Question: Huge tax/fees on a one way flight CA>USA
Jan 7, 2020, 5:49 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: New York City
Posts: 130
Huge tax/fees on a one way flight CA>USA
Hey all, first time taking Air Canada for a short trip to Toronto. I booked two one-way flights
LGA-YYZ (Jan 10th)
and then return trip: YYZ-EWR (Jan 11)
As you can see, the amount for "Taxes, fees and charges" is HUGE, almost the same as the flight itself!!
I do know that the price is in CAD so that translates to around $165 USD at the moment.
But I was wondering why that is the case.
Thank you.
LGA-YYZ (Jan 10th)
and then return trip: YYZ-EWR (Jan 11)
As you can see, the amount for "Taxes, fees and charges" is HUGE, almost the same as the flight itself!!
I do know that the price is in CAD so that translates to around $165 USD at the moment.
But I was wondering why that is the case.
Thank you.
Jan 7, 2020, 6:01 pm
#3
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Toronto, ON
Programs: AC 75K
Posts: 6,363
Clicking the View Price Breakdown link will give you all of the individual taxes you're being charged. Here is an example - amounts will be slightly different than yours due to a difference in the base fare.
Jan 7, 2020, 6:03 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: YEG
Posts: 3,925
Why not click on the "view price breakdown" that is shown in your screen shots and find out for yourself?
EDIT - D'oh! It took me too long to confirm via aircanada website that the "view price breakdown" link would actually work while I was typing my response. The other 2 already beat me to it!
EDIT - D'oh! It took me too long to confirm via aircanada website that the "view price breakdown" link would actually work while I was typing my response. The other 2 already beat me to it!
Jan 7, 2020, 6:10 pm
#5
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
@risenmyth
I was also curious about how the breakdown of taxes/fees would look on AC vs UA on LGA-YYZ on Jan 10. I picked random flights since prices don't really align much. (BTW, UA is not necessarily cheaper, but they were giving away this one particular routing for $100)
You can see with this example that UA has a lower Base Fare.
Air Canada
United
I was also curious about how the breakdown of taxes/fees would look on AC vs UA on LGA-YYZ on Jan 10. I picked random flights since prices don't really align much. (BTW, UA is not necessarily cheaper, but they were giving away this one particular routing for $100)
You can see with this example that UA has a lower Base Fare.
Air Canada
United
Jan 7, 2020, 6:20 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: New York City
Posts: 130
Jan 7, 2020, 6:27 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: New York City
Posts: 130
@risenmyth
I was also curious about how the breakdown of taxes/fees would look on AC vs UA on LGA-YYZ on Jan 10. I picked random flights since prices don't really align much. (BTW, UA is not necessarily cheaper, but they were giving away this one particular routing for $100)
You can see with this example that UA has a lower Base Fare.
Air Canada
United
I was also curious about how the breakdown of taxes/fees would look on AC vs UA on LGA-YYZ on Jan 10. I picked random flights since prices don't really align much. (BTW, UA is not necessarily cheaper, but they were giving away this one particular routing for $100)
You can see with this example that UA has a lower Base Fare.
Air Canada
United
It would have been a cheaper alternative considering I had to pay $10 for a standard seat with Air Canada.
Jan 7, 2020, 6:40 pm
#8
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
This is really interesting! Maybe this would have been a better choice considering I had status with United, but the times that were cheap for United was terrible.
It would have been a cheaper alternative considering I had to pay $10 for a standard seat with Air Canada.
It would have been a cheaper alternative considering I had to pay $10 for a standard seat with Air Canada.
So, you would only know if you compared the total cost and if you were able to get the lower fare and routing you want on UA.
Also I have no idea which fare you chose for AC, but you did choose to pay for a seat. And then of course the question is, do earnings matter and will you earn more UA points in the new program with the AC flights or the UA flights. I am not an expert on UA so I can't answer those questions or offer you an opinion.
But as you noted, the UA flight times were not convenient for you.
Jan 7, 2020, 6:56 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: New York City
Posts: 130
As I wrote above
So, you would only know if you compared the total cost and if you were able to get the lower fare and routing you want on UA.
Also I have no idea which fare you chose for AC, but you did choose to pay for a seat. And then of course the question is, do earnings matter and will you earn more UA points in the new program with the AC flights or the UA flights. I am not an expert on UA so I can't answer those questions or offer you an opinion.
But as you noted, the UA flight times were not convenient for you.
So, you would only know if you compared the total cost and if you were able to get the lower fare and routing you want on UA.
Also I have no idea which fare you chose for AC, but you did choose to pay for a seat. And then of course the question is, do earnings matter and will you earn more UA points in the new program with the AC flights or the UA flights. I am not an expert on UA so I can't answer those questions or offer you an opinion.
But as you noted, the UA flight times were not convenient for you.
Looks like it was a fare class of K for both legs. What fare classes would have resulted in an unpaid seat? M, U, H, Q, V, W, G and above?
Jan 7, 2020, 7:01 pm
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/...to-the-us.html
And I selected To the U.S.
https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/...to-the-us.html
These are screen shots from the U.S. page (not the whole page)
Seat fees are on this chart
Jan 7, 2020, 7:49 pm
#11
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Halifax
Programs: AC SE100K, Marriott Lifetime Platinum Elite. NEXUS
Posts: 4,568
The fare class isn't going to tell you the fare brand you get booked into, unless its Y or B (maybe one more).
And cross airline booking mappings.... all bets off. You have no chance of knowing before what you get.
And cross airline booking mappings.... all bets off. You have no chance of knowing before what you get.
Jan 8, 2020, 7:43 am
#12
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: YWG
Posts: 2,272
Hey all, first time taking Air Canada for a short trip to Toronto. I booked two one-way flights
LGA-YYZ (Jan 10th)
and then return trip: YYZ-EWR (Jan 11)
As you can see, the amount for "Taxes, fees and charges" is HUGE, almost the same as the flight itself!!
I do know that the price is in CAD so that translates to around $165 USD at the moment.
But I was wondering why that is the case.
Thank you.
LGA-YYZ (Jan 10th)
and then return trip: YYZ-EWR (Jan 11)
As you can see, the amount for "Taxes, fees and charges" is HUGE, almost the same as the flight itself!!
I do know that the price is in CAD so that translates to around $165 USD at the moment.
But I was wondering why that is the case.
Thank you.
Jan 8, 2020, 10:15 pm
#14
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: YXY
Posts: 3,506
Toronto is an expensive airport to depart from (we have several of those because, contrary the US, they are not subsidised by the federal government) thanks to the Airport Improvement Fee of CAD 25 plus Harmonized Sales Tax on top of that.
Also, the US government taxes all flights that depart in Canada within a certain number of miles from the US border with a Transportation Tax, so you get hit by that.
However, you would have avoided the Canadian Goods and Services Tax (GST) if you had booked a return ticket (NYC-YYZ-NYC) instead of two oneways.
Also, in some cases, Air Canada's base fare is lower (just had that on an AC trip to SFO returning from SEA) if booked on the same ticket as the outbound flight. I don't know if there is any system behind that occurrence.
Also, the US government taxes all flights that depart in Canada within a certain number of miles from the US border with a Transportation Tax, so you get hit by that.
However, you would have avoided the Canadian Goods and Services Tax (GST) if you had booked a return ticket (NYC-YYZ-NYC) instead of two oneways.
Also, in some cases, Air Canada's base fare is lower (just had that on an AC trip to SFO returning from SEA) if booked on the same ticket as the outbound flight. I don't know if there is any system behind that occurrence.