WestJet will begin adding fuel surcharges to all flights starting Tuesday, the company has announced.
The Calgary based airline says the surcharges will raise ticket prices by $20 for short-haul flights, $30 for medium range flights and $45 for long-haul flights.
"This is not a decision we have taken lightly. All Canadians have felt the impact of rising fuel prices and the airline industry is no exception," WestJet Executive Vice-President, Bob Cummings, said in a press release Monday.
"We held off as long as economically possible but with the unrelenting and unprecedented increases in the cost of fuel over the last year, we are implementing this measure to offset the effect."
Cummings said WesJet will continue to "offer seat sales to our guests and be the low-fare leader in Canada."
Air Canada introduced fuel surcharges last week boosting its ticket prices by $40 for return flights of less than 480 kilometres, $80 for return flights between 480 and 1,600 kilometres, and $120 for flights longer than 1,600 kilometres.
Porter Airlines said last week that it too was considering adding fuel surcharges.
On Friday, the world price of crude oil increased to a benchmark US$126.20 per barrel. The cost of jet fuel, a refined crude oil byproduct, is even more costly than crude.
South of the border, carriers are passing along rising fuel costs to the consumer as well.
Delta Air Lines announced an additional US$20 roundtrip on domestic flights last week, following similar decisions by United Airlines, American Airlines and Continental Airlines.
Apart from adding fuel surcharges, airlines are looking into new tactics to cope with increased expenses. Many are slowing down to conserve jet fuel and save money. Southwest Airlines, for example, projects it will save $42 million in fuel this year by extending travel times by one to three minutes.
Airlines around the world have been quickly adding surcharges and amenity charges for "extras" like bags and legroom as they fight to manage elevating energy prices.
With files from The Canadian Press
