A new $5.50 passenger inspection levy on all air travellers entering the U.S. by air and sea is the latest incentive for B.C. travellers to drive across the border and take flights from U.S. airports instead of flying to the U.S. from home.
U.S. airports such as Bellingham Airport and SeaTac Airport have been luring B.C. travellers with flight prices that are considerably less than those offered at Vancouver International Airport and Abbotsford Airport to U.S. destinations like Hawaii or Las Vegas.
U.S. President Barack Obama first proposed the surcharge in February and enacted it when he signed the U.S.-Colombia trade agreement October 12.
That pact has a clause that repeals an exemption that allowed travellers from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean to avoid paying a user fee to enter the U.S. by air or sea.
The move is expected to generate $110 million annually for the cash-strapped U.S. government.
According to Statistics Canada, more than 150,000 travelled to the U.S. by boat.More than seven million Canadians flew to the U.S. in 2010.
Glen Korstrom
@GlenKorstrom