Ever since oil went through the roof this summer, airlines have been instituting extra fees left and right to recoup the costs. Now, in addition to initial ticket price, passengers are being asked to pay for everything from bottled water to selecting seats to checking luggage.
Once oil returns from the stratosphere, shouldn’t the airlines rescind those fees? Don’t count on it. Many carriers claim that the changes recently made are long overdue corrections to a market that has too long been underweight. Whether or not that’s actually true, you might be hard pressed to find an airline willing to return to the “no fees” days.
Needless to say, I’m proud to report that at least the Canadian airlines are taking steps to right the ship after oil dropped.Air Canada, WestJet and Porter Airlines just announced that they were erasing the fuel surcharges that they, instituted earlier this year — just as long as oil stays beneath $100 a barrel.
It’s nice to know that they’re not using the recent oil spike to take advantage of the everyday consumer. Now if they could just teach the American carriers the same less we’d all be in business.