Flair Airlines adds two aircraft to meet summer passenger demand

Flair Airlines says it has added a pair of new aircraft to its fleet as it increases service during the busy summer months.

“I think it’s going to be a fantastic summer of travel,” said Flair chief executive Stephen Jones in an interview at Vancouver International Airport as he announced the arrival of a Boeing 737 Max 8 from the Boeing factory in Seattle.

The 189-seat aircraft are leased from SMBC Aviation Capital, the world’s second-largest leasing company.

The new planes represent a recovery of sorts for Flair. In March, the Edmonton-based carrier had four aircraft seized by four leasing companies tied to Airborne Capital over alleged missed payments. The airline has launched a $50 million lawsuit over the seizure, which forced Flair to cancel dozens of flights, leaving frustrated passengers in their wake.

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Flair styles itself as an ultra-low-cost carrier, meaning passengers have to pay for each service individually, right down to a printed ticket, if they want one.

“There will be some amazing deals out there,” said Burnaby, B.C.-based travel expert Claire Newell in an interview, noting advertised fares for as little as $59 between Vancouver and Calgary. “The buyer beware is just to know that the schedules may change or that if it does go mechanical on a smaller fleet that you may not have the option of another aircraft filling in.”

“We don’t have the same size of fleet as some of the other airlines, so our frequency is less, and that’s a fact of life,” replied Jones, noting his airline cancelled only nine flights in May, while filling 90 per cent of its available seats.

Airlines expect strong passenger demand in the summer of 2023, even as the industry navigates ongoing turbulence generated by the pandemic.

Flair expects to offer 35 per cent more service compared to the previous summer, while the country’s largest carrier, Air Canada, expects to increase capacity 22 per cent compared to 2022.

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Air Canada announced plans Wednesday to add service between Vancouver and Singapore starting in 2024, the first time the airline will serve the Southeast Asian metropolis in more than three decades.

Meanwhile, WestJet, the country’s second-largest carrier, announced it would close its ultra-low-cost subsidiary Swoop in October and absorb its planes and crews into the mainline fleet as the company focuses on rebuilding its Western Canadian base.

Toronto-based Porter Airlines is offering flights to major cities across Canada for the first time this year, and Calgary-based Lynx Air also competes in the domestic market.

“Do I think that all of these low-cost carriers are going to be able to make it?” wondered Newell, “there’s no way they can sustain the introductory fares they’ve been putting into the marketplace for an extended period of time.

“I’m hopeful that they’ll all make it, but I’m also doubtful.”