Pearson Airport raising passenger fees to new heights after chaotic summer

It seems Pearson doesn’t care that it ranks as one of the worst in North America for customer satisfaction — the airport announced it will hike user fees come the new year.

Starting January 1, 2023, Pearson will increase its “airport improvement fee” (AIF) for departing passengers by $5, meaning travelers will now pay a total of $35.

Connecting passengers will only see an increase of $1, paying a total of $7. Now, this isn’t a huge rise but for those who travel a lot for work, it can certainly add up.

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) says the price hikes are due to a high inflationary environment and ongoing impacts from COVID-19.

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“It is incumbent upon us to ensure that we have sufficient revenues to maintain and invest in a world-class facility to provide our valued passengers with an experience that is appropriate for Canada’s largest airport,” says President and CEO Deborah Flint.

The fare increases are necessary, GTAA says, and the revenue generated will help install new baggage carrousels, renovate bathrooms and customer service areas, restore the roof of Terminal 3, and increase staff for maintenance and administration activities.

After a chaotic summer of lost baggage, long lineups, and massive flight delays, people aren’t too happy about the idea of paying more for… less, it seems.

“World’s worst airport raising user fees. Imagine a business saying, ‘We know our service is awful but if we increase prices, we can make it better,'” says Jim Roche on Twitter.

“Toronto is just a sh*t show,” tweets @AntonioTweets2. “Pearson Airport raising its fees after the most chaotic summer and worst service ever offered to the public. This makes total sense, no? Talk about stupidity at its finest.”

Travellers passing through Canada’s major airport haven’t been able to catch a break this year and from the looks of it, 2023 won’t be any different.