I just booked a flight using Airmiles on Westjet and - oh my goodness, how freakin' expensive!

I was surprised that flight availability was pretty decent, but when the agent told me the "fees and taxes" I'd have to pay, my jaw dropped. They totalled to about 40% of what it would cost if I was to just buy a ticket instead!

I challenged him on it, and he claimed that (other than Airmiles' booking fee of 25 bucks, for the privilege of speaking to him on the phone) the rest were all "taxes and things like security fees". But it was far, far, far more than what you'd pay in taxes and fees if you just bought a ticket!

Frankly it all sounded quite made up. I have a hunch that a good portion of those "taxes" they charged me are actually revenue for Airmiles. It sounds like a cash grab on their part. If true, it's pretty questionable if they're claiming their own charges to be "taxes" or "fees" -- giving the impression that the charges are from gov't, etc, when they're not.

Anyone else have similar experiences with Airmiles? Are their charges legit, or are they a cash grab?