Ultra-low-cost airline to launch Saskatoon flights

One of Canada’s most affordable airlines is more than doubling the number of routes it flies — to more than 200 per week — and will land in Saskatoon for the first time this summer.

Kelowna, B.C.-based Flair Airlines Ltd. — which has seven Boeing 737-400s in service — announced plans on Friday for a direct flight between Saskatoon and Edmonton beginning June 15.

According to the company, oneway fares start at $79. The flights are scheduled to operate every Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

“Every time we enter a market, Canadians benefit significantly as airfare drops almost immediately by more than 20 per cent on the routes we serve,” Flair Airlines CEO Jim Scott said in a statement.

“We are thrilled to add this service to and from Saskatoon; this has been highly anticipated by both Flair and Saskatoon,” Scott added in the statement.

Flair also announced new direct flights between Winnipeg and Calgary, Winnipeg and Vancouver, Edmonton to Prince George, Edmonton to Victoria and Toronto to Halifax.

The B.C. company began as a charter airline but moved to scheduled flights in 2017, after acquiring the airline seat reseller NewLeaf, which launched a year earlier as an ultra-low-cost option.

Six months after it launched, NewLeaf dropped several cities — including Saskatoon and Regina — from its schedule.

Flair Airline’s Boeing 737s will be taking off from Saskatoon at least four days per week beginning in June as the low-cost carrier introduces regular flight service to Edmonton. It is part of a Canada-wide expansion of flights for the airline, which...