Airlines in Canada Drop Fees

As several airlines in the United States continue to increase fees, despite the recent drop in fuel prices (United Airlines jacked up their fee on a second piece of checked luggage, most recently), airlines in Canada are looking to drop fees.

Canada's two largest airlines, Air Canada and Westjet, along with Porter Airlines have dropped fuel surcharges that were added this year, effective immediately. One less fee on top of the advertised airfare that could save several hundreds of dollars for passengers traveling with their families for example, or enough of a saving to pay for airport parking.

Also, Air Canada has dropped its fee for checking a second piece of luggage. So effective September 23, if you are flying with Air Canada, your free checked-in allowance is 2 pieces of luggage. I mention this because Air Canada is a large airline in North America, with nearly as many employees as US Airways, and competes with several US airlines not only on point to point routes between Canada and the United States, but also internationally. It would be a real victory for passengers if this could become a trend for airlines in the US as well.

It seems that airline executives in Canada have recognized that a softening global economy, and the recent drop in fuel costs merit some savings for passengers.

images courtesy of Arlene Fleming