WestJet is reportedly reducing the surcharge amount included with all bookings made with a companion voucher, as oil prices come down amid easing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

The surcharge, first introduced in April when jet fuel costs were soaring, was $60 per passenger. The reduced fee is $40.

The move comes after Porter Airlines announced on June 23rd that it was halving its temporary fuel surcharge from $40 to $20. The extra fee, introduced in March, was implemented for VIPorter reward flight redemptions.

Aviation industry expert John Gradek told The Globe and Mail that even as some fuel surcharges have gone down, airfares globally are still high. “If you look at international airfares, those have gone up somewhere between 25 and 35% outside the fuel factor,” he said.

Earlier, Air Canada said its commission cut, taking effect July 1, was fuelled in part by high cost pressures. Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick told the Globe that ACV’s $50 per passenger fuel fee is still in place: “There is still much uncertainty with regards to the situation in the Middle East.”

While easing tensions in the Middle East have had a positive effect on the price of oil, industry experts have warned that it could take months for airfares to come down, if at all.

Gradek agreed. “Whatever happened since Feb. 28, that price is nowhere near being reduced now,” he told the Globe, adding that  “the flow of aviation fuel hasn’t started yet. The crisis for aviation fuel is not over.”