What to know
Air Canada announced a $50 surcharge on all trips booked on or after Monday, April 6 to a select number of “SUN Destinations”
WestJet is also announcing a surcharge of $60 on trips booked with a companion voucher, a perk that comes with the RBC WestJet Mastercard.
Porter Airlines and Air Transat have also tacked on extra fees or increased fare prices.
Now Toronto interviewed a few Torontonians, who say the extra fees will definitely affect them, as money is already tight.
Canadians are not impressed with the surcharges Canadian airlines are passing to customers in response to the rising oil prices brought on by the United States-Iran war.
Starting Monday, Air Canada is implementing a $50 surcharge per passenger to designated SUN destinations to help offset the high price of fuel, brought on by the United States-Iran war.
The surcharge will be added on to the taxes and fees portion of a plane ticket and will affect vacation spots in Mexico, the Caribbean, and the U.S. – like cities in Florida and California.
Air Canada isn’t the only airline increasing their prices, WestJet and Porter Airlines are also tacking on extra charges.
Starting Wednesday, April 8, WestJet will charge an additional $60 on trips booked with a companion voucher.
A perk given to RBC WestJet mastercard holders, a companion voucher lets the cardholder bring a second passenger for a lower fare. Trips booked before April 8 will stay the same price.
On Friday, the airline sent an email to affected customers that reads, “In response to rising jet fuel prices, WestJet is introducing a temporary fuel surcharge on all bookings made with a companion voucher. As of April 8, 2026, this surcharge will be reflected in the “Other ATC” portion of your booking. All companion voucher bookings completed before April 8, 2026, will not be affected.”
In late March, Porter Airlines introduced a $40 temporary fuel surcharge on VIPorter flight redemptions. This means customers who want to use earned points to help pay for flight tickets will incur the extra charge.
Air Transat has also increased fares for trips from Canada to Europe to offset increased operating costs.
Now Toronto spoke with a few Torontonians to see how these surcharges will be affecting their upcoming travel plans.
Martin P says he has a trip already booked to go to the United Kingdom this summer and he hopes he won’t get surprised with any extra fees.
“[Money is] tight enough as it is. I don’t want to have to make cuts to my trip or the quality of my travels. But I don’t have control of the situation,” he explains. “Things are also expensive enough as it is, so it’s hard to make these plans to travel outside of the country.”
Martin says he wants the Strait of Hormuz to re-open so “maybe gas prices come down.” But he doesn’t have his hopes up.
Although Sheldon M and Adam D don’t have concrete travel plans yet, they both think it’s absurd that airlines are passing off the extra cost to Canadians.
“Like most other Canadians, [the surcharge] will definitely be affecting me. It’s kind of crazy that they’re doing this. I’ve been looking [at trips] and that’s more money coming out of our pockets,” Sheldon says.
Adam thinks the extra cost is “bullsh**,” especially since domestic flights are already unreasonably expensive.
“Why are they making it more expensive for us now? That’s kind of insane. The war shouldn’t be happening in the first place.”
Air Canada, WestJet and Porter Airlines say their fares will drop back down once oil prices return to normal levels.