Changes to Air Canada Baggage Fees as of August 23

Air Canada will implement some changes to its checked baggage policy as of August 23, 2022. There will be an increase in baggage fees for travel to Sun and International destinations on specific fare classes.

With the recent chaos at airports around the world, this could be an effort by Air Canada to discourage passengers from checking bags. The fees will come as an increased cost to passengers on some routes, while others will remain the same.

Let’s take a quick look at the changes.

Flights to Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean

As of August 23, 2022, there will be a fee of $30 for the first checked bag on Economy (Basic) or Economy (Standard) fares to Sun destinations. 

Currently, this fee already applies to some destinations in these regions, but not all. The $30 first checked bag fee aligns the cost across destinations in these countries. 

So, to some destinations, such as Montego Bay or Mexico City, the cost remains the same. To other destinations where there currently isn’t a fee for the first checked bag, such as Costa Rica or Panama City, there will now be a $30 fee.

The $30 fee applies per passenger, per direction. 

Note that Economy (Flex), Economy (Comfort), and Economy (Latitude) fares will still have at least one free checked bag. 

A second checked bag on any fare to any destination in Mexico, Central America, or the Caribbean will continue to be $50.

Flights to International Destinations

On flights to International destinations, including Europe, Africa, the South Pacific, the Middle East, and Asia, the changes only affect the cost of a second checked bag. To all International destinations, Air Canada will now charge $100 for a second checked bag for Economy (Basic), Economy (Standard), and Economy (Flex) fares.

Note that one free bag is included to all destinations on all fares, with the exception of Economy (Basic) fares to Europe. On these routes, a fee of $70 applies to the first checked bag.

Currently, the fee for a second checked bag ranges from free to $100, so the blanket application of the second checked bag fee won’t affect some routes, but will significantly increase for others.

For example, there was formerly no charge for a second checked bag on Economy (Standard) and Economy (Flex) fares from Toronto to Dubai. As of August 23,…