Why the car industry loves SUVs; There's a new airline fee in town: CBC's Marketplace cheat sheet

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WestJet now charges $25 to book a flight by phone. Are airline fees out of control?

Jana Fatovic prefers to buy her WestJet flights over the phone to ensure everything goes smoothly. But a recent attempt to book tickets for a family trip to Arizona didn't quite pan out.

While waiting on hold to speak with an agent, a recorded message informed her that WestJet now charges $25 to book economy fares by phone.

"I was fuming," said Fatovic, who lives just outside Edmonton. "I just feel like it's a big cash grab."

Airline fees are nothing new. But some major carriers have raised the ire of customers by introducing charges for features once included, such as overhead space for carry-on baggage and booking flights by phone.

Airlines often argue that charging fees helps keep base fares low and that customers only pay for the added services they want. But many passengers claim they already pay big bucks for flights, so they shouldn't be inundated with extra fees.

"It's just pricing people out of being able to fly," said Fatovic, who avoided WestJet's phone fee by reluctantly booking her trip online. But she notes that customers uncomfortable with using computers might not be able to do that.

"So now they get nickel and dimed?"

WestJet spokesperson Madison Kruger said in an email that the airline has upgraded its website to ensure customers can easily book and change flights online.

She also said that fees for bookings by phone are "a standard industry practice."

CBC News could find only one other major Canadian airline that charges for the service: ultra low-cost carrier Flair.Read more

This woman pays 100% of her income on rent. She's not the only one struggling

Living with your parents. Skipping meals. Living with your ex. Giving up basic needs like food and clothing.

These are just some of the sacrifices Canadians say they've been making to pay rent amid the surging prices and decreased availability marking Canada's rental housing crisis.

A recent CBC News analysis found that less than one per cent of rentals are both vacant and affordable for the majority of Canadian renters.

Meanwhile, over half of Canadian renters are spending more than the recommended 30 per cent of their income on rent, according to a recent survey.

"I think it's sickening," Karen Charmbury, a single mom living in Kingston, Ont., told CBC News.

Charmbury, 47, has to make sacrifices because 100 per cent of her income goes to her rent.

She had to sell her house after her divorce and now pays $2,679 per month for a three-bedroom townhouse in the same neighbourhood. She didn't want her children, a teen boy and teen girl, to have to switch schools or share a bedroom.

So, she's been cashing in her investments. Child support helps with the bills, her mother helps her with groceries, and her friends give her their old clothes. She says she barely sleeps from the stress.

Charmbury, who works full time in admin, is also looking for a night job because one income is unsustainable.

"It's very scary," Charmbury said of her financial situation. "But you'd do anything for your kids."Read more

How the car industry turned us into SUV drivers

So long, Smart cars. Adios to the Accent. Farewell, Fiat 500s.

In recent years, auto manufacturers have phased out many smaller vehicles, citing weak demand, in favour of an ever-growing array of SUVs and light trucks.

But that's not an accurate reflection of what consumers want, say industry analysts.

They say a combination of savvy marketing, government regulations that incentivize bigger vehicles, and limited supply of more modest ones are what is driving the big car trend.

Plus, of course, smaller cars are less profitable.

David Zipper, a Washington, D.C.-based senior fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative who has studied the automotive industry for decades, calls it a "prisoner's dilemma" a situation where consumers who may prefer smaller cars are "being pushed toward larger ones."Read more

What else is going on?

Stellantis is recalling nearly 1.2M vehicles to fix a software glitch that disables the rear camera
The recall covers Jeep Compass, Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer SUVs from the 2022 and 2023 model years, among others.

Eligibility for the federal dental care plan has expanded to include children and people with disabilities
It's estimated that 1.2 million more people will be able to apply.

Scientists are closing in on why some people never get COVID
A specific gene in some people could make them a super-dodger. That research could help with future vaccines.

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