The fee will pertain to flights within the Americas.
Travelers who choose the budget-friendly fare option will be charged $25 for their first piece of carry-on luggage — which includes both roller bags and oversized rucksacks — and an additional $36 for a second.
If flyers fail to pay when booking their tickets or checking in for their flight, they will face a surcharge at the airport of $46.
Air Canada said that the new policy, which begins Jan. 3, “align[s] the airline’s fare structure with similar fare offerings by other Canadian carriers,” according to the Miami Herald, although it has drawn scrutiny from Canadian lawmakers.
“Let’s just say I’m not very happy today with what I’ve heard from Air Canada,” Federal Transport Minister Anita Anand stated in a recent interview. “I think they need to take a look at the persons that they are targeting with these excess fees. It is not acceptable.”
On Jan. 21, the airline will also charge the low-fare flyers for changing their seats automatically assigned at check-in, a policy, according to the Miami Herald, that was met with fierce backlash from customers earlier this year.
Air Canada’s carry-on policies follow in the footsteps of budget air carriers that charge an additional cost for carry-on baggage larger than the one free personal item.
Frontier, for one, has faced criticism for incentivizing gate agents to catch customers attempting to smuggle carry-on baggage and evading fees, although CEO Barry Biffle doubled down on the policy this week.
“These are shoplifters. These are people that are stealing,” he told Reuters. “It’s not equitable to everyone who follows the rules.”
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