Major Canadian airline adding temporary fuel surcharge for some flyers

Canadians who book with WestJet will soon need to pay an extra fee on certain flights starting next week.

The Calgary-based airline stated in an email to customers Friday morning that, in response to rising jet fuel prices, WestJet will be bringing in a temporary fuel surcharge on all bookings made with a companion voucher.

As of Wednesday, April 8, 2026, this surcharge will be reflected in the “Other ATC” portion of your booking. All companion voucher bookings completed before April 8, 2026, will not be affected.

“The surcharge will only be added to bookings that use companion vouchers because regular airfares can be adjusted several times a day and have greater pricing flexibility than companion vouchers, where the companion fare is a fixed amount by region and cabin,” said Steve McClelland, Vice President, Loyalty and Strategic Partnerships at WestJet, in the email.

The temporary fuel surcharge amount that will be applied to bookings made with a companion voucher was not disclosed in the announcement; however, Daily Hive reached out to WestJet for more information regarding the surcharge amount.

The airline stated in an email that the temporary fuel surcharge will be $60 on all bookings made with a companion voucher.

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The airline added that fuel is the largest contributor to airline operating costs, and the temporary surcharge will help WestJet manage the recent surge in fuel prices.

It will continue to assess the surcharge and adjust it as conditions allow; once jet fuel prices return to normal levels, WestJet added that it will remove the fuel surcharge from “Other ATC” on companion voucher bookings.

The companion voucher is given to WestJet RBCWorld Elite Mastercardcardholders when they first get the card, and earn one annually when a minimum of $5,000 is spent with the card each year.

“The companion voucher allows you to invite someone special to fly with you on a round trip to wherever WestJet flies. All you need to do is book a round trip for yourself (the primary cardholder), and you’ll get a reduced fare for the second guest on the same itinerary,” WestJet’s website stated.

Other airlines bring in fuel surcharges

WestJet isn’t the only company looking at a fuel charge for some of its flights. Air Canada Vacations recently announced that a fixed surcharge of $50 per passenger will be applied to new vacation packages booked as of Monday, April 6, that include a flight.

Porter Airlines has also implemented an additional fee on certain bookings.