Air Canada has begun charging customers $30 per passenger to book a flight through a live phone agent, a non-refundable fee that took effect Oct. 15.
The surcharge applies per ticket, meaning a family of four booking together by phone would pay an extra $120 on top of their fares. The fee stays in place even if the ticket is later cancelled.
The airline, Canada’s largest, said the change is meant to encourage travellers to use its website or app instead. “Our digital tools make it easy to plan and manage your trip, access travel information and receive real-time updates throughout your journey,” the airline said on its website.
How Air Canada Compares to Rivals
The policy puts Air Canada alongside WestJet, United Airlines and a number of low-cost carriers that already charge non-refundable fees for phone bookings. Other carriers, including Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines, continue to offer phone bookings without an added charge.
Andrew D’Amours, co-founder of flight deal site Flytrippers, said staffing call centres carries its own costs. “It’s expensive. But then again, it’s expensive to hire an employee, train them and have them answer the phone,” he said. D’Amours added that the change could disproportionately affect seniors who prefer booking by phone over apps or websites, calling the situation “kind of unfair for them.”
Part of a Broader Unbundling Trend
The new fee is the latest example of what the industry has called “unbundling,” a trend stretching back roughly a decade in which airlines charge separately for services once included in the price of a ticket, such as checked bags, seat selection, priority boarding and onboard snacks. Airlines have said this approach lets customers pay only for what they use.
D’Amours compared the practice to grocery shopping. “If you buy cheese, you can buy the brick and it’s much cheaper. Or you can buy it shredded,” he said. “It’s more expensive, but you choose that for the convenience. If you don’t want to book online, you can pay someone to do it.”
Exemptions to the Fee
Air Canada said customers who require specialized support, including those with accessibility needs, are exempt from the booking fee. There is also no charge for calling about existing reservations, or for booking new flights when delays or cancellations disrupt a traveller’s itinerary.
Air Canada spokesperson Sean Davidson said the fee “does not apply to services that cannot be completed online,” adding that digital tools for routine travel needs “helps reduce wait times and allows our contact centre agents to focus their expertise on situations that require personalized support.”
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