the Calgary-based airline is adding a temporary fuel surcharge of $60 on all bookings made with a companion voucher.

“This will be reflected in the ‘Other ATC’ portion of companion voucher bookings, and we will continue to assess the surcharge and adjust as conditions allow,” an airline spokesperson said in an email to CTV News.

The airline is also reducing flights throughout April and May.

“They’re increasing fares, and they’re also putting a surcharge in place for things that are not directly related to airfare,” said aviation expert John Gradek, who lectures on supply chain and aviation at McGill University.

“They’re looking at getting cash, additional cash from the use of the frequent flyer program (or companion vouchers).”

Air Canada implemented a $50 fee per passenger to designated sun destinations to help offset high fuel costs.

According to Gradek, 30 per cent of a flight’s operating cost is fuel.

“I can tell in Canada over the last month, a 20 per cent fare increase,” said Gradek.

He advises people to buy now for future trips, with the expectation the war drags on.

Onanta Forbes, a Calgary-based travel consultant, has similar advice.

“I would say that the airfares will likely stay elevated for months even as things stabilize,” she said.

Forbes recommends people consider travel insurance for future trips.

“Travel insurance is peace of mind. It helps you in times of disruption,” Forbes said. “You have to be sure you know what the fine print says in your policy.”

“Be flexible, because dates and routes may change, and avoid tight connections. More schedule volatility may occur, and the most important thing is watch the Government of Canada travel advisories; they will tell you if it’s a destination that you should or should not be traveling to, and to have awareness of what could be happening if you do go.”

WestJet has started to reduce flights, down 406 flights in April (about 1.5 per cent) and approximately 1,000 flights in May (around three to four per cent).