Pacific Coastal Airlines is throwing in the towel on charging for checked bags.
Starting May 1, Pacific Coastal will add a $20 fee to check a bag on its lowest-fare flights. A second bag will cost $25, and three or more will cost $75.
The B.C. company says it is among the last North American airlines to charge a standard fee for baggage handling.
Air Canada, which also operates on Haida Gwaii, introduced similar fees in the fall of 2014.
“We didn’t make this decision lightly,” said Kevin Boothroyd, director of business development, in a press release.
“We had intentionally chosen to ignore this trend within our industry,” said Rob Kinder, vice president of operations.
Kinder said Pacific Coastal tried to make a selling feature of its “50 For Free” policy — no fees on checked baggage up to 50 lbs. — but the campaign failed to give them any meaningful advantage over the competition.
Still, travellers who pack very light may be able to dodge the new fees by going carry-on only.
At the same time Pacific Coastal is adding fees for checked luggage, it is also increasing the maximum weight for carry-on or valet bags from 25 to 44 lbs.