If air passengers don't pay fees, Canadian taxpayers will, experts respond to WestJet CEO

Verity Stevenson · CBC News

· Posted: May 28, 2025 7:03 PM EDT | Last Updated: 42 minutes ago

A code by WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech is reigniting the speech astir aerial question costs successful Canada — a speech helium stands to payment from much than Canadians do, immoderate experts say. 

Speaking to a concern assemblage successful Calgary Tuesday, von Hoensbroech compared other aerial summons fees successful Canada and the United States successful a descent presumption and called connected the national authorities to trim those fees.

According to von Hoensbroech, successful Canada, income tax, navigation fees, airdrome betterment fees and information fees amounted to $133 successful a round-trip summons price, whereas southbound of the borderline the excise taxation and conception fee, rider installation complaint and information interest added up to $49.

"If the authorities wants to unite Canada and instrumentality down interior commercialized barriers, past reducing the outgo of aerial question by reducing fees that are imposed connected aerial question and yet marque tickets cheaper would beryllium the close happening to do," von Hoensbroech told reporters, according to the Canadian Press. 

But 2 aerial question experts constituent retired that what von Hoensbroech didn't accidental is who helium believes should prime up the tab for those costs.

"He's truly looking astatine conscionable 1 broadside of the equation," said John Gradek, an aviation absorption lecturer astatine McGill University. 

"If the charges aren't levied against the passenger, who's going to pay?"

'No specified happening arsenic escaped lunch'

Gabor Lukacs, who founded and runs an aerial rider advocacy group, called von Hoensbroech's statements "populist" and echoed Gradek.

"I'm definite helium cognize arsenic overmuch arsenic anybody other successful business: there's nary specified happening arsenic escaped lunch." Lukacs said. 

"Someone has to wage for the airports, idiosyncratic has to wage for security.… Where is the wealth going to travel from?"

In his speech, the CEO questioned wherefore transport infrastructure similar bridges, rider obstruction and ferries get national support, portion the authorities imposes a big of costs connected the hose manufacture that are past passed on to consumers.

"We request to physique Canada — present adjacent much than successful the past — and aviation plays a cardinal role," helium said.

Gradek said von Hoensbroech seemed to suggest Canadian taxpayers beryllium charged for airdrome infrastructure costs, information and aerial postulation control. 

He says that portion helium agrees aerial question costs are precocious successful Canada, overmuch of that has to bash with the tiny size of our colonisation successful narration to our ample onshore mass, and our prime to deregulate the manufacture successful the 1980s. 

Smaller communities near behind

Many small, distant communities trust connected aerial question that is hardly serviced by larger carriers similar WestJet, which successful information dramatically reduced its determination services during the pandemic successful favour of high-density markets, specified arsenic Calgary-Toronto and Vancouver-Montreal. 

Flights to and from bluish communities, for example, are often prohibitively expensive, Gradek says.

"They conscionable complaint what they privation to charge," helium said. "To me, we're considering the colonisation northbound of [the 50th parallel] arsenic second-class citizens."

Gradek believes that if ample carriers privation to offset costs onto taxpayers successful bid to beryllium capable to connection little prices, they should besides person an work to work determination areas astatine debased costs arsenic well. 

"If it wasn't for aerial service, you wouldn't person a country," Gradek said, agreeing with von Hoensbroech that aerial question is indispensable to Canada.

But adds that, "if you're going to person that benignant of doctrine and that benignant of mindset, that you request to person immoderate oversight to marque definite that the decisions being made by the backstage assemblage … supply services to each Canadians connected a just and adjacent footing."

WATCH | WestJet CEO criticizes national for mechanics onslaught action: 

Gradek says deregulation of the hose manufacture successful Canada has ended up concentrating the powerfulness among fewer ample carriers, who person chosen — for concern reasons — to absorption connected large cities alternatively than determination transport, which has successful crook resulted successful little contention among companies. 

The national authorities successful 2018 accrued the percent of overseas shareholder worth Canadian hose companies could merchantability from 25 per cent to 29 per cent (the U.S. has a akin policy) to stimulate lower-cost airlines, but low-budget airlines person struggled to enactment afloat. 

More contention solution to rider woes?

Ottawa nonmigratory Melissa Cummings was stranded an other 5 days astatine her edifice adjacent Cancun, Mexico for an other 5 days successful 2023 — sometimes having to slumber connected a seat due to the fact that the edifice didn't person rooms erstwhile Sunwing failed to prime her up astatine a convened time. 

Though she was compensated $500, she reckons the full ordeal coiled up mounting her backmost astir $3,000 successful other costs. 

"I person nary hint to this time wherefore I was stranded," Cummings said. She believes much contention among airlines could assistance unit companies to beryllium much accountable to their passengers, and little costs. 

The 45-year-old and her daughter, who is successful university, person a contented of taking a five-day travel unneurotic each year. She says that portion the brace haven't to research Canada more, they usually opt for a destination successful South America with Latin American airlines due to the fact that flights are cheaper. 

"We person specified a beauteous country. My my girl moved to Canada erstwhile she was 8. She's going to beryllium 21 and she's hardly seen our country," Cummings said. 

Lukacs says the national authorities should beryllium the 1 stepping up erstwhile it comes to enforcing rider rights, but helium agrees that "increasing contention — that's very, precise important and pressing."

WestJet calls for review

Increasing contention does not look to person been among the solutions projected by WestJet CEO von Hoensbroech.

In effect to a petition for comment, WestJet spokesperson Josh Yeats said, "Alexis's comments yesterday were aimed astatine helping to gully attraction to the information that Canada is 1 of the astir costly places successful the satellite to run an airline."

Yeats did not accidental whether von Hoensbroech is calling for taxpayers to ft costs but that the institution would similar to spot a reappraisal of hose regulations successful Canada.

"Fees, taxes and charges for airports, aerial postulation control, information and different shared services are among the highest of immoderate state and WestJet is advocating for a broad reappraisal of the regulatory and outgo structures of aviation," helium said.