New Aircraft and New Routes for ULCC Flair as it Seeks to Disrupt Canada’s Air Travel Landscape

flair airlines
Flair Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8

Flair Airlines is growing its schedule by one-third with the announcement it’s deploying four new 737 MAX aircraft in APR and May 2022, as well as adding fourteen new routes in both Canada and the U.S.

The Ultra Low-Cost Carrier (ULCC) is assigning its four new planes to Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver, bringing the fleets in each location up to five, two and three aircraft respectively.

Flair says it’s using the 737 MAX as part of its goal to “achieve the lowest cost per seat mile of any Canadian airline.”

The MAX not only deliver fuel savings but also reduce CO2 emissions by 14%, which Flair says is also part of its plan for lower, per-pax emissions as it works “to become Canada’s greenest and most sustainable airline.”

The new aircraft will enable the airline to launch new service in spring next year to San Francisco, Nashville, and Denver in the U.S., and between Toronto and Victoria to Comox, B.C. on Vancouver Island.

“Travelling and reconnecting with friends will be among the top priorities for many Canadians in the coming months, and Flair is continuing our growth by adding more aircraft and routes so we can bring sustainably low fares to even more iconic destinations across North America,” said Stephen Jones, President and CEO, Flair Airlines.

All routes and schedule details can be viewed at flyflair.com.

The company reveals that its base fares to U.S. destinations start between $99 and $129 CAD one-way, and several of the new domestic Canadian routes have fares of $49 CAD one way, including taxes and fees.

Flair is starting service to six American destinations this fall, and currently serves 18 destinations in Canada. Flair will be flying to 28 destinations by spring 2022:

New Route Frequencies: 

USA

  • Toronto – Nashville (YYZ-BNA) - 2x weekly starting 14APR 2022
  • Toronto – Denver (YYZ-DEN) - 3x weekly starting 15APR  2022
  • Edmonton – Nashville (YEG-BNA) - 2x weekly starting 14APR  2022
  • Edmonton – San Francisco (YEG-SFO) - 2x weekly starting 14APR 2022
  • Vancouver – San Francisco (YVR-SFO) - 3x weekly 17MAY 2022

CANADA

  • Calgary – Comox (YYC-YQQ) - 3x weekly starting 29MAR 2022
  • Edmonton – Comox (YEG-YQQ) - 3x weekly starting 29MAR 2022
  • Edmonton – Regina (YEG-YQR) - 2x weekly starting 14APR 2022
  • Edmonton – Montreal (YEG-YUL) - 3x weekly starting 15APR 2022
  • Edmonton – Winnipeg (YEG-YWG) - 3x weekly starting 15APR 2022
  • Edmonton – Saskatoon (YEG-YXE) - 3x weekly starting 15APR 2022
  • Toronto – Victoria (YYZ-YYJ) - 1x weekly starting 07MAY 2022
  • Vancouver – Kelowna (YVR-YLW) - 3x weekly starting 16MAY 2022
  • Kelowna – Victoria (YLW–YYJ) - 3x weekly starting 16MAY 2022

Industry Disruption

The upstart airline’s growth is making waves.

Flair’s heavily discounted pricing is seen by some as a direct challenge to Canada’s more established airlines.  As Open Jaw reported earlier this week, analysts at Canada’s National Bank recently said that the pandemic has “created an opportunity for smaller airlines to aggressively expand and for new players to enter the market.”

The analysts point to Flair Airlines “already having an impact on pricing on routes where it competes directly with Air Canada and WestJet.”

While it advertises low-cost base fares, the airline charges for extras like carry-on baggage and seat selection. But “even when considering Flair’s unbundled fare structure, its all-in fare generally comes in lower than the other two airlines,” the analysts said.

Shareholder Hesitation

In addition to challenging established airlines,, as Open Jaw reported in JUL, Flair’s aggressive expansion plans aren’t sitting well with some of its own shareholders.

Following its summer announcement  of its plans to expand its inaugural fleet to 50 planes within the next five years, putting it directly into competition with Air Canada and WestJet, Prescott Strategic Investments LP, the owner of nearly 68 per cent of Flair’s shares, filed a petition in BC Supreme Court in JUN, claiming that Flair hadn’t sought shareholder approval as required for the leases or expansion plans.

Representatives of Prescott say other airlines slowed or cancelled their fleet expansion plans during the pandemic slowdown - and they believe Flair should have, too.

“Because Flair had already begun selling tickets connected to the expanded services, Flair’s position was entrenched and any after-the-fact vote by shareholders would be futile,” the petition read.

It also stated that Flair did not get approval from the Canadian Transport Agency for the leases, which could put the aviation firm’s ability to operate in Canada into question.

Prescott had been demanding that Flair buy back its shares, but it’s not clear if that shareholder discontent has now been resolved as the airline continues on its expansion trajectory.

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