Flair launches low-fare airline on WestJet’s home turf
Calgarians looking for an airline alternative can now jump aboard Flair Airlines when leaving YYC.
The low-cost carrier took its inaugural Calgary flight at 11:35 a.m. on Friday, offering trips to Vancouver, Winnipeg and Kelowna.
Flair’s executive chairman David Tait — who helped start Virgin Atlantic with billionaire Sir Richard Branson — has only been at the company’s helm for about a month, but said Flair has already has a proven track record flying out of nine other Canadian airports.
“As the little guy in the big guy’s market, you actually have a lot of advantages you can leverage … if you have the imagination to see the opportunities for innovation, which are everywhere,” Tait said.
One of those innovations will be giving autism sensitivity training to all staff to provide an accommodating airline experience for families with special needs children.
Calgary-based WestJet is also opening a low-fare airline option in the form of a new carrier called Swoop, which launches next week. WestJet narrowly avoided a strike after pilots cried foul over the company recruitment efforts for the low-cost carrier.
Tait said the added low cost competition will drive down fares while improving service.
“We like to see ourselves stepping into the void WestJet left behind when it decided it was going to become all things to all people … so I think they turned their back a little bit on the market they started with,” he said.
“They’re trying to get back into that with ‘you know who,’” Tait said, referring to Swoop.
In a statement, WestJet said the Calgary company will continue to provide “unmatched” service at YYC with “more than 150 daily departure to more than 49 destinations” compared to Flair’s three daily departures.
“Ultimately, competition is a good thing for Canadian travellers and the WestJet Airline Group looks forward to the launch of the (ultra low-cost carrier), Swoop, on June 20,” WestJet said.
Robert Sartor, president and CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority, said more low-cost options is good for businesses, including a U.S.-based low-cost airline called Frontier which started flying out of YYC a few weeks ago.
“As far as competition goes, the aviation sector is already very competitive (and) this just adds to that competition ... it gives Calgarians more choice, and choice is always a good thing,” he said.
But not everything went smoothly for customers flying the friendly Flair skies for its first Calgary flight.
Dean Southern has flown on Flair out of other Canadian cities and said he was surprised and angry when told he would have to pay a $35 fee for carry on luggage, something Tait said is new to the airline.
And while the fee was waived for Southern’s trip to perform a wedding ceremony in Winnipeg, he said he will be watching to see if Flair reverses the charges in the future.
“That really is disingenuous to be adding those extra costs,” he said, adding he has always enjoyed flying with Flair in the past. “They ’ve made it possible to do this instead of driving.”
With seven aircraft in its fleet, Flair already flies out of Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Vancouver among other Canadians destinations.