Air Canada Baggage Fees Cost Way More For Some Destinations & The Airline Explained Why

How much do Air Canada baggage fees actually cost? Bringing luggage to some international destinations, it turns out, can cost a pretty penny.

Air Canada was recently called out on Twitter for charging more for checked baggage to certain destinations, and if you've got a flight coming up, you'll want to be aware of the fees.

Twitter user Danica Nelson (@danicaSnelson) tweeted a message to Air Canada on Sunday asking why the airline had a higher price for checked baggage to Jamaica compared to other destinations.

"Hi @AirCanada, why are the baggage fees significantly higher for folks flying into Kingston (Jamaica) in comparison to other cities like Guangzhou, Delhi, and Tel Aviv…?" she wrote.

On January 17, Air Canada revised its baggage fees for trips from Canada or the U.S. to the Jamaican city.

For tickets issued on or after January 17, the first checked bag is $30, while the second checked bag is now $200. The price for additional baggage has changed too, now costing travellers a whopping $500 for each bag, each way.

As Nelson pointed out in her message, the fees are considerably higher than those for other medium and long-haul destinations Air Canada services, like Tel Aviv, Israel, where the first checked bag is free and the second costs $100, and Delhi, India, which has the same fees.

In a statement to Narcity, Air Canada explained the reason for the change in pricing on the Kingston route.

"We operate this route with smaller, narrow-body aircraft that have less belly hold space, but customers historically bring more baggage than average," the airline said in an email.

It said that the extra luggage would sometimes result in bags being left behind and then needing to be delivered to travellers later.

"The additional bag fee is to promote a fairer distribution of available baggage capacity and to encourage customers to pack more conservatively," the airline said.

"It was also deemed a better option than simply placing a limit on the number of bags per person in order that those who need to bring additional bags still have the option."

On Twitter, a spokesperson for Air Canada explained that Kingston is serviced by Air Canada Rouge, aka the airline's leisure service, while Tel Aviv and Delhi are serviced by its mainline operations.

However, the airline didn't say what other routes, if any, have the same baggage fees through its Rouge service.