The impact of higher fuel prices due to violence in the Middle East is now starting to show up in more places, including flight bookings.

WestJet will begin charging more for customers to use one of the perks included in their annual rewards membership, due to aviation fuel skyrocketing in price.

Beginning April 8, WestJet said it will introduce a temporary fuel surcharge of $60 on all bookings made with a companion voucher.

The vouchers are part of WestJet’s Mastercard credit card and rewards programs, allowing the account holder who buys a round trip for themself to get a reduced fare for a second guest on the same itinerary.

WestJet said the new $60 fee will be reflected in the “other ATC” (air transportation charges) portion of companion voucher bookings.

The current cost for WestJet members to cash in their round-trip companion vouchers is:

Within Canada or to/from continental U.S.:
UltraBasic, Econo, EconoFlex: $119 (plus taxes, fees, charges and other ATC)
Premium or Premium Flex: $219 (plus taxes, fees, charges and other ATC)

Elsewhere in the world:
UltraBasic, Econo, EconoFlex: $399 (plus taxes, fees, charges and other ATC)
Premium or Premium Flex: $499 (plus taxes, fees, charges and other ATC)

The Calgary-based airline said it will continue to assess the surcharge and adjust as conditions allow.

WestJet did not say how long the temporary fuel surcharge will remain in place.

“Fuel is the largest contributor to airline operating costs, and a temporary surcharge helps us manage the recent surge in fuel prices,” a spokesperson said in a statement to Global News on Friday.

“While airfares can be adjusted and have greater flexibility in pricing, the nature of our companion vouchers does not allow for this same flexibility.”

In the month since the Israel-United States attack on Iran resulted in the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz ocean passage, experts have warned that an increase in energy costs would be passed on to consumers as major shortages were forecasted.

About one-fifth of the world’s oil supply — 20 million barrels per day — travels through the waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula on its way to the open seas and then to global customers.

With fuel not passing through the strait, crude has now soared to its highest price in years and its derivatives — jet fuel, diesel and gasoline — have also shot up significantly.

The price of heavy fuel oil — used to power container ships and other large vessels — at the world’s top 20 refuelling hubs has nearly doubled since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks in late February, according to figures from data platform Ship & Bunker.

Jet fuel, diesel and gasoline all derive from crude, making them sensitive to any swerve in its price.

But aviation fuel has come under the greatest pressure, according to Sparta Commodities analyst June Goh. Jet kerosene tends to see the lowest inventories because it needs to be stored in specialized tanks, she said.

Consumers have been feeling the jump in the price of oil and its derivatives at the pumps and on their plane fares for weeks now, with no end in sight.

Airfreight, which has seen demand rise amid the dearth of container ship voyages, is also costing more as aviation fuel prices skyrocket.

“You’re going to start having money tacked on to making any transport movement,” said John Corey, president of the Freight Management Association of Canada.

“Ultimately, that’s going to flow through and the consumer is going to pay for that.”

Fuel often marks airlines’ highest cost. Air Canada spent more than $5.1 billion on it in 2024, amounting to 24 per cent of the carrier’s operating costs — its largest expense.

“The recent sharp increase due to the situation in Iran has already made operating flights more expensive. Based on this, it’s likely further pricing adjustments may be needed,” WestJet spokeswoman Julia Kaiser warned in an email in mid-March.

Last month, Air Transat tacked on higher fuel surcharges for flights to Europe while large international airlines Air New Zealand, Australia’s Qantas Airways and Scandinavia’s SAS also announced price hikes abroad.

— With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

British Columbians stuck in Mexico are expressing frustrations with the lack of communication and support from travel companies and airlines.

Lillian Alexus, a Qualicum Beach, B.C., resident, arrived in Puerto Vallarta on Feb. 8 and was due to fly home on Feb. 22.

“We had checked out of our resort on the 22nd and we were waiting in the lobby for the bus to take us to the airport when everything was shut down,” she told Global News.

“So then we had to see if we could get accommodation here. The message that we got from WestJet was that there was an issue, it wasn’t safe, shelter in place and we would hear from them. And we also were in contact with the Canadian government and they also said, you know, shelter in place and just wait.”

Cartel violence hit the popular tourist area of Puerto Vallarta on Sunday, cancelling flights in and out of the town.

Canadians were told to “shelter in place” after violence erupted over the killing of cartel leader and drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, better known as “El Mencho,” in a military raid.

Alexus said that all they have been doing is waiting.

She said they did get one email from WestJet that they could try to manage their trip on the website or the app, but she said it wasn’t working.

“We were in contact with our travel agent and she was on hold with WestJet for like five hours,” Alexus said.

“So we have tried phoning, we tried emailing.”

She said they are hearing nothing, but have finally booked a flight home on March 3.

“Our vehicle is parked at Comox, so we need to get back to Comox,” she added.

“We’ve had to extend our health insurance, we’ve had to get more prescription medications. It would just be really helpful to get some information, like are they working on it or have they forgotten about us? I have a booking number and I put that in and it doesn’t know, it says they don’t know what that is.”

Gábor Lukács, founder of Air Passenger Rights, told Global News that WestJet is not following the law.

“The law requires WestJet to rebook passengers on competitor airlines at its own dime in such situations,” he said.

