ESSENTIALS - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 526

AIR TAXES
The Canadian government collects a variety of “departure taxes” on all flights ori-
ginating from Canada. These taxes are generally not in the advertised fare, but they
will all be included in the ticket purchase price. First up is the Air Travellers Se-
curity Charge, $5-10 each way for flights within North America and $25 round-
trip for international flights. NAV Canada also dips its hand in your pocket, collect-
ing $10-25 per flight for maintaining the country's navigational systems. All ma-
jor Canadian airports charge an Airport Improvement Fee to all departing passen-
gers, with Vancouver and Calgary charging $20 and $25, respectively, per passen-
ger. You'll also need to pay this fee from your original departure point, and if con-
necting through Toronto, another $4 is collected. And, of course, the above taxes
are taxable, with the Canadian government collecting the 5 percent goods and ser-
vices tax. While there is no bright side to paying these extras, it is made easy for
consumers, with airlines lumping all the charges together and into the ticket price.