Travellers planning their next getaway may soon be paying more to get there. Several Canadian airlines are introducing new fuel surcharges on select bookings, a move they say is tied to rising global fuel costs. At the Ottawa International Airport, some passengers are only just learning about the added fees. “Where does it end?” says Frank Zinck, who was preparing to fly home to Halifax. Zinck says while the surcharge is not impacting his current trip, it adds to a growing list of extra costs travellers are facing. “Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, I understand that there’s the price of gas and that there’s extra costs,” he said. “But I think sometimes that companies just look for things to tack on an extra fee.” He adds that rising prices are already changing how he approaches travel. “When you go from Halifax to (Ottawa) and the price of the flight is $1,600 for two people… you start kind of questioning whether I’m going to invest in a three-day trip for that.” As of Monday, Air Canada Vacations is adding a $50 fuel surcharge to select vacation packages, particularly its Sun Destination packages. The fee does not apply to individual flight-only bookings. The surcharges comes as global fuel prices continue to fluctuate with geopolitical tensions driven by the war in Iran contributing to higher operating costs for airlines. Other carriers are also making similar moves. Porter Airlines and Air Transat have introduced added fees on certain routes and bookings. WestJet says it plans to implement surcharges on April 8 on some bookings and has already reduced capacity on select flights this spring. “It’s daunting, it’s a real challenge for travellers now,” says Martin Firestone, president of Travel Secure Inc. “When to buy, the answer is it’s never going to be cheaper than it is today. It’s only going to go up as we approach the summer months.” Firestone warns the impact could extend beyond short-term pricing. “This will have a domino effect where these prices won’t go right back to pre-war time,” he says. “Ultimately the surcharge, I think, is just the beginning. This could lead to much higher airfares.” Airlines maintain the fees are temporary, but none have provided a timeline for when they could be removed.
