Canada Prints Its Airport Costs On Your Ticket While US Airports May Bury Them In Landing Fees

Published Nov 13, 2026, 11:00 AM EST Louis is a military historian and the staff writer for History of War magazine, a leading military history monthly. He also has an interest in private and commercial aviation. If you've ever taken a flight in Canada, you'll know that the cost can be extortionate. This is because of the additional costs that are charged to your ticket and will be displayed on it. Meanwhile, the additional costs in the US tend to be lower, partly due to the way US airports are owned and operated. These costs will be buried in the ticket price, rather than displayed as clearly as in Canada. The high-cost operating environment in Canadian aviation is reaching a breaking point because of rising fuel costs. Speaking at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce at the end of October, WestJet CEO Alexis Von Hoensbroech called for a National Aviation Strategy, Pax News reports. The strategy would make Canadian aviation more affordable and competitive, and address some of these excessive costs. The Additional Costs Charged In Canada The main additional cost is airport improvement fees. Canadian airports must fund their own infrastructure improvements and maintenance work, rather than relying on external funding from the government. These costs range from a few dollars to almost C$50 ($35), depending on your flight and airport, and are charged onto your ticket. Air Travelers Security Charge is a government-imposed fee. It is a flat rate that pays for the security costs of screening passengers and baggage. NAV Canada fees are charged because air traffic control in the country is handled by the private corporation NAV Canada. The government is also responsible for the high land lease rents charged to airports. The final cost includes taxes and carrier surcharges, such as federal or provincial sales taxes, fuel taxes, and carrier-imposed surcharges that offset rising fuel costs. Flying in the United States is often much cheaper because the airports are owned by local municipalities or state governments, both of which receive federal funding. The Passenger Facility Charge is the closest equivalent to the airport improvement fees. The government and taxpayers cover other costs, such as air traffic control. Travelers in the US also pay a flat $5.60 one way for the security fee, which is capped at $11.20 for a round trip. The fee was introduced in response to the September 11 terror attacks. The reduction in types of additional costs in the US aviation sector makes tickets simpler and cheaper. Meanwhile, Canada ranks 105th out of 119 countries for aviation cost competitiveness. WestJet Is Demanding Change During a speech at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, von Hoensbroech, WestJet's CEO, delivered a scathing diagnosis of the current problems in the Canadian aviation sector, which he believes has made US airlines more competitive. He said the rise in jet fuel prices caused by the war in the Middle East has exposed weaknesses. "Canada’s aviation system has very few shock absorbers left,” he said. These weaknesses include airport charges, navigation fees, passenger-protection obligations and taxes, which make it difficult for airlines to be dynamic. The WestJet CEO also notes that some Canadian airlines receive federal funding while others do not. Aircraft type Total in fleet Average age (years) Boeing 737-700 24 20.1 Boeing 737-800 52 13.1 Boeing 737 MAX 8 69 5 Boeing 787 7 6.8 De Havilland Canada DHC-8-400 35 10.7 Total 187 10.3 Airlines receiving this funding find it much easier to be competitive in the current landscape. They can offer fares that would otherwise result in losses. The table above shows the current WestJet fleet, giving an impression of the caliber of the airline, making use of Planespotters.net's data. WestJet and von Hoensbroech see the solution as being far more holistic than simply removing or subsidizing the costs charged on passengers' air fares. “We are asking Canada to be bold and strategic in developing a National Aviation Strategy that advances the essential nature of aviation and leads to a competitive, affordable and healthy airline industry,” he said. WestJet Wants Canada To Look To Calgary For Answers The home of WestJet is Calgary. The airline wants all of Canada to look to the area for answers, specifically the close private and public-sector cooperation that exists within its aviation industry. An example is the memorandum of understanding that WestJet signed with the Government of Alberta in October 2022. Through the arrangement, WestJet committed to using Calgary as its exclusive global connecting hub and the home of its widebody