TORONTO — The holiday travel onslaught is right around the corner and come January, air travelers will face some new costs to travel on certain airlines.
“It’s just nickel-and-diming,” said a flyer at Pearson Airport Terminal 3, when asked what he thought of a Westjet plan to start charging $25 for the first bag on international flights on Jan. 5.
The airline defends its decision.
“We’re trying to keep base fares as low as possible,” said Richard Bartrem, vice president of communications for the Calgary-based carrier.
“To allow for a consumer who wants to bring a bag to pay for that bag, to get a meal and pay for that.”
Also on Jan. 5, Sunwing will stop providing free meals and drinks on its domestic and U.S. flights. Most other carriers charge for food.
“Airlines increase fees because they can,” said Gabor Lukacs, a Halifax-based air passenger rights advocate.
“There’s no competitive force to keep the fees lower.”
Lukacs acknowledges consumers can’t do much about the higher fees except not fly, or travel lighter.
But he said the Canadian Transportation Agency, which regulates the air travel industry and deals with complaints from consumers, isn’t being tough enough with airlines.
He says, for example, airlines don’t always pay full compensation for customers who are bumped off flights.
“It does not do its job,” he said. “It’s become more of a lap-dog rather than a watch-dog.”
Fees for food, baggage and other services have become commonplace in the airline industry. When one airline charges a fee, it’s easy for another to follow.
“It all comes down to what everybody else is doing,” said Mark Vandenbosch, associate dean of programs with the Richard Ivey School of Business in London, Ont.
“If everybody is charging a baggage fee, we can be angry — we can all be angry together.”
Vandenbosch says high demand for seats on airplanes helps carriers keep their prices relatively high and fees add to the bottom line.
“If demand falls, you probably will see a reduction in ticket prices, but likely not these fees,” said Vandenbosch.
A veteran airline industry consultant says the trend toward higher fees are likely here to stay.
“It’s one way to finally get carriers profitable after decades of losses,” said Robert Kokonis, president of AirTrav Inc., a Toronto-based aviation consulting firm.
Kokonis said airlines have been shifting focus to premium travel customers.
“Ten or 20 per cent of an airplane’s seats are contributing 80 or 90 per cent of the profit,” he said, adding that consumers can vote with their wallets when it comes to extra fees but won’t see much relief elsewhere if other airlines are charging similar fees.
“You’re held hostage, you need to take a bag, so you suck it up and do it,” said Annie Chandler, a Toronto air traveller heading to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Chandler said the extras fees add to what she calls the expensive cost of air travel.
“It’s unfortunate,” she said. “But it won’t stop me from travelling.”
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