Airline drip pricing turns a $168 fare into a $700 problem before you finish booking. You have the dates. You click economy because that is what the screen showed you. Then the carry-on fee appears. Then seat selection. Then the flex option that costs $100 more for the right to change your mind. By the time the total loads, the deal is already gone.

What does it feel like when the price you committed to keeps climbing while you are trying not to touch anything? Airlines hedge jet fuel through long-term contracts, which means they are not paying pump price the way consumers do. The companion pass that was supposed to make your flight free ends up costing more than buying the ticket outright. You are not imagining the gap between what was advertised and what you owe.

The legislation that forced airlines to show final pricing moved the fees one tab deeper, not away. Airport improvement fees have been collecting for decades. The baggage carousel at Pearson still runs 35 minutes. What changed is not the cost of flying. What changed is how far into the booking process you get before the real number arrives.

Topics: airline drip pricing, carry-on bag fees, airfare transparency, flight pricing Canada, consumer protection airlines

GUEST: Jamie Ellerton | conaptus.com

GUEST: Lindsay Broadhead | broadheadcomms.ca

Originally aired on2026-03-11