This is a very interesting observation. Currently, as others here have noted, the advertised price bears no relation to the final price, and since fuel surcharges have gone up and down it is hard to predict what an actual final price will be by looking at the advertised fare. I wonder whether some consumers have been scared away by all the press about the need for fuel surcharges when, in fact, current fare sales in some markets end up with cheaper final prices than before (for example, YQR-SFO, YQR-SAN, YQR-SEA are 10-25% cheaper for the lowest final price than they were a few months ago--I paid less that $500 all in for a recent SFO trip, and the SAN and SEA prices are so good that I will take another unplanned trip later this month). I would expect that the average consumer would tell you that ticket prices are higher now than before, which is of course to a degree true, but in the end it would be helpful to be able to easily compare price changes from day to day or week to week. A fare drop from $199 to $142 one way, for example, means little to me in the current extra charges, fees, etc., climate: I need to know what it all adds up to to see that I am or am not getting a fare that I am willing to pay for.

I would think that Air Canada could afford to take the high road here and announce all-in fares as a kind of "we are honest" marketing ploy. People might just go for it.