The combined fees, taxes and surcharges when you book a flight are sometimes more than the fare itself -- and that has many travellers asking what exactly they're paying for.

Andrew Van Eden has been looking for cheap flights to Las Vegas but he can't understand why the taxes and fees aren't clearly outlined in the advertised ticket price.

"It's complicated and it's not user friendly. It doesn't make it easy for me as an average person trying to book a flight to know what I'm paying for," he said.

Andrew is not alone. There's a mind-boggling array of taxes, fees and surcharges tacked onto basic plane fares these days. Take a round trip flight from Vancouver to Val D'Or, Quebec on Air Canada.

The basic fare costs $948, but there are many extras:

  • Fuel surcharge: $70
  • Airport improvement fee: $54
  • Air traveler's security charge: $14.25
  • Advance seat selection: $85
  • Quebec sales tax: $3.12
  • HST: $136.39
  • GST: $1.75

Fees and taxes inflated the bill by over $360, bringing the total cost to $1,312.51.

Allison Wallace is the spokesperson for Flight Centre. The travel company tried to be more transparent by advertising the all-in fare, but she says they paid the price.

"We added all the taxes and surcharges in, put that in the final price under what we say is what you pay, and our inquiry dropped off 50 per cent, immediately," she said.

Now Flight Centre posts the basic fare in big red numbers and the taxes and fees in small black print.

But the playing field is not level because airlines are federally regulated and don't have to reveal the taxes and fees upfront. Provinces regulate travel agencies and suppliers and while Ontario companies are forced to show the all-in price, B.C. companies are not.

Andrew Van Eden would like that to change.

"Here in Canada we should have some sort of standardization that every province has to follow and every travel agent has to follow so that it's clear and easy for us as a consumer," he said.

Air Canada was just fined $50,000 by the U.S. Department of Transportation. U.S. officials were angry that Air Canada displayed ads on its website this year that didn't disclose taxes and fees tacked onto the advertised fares.

If you're looking for the cheapest airfare there is a website that could help. It's called www.flightnetwork.com. The online booker promises if the price of your flight drops after you buy, it will credit you the difference so you can apply it to the next flight you book with them.

Here are a few more tips for saving money on air travel.

First off, you're best off to book in advance. That qualifies you for an early booking bonus which can shave hundreds of dollars off the ticket price. If you're looking to do a resort trip, skip Christmas and go after New Year's Day through to the third week of January to get the cheapest price. And when it comes to Vegas, most people book Thursday to Sunday. But if you go Sunday to Thursday, you can get an extra day's stay for free.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Lynda Steele