fleet, with further plans to expand routes and capacity from the airport. In return, the government, airport and other business partners committed to supporting WestJet's expansion. It says that the collaboration attracted a Lufthansa Technik engine repair facility and an attached contract worth billions of Canadian dollars. The work has also led to the development of a CAE training Center of Excellence. The facility includes eight full-flight simulators and cabin trainers. “Calgary didn’t get here by changing one policy. We got here by dreaming big together and lining up every decision behind that goal. Canada can do the same,” von Hoensbroech said. He wants a less transactional relationship between airlines, airports and the Canadian government, but a collaboration that will benefit the whole of the aviation sector and bring fewer excess costs to consumers. High Aviation Fuel Costs Have Exposed The Problem Von Hoensbroech has said that the substantial increase in aviation fuel costs has brought long-standing issues with Canada's aviation sector to a head. It has revealed a lack of flexibility with which it can deal with such crises. Soaring fuel costs have also made flying within Canada even more prohibitively expensive. Von Hoensbroech says that WestJet is paying approximately double what it was last year for fuel, inflating overall costs by 25% and contributing towards an end-of-year loss in 2026. If the current market conditions persist, WestJet will be hit with an additional C$1.6 billion ($1.14 billion), according to Calgary Herald. Year Jet fuel price per barrel 2019 $80 2020 $47 2021 $78 2022 $139 2023 $112 2024 $99 2025 $90 2026 $152 To protect its earnings, WestJet has instituted measures that raise prices for passengers and reduce its competitiveness. In spring of this year, it brought in temporary fuel surcharges on WestJet Rewards Companion Vouchers and Sunwing Vacations and Vacances WestJet Québec vacation packages. The table above uses Statista data to show the development in global aviation fuel prices (per barrel) since 2019, with substantial increases at both the start of Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. Like many other airlines around the world, WestJet has also reduced its flying capacity, cutting the least profitable flights. The carrier says that these cuts amount to 4% in September and 3% in October of the total capacity. Jet Fuel Costs Are Shrinking WestJet's Network Alongside a capacity reduction, WestJet is also responding to the jet fuel price increases by reducing its international network. The removal of three transatlantic routes from the carrier's 2027 plans shows certainty that the current jet fuel price problems will continue well into next year. The routes impacted are from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to Glasgow Airport (GLA), and from Halifax / Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) to Copenhagen Airport (CPH) and Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD). The routes to Copenhagen and Madrid had only been flown by WestJet in 2026. The route to Glasgow is 2,862 nautical miles (4,967 km) each way. WestJet had flown to Scotland's second city using Boeing 737-700s between 2015 and 2018. The carrier also flew Boeing 737 MAX 8s on the route in 2022 and 2026. The WestJet retreat from Glasgow will now leave Air Transat as the sole operator on the YYZ to GLA route, using Airbus A321LR. Air Canada and WestJet will both continue to fly from YYZ to Edinburgh Airport (EDI) to serve Scottish consumers. Even Canada's Flag Carrier Is Feeling The Pinch Despite benefiting from what WestJet would consider the perks of being a government-backed airline, Air Canada has also taken action to lighten the additional fuel cost burden. These measures have given Canadian consumers less choice and added more costs to their already-high ticket prices. In a post-earnings conference call, Air Canada told its investors that the carrier will cut over 2% of its planned capacity for the first quarter of 2027 in response to the rise in jet fuel costs, Reuters reports. The measures follow new estimates from Air Canada that jet fuel during this period will cost C$1.72 ($1.23), a substantial increase from the previous estimate of C$1.29 ($0.92). While Air Canada has taken these measures, WestJet and von Hoensbroech will feel partly vindicated by the fact that its flag carrier rival has absorbed the crisis relatively well. Air Canada has said its demand remained steady across most of the geographies it operates in. Its operating revenue rose 21% in the three months up to September. However, the airline's net income also fell to C$139 million ($98.7 million) from C$264 million ($187 million) in the same period last year.