Air Canada Carry-on Changes in 2025

TTT Air Canada Changes
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Jenn: Hey everyone and welcome to our first travel tip Tuesday of 2025 with the travel mug podcast. What?

Meggan: I know. How, how is it actually 2025? I think it's gonna be a fun number to like write out, like 2025. It's like a good quarter century. Um, but yeah, I don't know how we got here.

Jenn: I don't know how we got here either. Anyway, today I want to talk about something I've been seeing all over my social media, which is Air Canada making changes to their carry on policy. Specifically. have you been seeing this everywhere, Meggan, or is it just me?

Meggan: Oh, I have, and I think like, I think they've even been called to Ottawa. It's like a big deal.

Jenn: Yeah. So yeah, we'll, uh, we'll see. So here's what's going on right now. So on routes purchased on or after January 3rd, 2025, anyone who buys the lowest priced economy fare flying anywhere in North America or a sun Destination, uh, which is Mexico, Central America, or the Caribbean, will only be allowed to bring one personal item, no carry on.

So if you have a bag other than your personal item, you will have to check it. You will not be able to pay to carry it on the plane. So personal items are the bags that fit under the seat. So a purse, a computer bag, a small backpack, et cetera, carry on bags are the ones that go in the compartments above the seats.

So like the roller bags and duffel. So that is not great news, but if you are flying economy basic to an international destination outside of North America or sun destination, you will bring Same as now, a standard carry on bag and one personal item. How will they enforce this, Meggan? I don't know.

Meggan: I, I really don't know either. I mean, I guess it's whatever you roll up to the counter with. I'm not exactly sure. I don't, I mean, I'll, I'll give my opinion in a moment, but. It has become wild with the amount of carry ons. Something had to be done. I'm not sure this, of course, is the answer because nobody is in the situation to be able to pay more, but something had to be done.

Jenn: Yeah, so I'm, I'm guessing, and I don't know, that people booking the basic economy ticket will be the last zone called to board, and then everyone in that zone will not be allowed. You will only be allowed to have the one personal item and that's how they'll kind of separate it out because otherwise like Getting on the plane is going to be slowed down because they're going to have to check and make sure that you have the right number of bags based on your ticket fare and that's wild

Meggan: Yeah.

Jenn: So in addition starting january 21st If you buy the basic fare ticket, you will be assigned a seat at check in. Unless you pay for it in advance, and if you want to change that seat that's been assigned to you at check in, you'll have to pay for that change.

Apparently, they're going to prioritize people traveling together to sit together, but like

Meggan: Well, I have to say on our last trip, uh, in September, and it could have been in June too, um, when we went to check in at the 24 hour mark, because we do not book our, we do not pay for seats. I don't, I don't have that anxiety. They were already assigned. So like normally I go in and hit the little seats that are colored that are vacant, but that wasn't the case. They were already assigned to me and we were already assigned to sit together. I didn't try to change it because I didn't care. It was fine, but I did wonder, like, I should have actually just tried for fun to see if I could change them. And if I was going to be charged, because normally I could choose and they were already chosen.

Jenn: interesting. On the other hand, if you buy a comfort fare ticket, which is sort of their, like, middle of the road fare option, if you're not familiar with all of their, like, names of the fares. Anyway, it will now include two checked bags instead of one. So,

Meggan: That's not helpful at all.

Jenn: thanks? Like, how many people are taking two checked

Meggan: Not many. I'm, I'm sure it will be good for some people, but that's not a good compromise.

Jenn: Um, I'm annoyed by this change. I, I see why they're doing it. Like you said, the amount of carry ons that, like people that are traveling carry on only, and I'm guilty of this too, but it is getting out of control and the overhead bins are not big enough for all of this. However, it's just like, it feels like a money grab from Air Canada.

Meggan: Everything feels that way now. And, and that, and I, I'm sure that's not the case, obviously, but I think when the public is just sort of like. Everything's more expensive. It makes everything seem like a money grab. Now, in terms of the fares and, and, you know, if we were to go and book Air Canada again, I don't know, like, we don't take carry ons anyway.

We take, like, small backpacks. So this wouldn't really affect me in that regard, unless, like, when I went to Montreal in October, I did take a carry on, but we, I bought the ticket that included it, so that was fine at the time, but that's pretty rare. I never usually travel with carry on only, so it likely won't affect me much, but I do also see why they, like I said earlier, why they had to do something.

I'm, I'm just not sure that charging people more money is it. I don't, I don't know the solution, but I also don't get paid the big bucks to figure it out, but I don't know, like charging people more is, is never, and again, they're probably hoping there'll be an uprise in the beginning, and then people will just again, slide it in as another charge that we're already paying.

So I'm sure they're hoping it'll just blow over, but we'll see.

Jenn: It will be very interesting to watch this play out.

Meggan: Definitely.

Jenn: Yeah, and I mean, we primarily fly Air Canada, and I don't usually book, um, the cheapest option. Usually it's like the second cheapest. Uh, but anyway. We'll, we'll watch this play out and see what happens. So that is it for this week. I'd love to know your thoughts as well.

Um, you can reach out to us on social media at travel mug podcast on Facebook and Instagram and YouTube and on our website, travelmugpodcast. com. You can also support us through buy me a coffee or by leaving us a review on Apple podcasts or Spotify. And until next time, we'll see you soon. Bye.