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On 4/15/2003 6:40:27 PM stud_lee wrote:
I actually think aviation taxes are quite a bit higher in Canada. I’m Canadian and live in NYC and go back and forth to Canada every few months and I’d say taxes are a good third of what I pay for the total price. It makes more sense for me to take B6 to BUF and rent a car to Toronto rather than fly directly there. But the Government said they will reduce them in the near future, so who knows?
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I would like to disagree.
In the great white north, the following (explained in detail below) is added to the typical Air Canada base fare:
1) NavCan surcharge - all carriers
2) Fuel surcharge - Westjet/Canjet/Jetsgo may charge less than AC
3) Insurance surcharge - Westjet/Canjet/Jetsgo may charge less than AC
4) ATSC - security tax, all carriers
5) Airport fees - self explanatory
6) Taxes - provincial sales tax (i.e. 8% in Ontario) or federal GST where applicable plus any international taxes/fees
How is this significantly different from a typical airline ticket purchased in the USA? The only difference I see is the surcharge to NAVCAN - which is ~$24 CAD!!! Not much of a significant difference!
Again, a common misconception about sky high taxes and Canada.
Also, that flight you take to Buffalo must be really really cheap and the rental car must be realy really cheap as well for you to save $$$ instead of flying from NYC-YYZ. Buffalo-Toronto is approx. 100 miles, and the drive along the QEW is not pleasant especially between Hamilton and Toronto.
Here are the charges added to the base fare in detail for those dying to know
1) NAV Canada: NAVCAN surcharges of $24.00 per round-trip ticket, or $12.00 for a one-way ticket are included for travel wholly within Canada. For transborder itineraries, $7.50 (CAD) $4.65 (USD) each way or $15.00 (CAD) or $9.30 (USD) per round-trip ticket. This surcharge is collected to cover the fees that to NAV Canada to operate Canada''s Air Navigation systems.
2) Fuel Surcharges: In order to account for the recent surge in world oil prices, Air Canada, along with other Canadian and North American carriers have implemented a fuel surcharge. This fuel surcharge can range from $15.00 to $25.00 (CAD) each way per ticket for travel wholly within Canada or $14.30 (CAD), $9.30 (USD) each way for transborder itineraries. (Some exceptions apply).
3) Insurance Surcharges: In order to account for the rising costs of aviation insurance, Air Canada along with other North American carriers have implemented an insurance surcharge. This insurance surcharge is $3.00 (CAD), each way for travel wholly within Canada. (Some exceptions apply).
4) Air Travellers Security Tax (ATSC): The Canadian Parliament has enacted an Air Travellers Security Charge (ATSC) to fund security personnel and security equipment in response the the events of September 11. For domestic itineraries, the ATSC tax is $7.00 (CAD) one way or $14.00 (CAD) return. For transborder itineraries, the ATSC tax is $12.00 (CAD) one way or $24.00 (CAD) return. For international itineraries, the ATSC tax is $24.00 (CAD) for each return or one-way trip.
5) Airport Fees: Many airports in Canada and around the world have implemented Airport Improvement Fees (AIF). Some Airports collect these fees at the airport at time of departure, other''s are collected at the time of ticketing and are reflected in the taxes in your fare. Canadian Airports that include the AIF on your ticket are as follows: (All amounts CAD)
There range from as low as $5 to as high as $15
6) Taxes: provincial (fedeaal where applicable) plus other international