“If the airline is unable to re-book a passenger on its own or partner airlines departing within 48 hours of the original departure time, they have to buy the passenger’s seat ticket on the next available flight of any carrier. And that means including competitors. That’s what the law says, that’s what WestJet has to do. The problem is that WestJet is flouting the law. WestJet treats the law as if it was just friendly recommendations.”

Lukács also said this situation could lend itself to a class action lawsuit.

“I think the only question is why WestJet feels that they can get away with it and the reason is because the federal government is not enforcing passengers’ rights,” he added.

“What we see here is not so much a failure in the drafting of the regulations as much as a failure of the government to enforce the law as written.”

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) confirmed to Global News in a statement that it is investigating the recent flight disruptions.

“As per the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), for flight delays or cancellations, airlines must try to minimize the impacts that they have on passengers and their travel,” the organization said. “They must always ensure that passengers can complete their itinerary as soon as possible.

Initially, the CTA said that “for large airlines and for situations outside their control, they must, at the passengers’ choice, refund any unused portion of the ticket or rebook them, free of charge, on their next available flight or on the next available flight of an airline with which they have a commercial agreement with from the passengers’ original airport within 48 hours after the departure time on their original ticket, or on a flight leaving another airport, if there is an option nearby, if they cannot book them on a flight leaving within 48 hours at the original airport.”

However, they later clarified their statement saying that “If airlines cannot book passengers on a flight leaving within 48 hours, they must rebook them on any flight by any airline, including at another airport, if there is an option nearby.”

It does not have to be an airline with which that airline has a commercial agreement.

Jonathan MacIntyre, from Kamloops, flew to Puerto Vallarta on WestJet on Feb. 16 and was due to fly home on Feb. 23.

He said they also haven’t had any communication from WestJet after hearing their flight was going to be rebooked, but then, nothing.

“We had no clue when we were going to be heading home,” MacIntyre said.

“So every time we had to extend our stay, we’re like, okay, are we staying one more night? And we just basically, every morning, our first step was go down to the hotel. Yep, we need to extend our stay. We have no plans to leave today. And then when you had breakfast, continue our day, wait to see what happens.”

He said he was able to find flights himself that would have suited him and his partner to get home, but they heard nothing about any availability from WestJet.

“They’re supposed to get you on the soonest flight possible on their carrier,” MacIntyre said. “And that’s the part that probably upsets me the most, because of all the flights that were there yesterday. The 48 hours is only if they use the competitors. And unfortunately for us, that ended at about 4:00 this evening. So they could have used the competitors tonight, but the fact they could’ve used their own yesterday and today and forever.”

He decided to take matters into his own hands and reached out to Lukács after getting nowhere with WestJet Vacations and Lukács gave him the information about the 48-hour window.

But when he called WestJet Vacations back with this information, he said he was told there were no available flights and they were not offered anything.

MacIntyre eventually booked flights home on WestJet, out of pocket, for $2,200.

“I’m also losing income right now,” he said. “I’m not working like I’m supposed to be. So I’m out of pocket, me, well, my partner is the one who paid for the flights, but me personally, I am going to be out of pocket almost $1,000 just in lost wages. That doesn’t include the fact that I potentially would have lost a concert that we had planned for this Saturday and a sporting event for Sunday that I’ve already paid for. So I would have been out of pocket over $1,500 most likely.”

MacIntyre said he also plans to take WestJet to the Civil Resolution Tribunal to get his money back.

“It’s completely bonkers because if I’m doing this and I’m a pretty tech-savvy guy and I know a lot of things to do, I can’t imagine what somebody else is going through right now,” he added.

“Somebody else in my situation might be sitting in an Airbnb, not an all-inclusive resort, with absolutely nothing that they can do other than sit on their hands, wait for the phone to ring, and WestJet to say, ‘Hey, get to the airport in the next two hours.’”

Lukács said MacIntyre did the right thing in this situation.

“When an airline fails to comply with its legal obligations to the passenger, the passenger is in a legal position to take things into their own hands,” he said.

“It’s important to first give the airline a chance to comply, and (MacIntyre) has done that. Once the airline failed to comply with its illegal obligations, you, as a passenger, can buy a ticket, incur expenses needed, come back to Canada, and then make WestJet pay for those expenses. Present the bill they received to WestJet; if they refuse to pay, take the airline to court.”

In a statement to Global News, WestJet said it has now scheduled 12 additional flights, aside from numerous scheduled daily flights, to Puerto Vallarta to help passengers return to Canada.

“Air-only guests can use our online Manage Trips tool and our call center to confirm new flights, or refunds if they prefer,” the airline said.

“Guests who booked via a travel agent may also contact their agent for assistance with rebooking or refunds. Guests travelling on Sunwing Vacations, WestJet Vacations or Vacances WestJet Quebec are also welcome to contact their vacation provider or travel agent for assistance.”

WestJet also said that if a passenger has not received communications from them by this point, it may be due to incorrect or missing contact details in their reservation and they recommend contacting WestJet, their vacation provider, or their travel agent to obtain a flight or a refund.

Alexus said the situation has left them frustrated.

“We’ve been very loyal to WestJet for years,” she said. “Like we have their credit card, we always fly WestJet… We’ve been ghosted. We just don’t hear anything.”