Launching and operating a low-cost carrier in Canada does not come without turbulence, and Flair Airlines has had its share -- and then some.
But yesterday’s update from CEO Stephen Jones and CCO Garth Lund featured news of encouraging performance improvements and continuing strong demand for the Edmonton-based airline with a young fleet of 20 Boeing 737 MAX and 737-800s.
Flair carried 2.3 million pax June through October, 41% more than last year. It filled nearly 90% of its seats during the period and achieved significant performance gains – including improved on-time performance and a big drop in cancelled flights.
Stephen Jones, CEO Flair Airlines. (Photo Credit: Flair)
“Flair has delivered the best performance of any airline in Canada (during this period),” said Jones.
In September, Flair completed 99.4% of its flights, with just 16 cancellations out of more than 2,500 flights, 12 of them blamed on weather conditions on the East Coast. On-time performance (within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival) was 79% in September.
Jones says he’s confident the improved performance will continue into a busy winter season featuring 44 sun destinations.
“The industry itself has lifted its performance,” he said. “We’ve just lifted a little higher. We’ve reviewed every part of the process, and there are 100 things that have to well for good performance. We feel very confident about the period ahead.”
Garth Lund, Chief Commercial Officer, said Flair’s southern focus has intensified this winter with 75% of capacity heading to sunny destinations.
“It’s a big shift. But demand is robust and we have a rich network for Canadians seeking respite from winter.”
The Flair executives announced plans to add new routes and expand existing ones in 2024, including three-times-weekly flights from Toronto to Quebec City (May 6) and twice-weekly flights from Vancouver to Guadalajara, Mexico (May 31). The YVR-GDL route has not been offered since 2004.
Canadian ULCC Flair to add four new planes in early 2022. (Photo Credit: Flair Airlines Supplied)
Compared to last summer’s schedule, Flair’s summer 2024 will feature:
· A 25% increase in capacity out of the Greater Toronto Area from aircraft bases in Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo.
· Nearly 100% growth in flights to the United States, including destinations like Nashville, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale.
· Extension of popular winter routes including Toronto to Kingston, Jamaica and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
· A 33% increase in service to Abbotsford, BC, ensuring continued low cost options for the Lower Mainland.
During the virtual press conference, Jones acknowledged that the airline’s ambitious goal of 50 aircraft by 2025 will be pushed back, likely to 2027. Flair carries significant expensive debt and Jones has acknowledged publicly that the balance sheet could be better.
“If we think about what the 50 goal was about, it was more of a statement of our ambition and the potential for the airline, and for the ULCC (ultra-low-cost carrier) industry in Canada,” Jones said.
“It was always there to inspire people as to what the scale of this business can be, and we will get there. It’s just that it’ll be a year or two further out than what we expected. We’re very confident in the vision.”
Jones also took the opportunity to introduce two new members of the Flair executive team: Ashley Fields, VP of Marketing and Communications and Kent Breedlove, Chief Legal and Corporate Development Officer.
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