Here's why Air Canada charges up to $500 for extra bags on this route

An Air Canada rouge jet takes off from Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Thursday, June 30, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Some are wondering why Air Canada appears to be charging hundreds more for additional checked luggage for this one particular Caribbean destination, compared to others.

A CP24 reader sent a screenshot of Air Canada’s checked baggage policy heading toward Kingston, Jamaica.

Online, it shows a Toronto Pearson International Airport traveller has to pay $30 for their first checked bag, $200 for their second checked bag, and $500 for each additional extra bag they want to fly with to Kingston.

A screenshot of Air Canada's checked baggage allowance for Toronto Pearson travellers heading to Kingston, Jamaica.

Compared to other Caribbean countries, like the Dominican Republic and Cuba, travellers pay $50 for their second checked bag, and $225 for every extra checked bag after.

The disparity in prices garnered some attention on Twitter, too, when one user compared Kingston’s exorbitant prices to Guangzhou, Delhi and Tel Aviv. The tweet has been viewed over 155,000 times at the time of publication.

Air Canada noted on Twitter that its service to Kingston is typically run through its leisure Air Canada Rouge service.

In an emailed statement, Air Canada added it operates this route with smaller aircraft that have less hold space for customers to stow checked bags.

As of Jan. 17, the airline said it changed its baggage fees for flights between Kingston and Canada, and the United States.

“We have adjusted our fee structure for our Kingston, Jamaica flights by increasing fees for additional bags,” a spokesperson for Air Canada confirmed to CTV News Toronto in an email.

While the flights are run through narrower aircraft, Air Canada says customers “historically bring more baggage than average” on these trips.

“This sometimes resulted in bags being left behind and needing to be delivered later, which among other things, was inconvenient for customers,” the emailed statement reads.

“The additional bag fee is to promote a fairer distribution of available baggage capacity and to encourage customers to pack more conservatively. 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.”

The airline recently made headlines regarding how it allegedly handled this newlywed couple’s lost luggage.

After four-and-a-half months of waiting to get their lost suitcase, Nakita Rees had been informed by Toronto police that a charity organization had lawfully obtained the bag after Air Canada allegedly donated it.