After a rocky start to the year, Flair Airlines' CEO says the carrier has regained its footing and is now on a path of promising growth.
Speaking during a media appearance in Winnipeg on 12JUL, the Edmonton-based airline’s CEO, Stephen Jones, said the MAR seizure of several of its leased aircraft is now "in the rearview mirror," reports Winnipeg Free Press.
Flair recently expanded its fleet to 21 aircraft by securing a lease for two new Boeing 737 Max jets, as Open Jaw reported.
Jones said the Canadian ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) has also established what it believes to be "industry-leading level of transparency," releasing monthly performance metrics.
The airline reported over a 99 per cent completion factor for the month on JUN 2023, which measures scheduled flights that are completed compared to those that are cancelled. Flair also reported an on-time performance (OTP) — flights that arrive at their destination within 15 minutes of the scheduled time — of 77.4 per cent of all flights last month.
Additionally, the ULCC reported that the load factor, which is the percentage of seating capacity that is filled by passengers, remained strong at 89 per cent.
"These impressive figures mean that we’re able to maximize our aircraft utilization, resulting in lower costs, and a better travel experience for our passengers and their wallets. Not only does great on-time performance enhance the customer experience, but it also reduces the costs of cancellations and refunds, as well as the load on our Customer Service team. It also means better crew schedules and efficiency,” said Jones.
The total amount of passengers flown by the airline in JUN reached over 436,000 total passengers.
“Flair continues to deliver for Canadians. We’re very happy with our overall performance in June, and a completion factor that is industry leading. Our priority remains to deliver a positive and safe experience for all of our passengers, and we’re committed to getting Canadians where they want to be, on time,” said Jones.
The positive news comes as a welcome development for Flair Airlines, especially after the airline faced the highest number of complaints among Canadian carriers in the first quarter of this year.
As Open Jaw reported, Jones acknowledged the company's pitfalls, saying, "Our teams understand that exceptional customer service is paramount to our success. The vast majority of our customers have a positive experience with the airline. That said, I acknowledge that Flair has not always met our customers' expectations, and we are committed to rectifying that."
On 12JUN, he announced the formation of its Specialist Customer Service Team to help Flair boost its customer service level and overcome past deficiencies.
