Which consumer services are adding a fuel surcharge (or not) as oil prices rise?

As the state of war in the midriff due east continues, rough oil colour prices are hovering well above the $100 US mark — a pressure that is starting to weigh on consumer-facing, fuel-guzzling businesses like airlines, shipping couriers and rideshare companies.

To offset the increase in gas prices, a number of these businesses have started adding a fuel charge on top of their regular pricing. The surcharges are usually temporary, and are meant to cover changing gas prices during volatile periods.

Jet fuel tends to be an airline's biggest expense. In fact, an analysis by the International Air Transport Association showed that, for the week ending March 27, the weekly average price of jet fuel has skyrocketed 116.8 per cent compared to the previous year's average.

That's why many carriers — Canadian and international alike — have added these fees to plane tickets in recent weeks. We asked a few of them what kind of bump passengers could expect.

Meanwhile, Air Canada Vacations — a subsidiary that specializes in travel packages — has added a $50-per-passenger fuel surcharge to all of its warm-weather destinations, effective on all new bookings as of April 6.

The fee will be "reflected within the selling taxes and surcharges at the time of booking," according to an email update sent to customers.

WestJet, meanwhile, said that its fares are adjusted accordingly when fuel prices rise, but did not say what kind of increases passengers could expect.

"As oil prices stabilize and return to normal levels, we plan to return to standard pricing," a spokesperson said.

Air Transat said it's currently charging $50 on flight segments leaving from Canada and €25 (or about $40 Cdn) on flight segments leaving from Europe.

People who heat their homes with oil are feeling the burn of rising prices

Several rideshare and food delivery companies have announced relief programs for their drivers as gas costs rise. For Canadian drivers, those prices have skyrocketed since the end of February; the average gas price in Canada was $1.76 per litre as of Tuesday, per GasBuddy, up 22 cents a litre from the same time last year.

Drivers are automatically enrolled in the program and customers won't be charged for the difference, according to the spokesperson.

Lyft has imposed a similar program, effective from March 27 to May 26.

Uber did not respond to a request for comment.

Shipping companies tend to update (rather than add) ongoing fuel surcharges on a weekly basis depending on the price of fuel.

Canada Post has imposed a 35 per cent surcharge rate for domestic services, a 20.75 per cent surcharge rate for international parcels, and an 18.75 per cent rate for international packets between March 30 and April 5, according to its website.

FedEx lists fuel surcharges on its website, where the rates vary by intra-Canadian packages and internationally bound packages. These fees are reflected directly on the invoice.

From March 30 to April 5, the intra-Canadian rate is 43.5 per cent for ground shipments and pick-ups, while the international rate is 20.5 per cent for the same services.

UPS, as of March 30, said its fuel surcharge rate for standard service within Canada was 41 per cent — up from 24 per cent on Jan. 1 and from 28.5 per cent a few days after the start of the war in Iran. Regular customers will see the surcharge on their weekly bill, while the surcharge will be included in charges for occasional customers.

Purolator has listed its fuel surcharge for March 2 to April 5 as 27.5 per cent, increasing to 34.5 per cent from April 6 to May 3.

Journalist

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