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Low-fare airline gets more business than expected

FlairAir, which relocated to Edmonton from Kelowna, surpassed load projections
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Flair, Canada’s low-fare airline, which recently relocated its headquarters from Kelowna to Edmonton, announced that after doubling its summer flying, the airline surpassed load factor projections.

“It’s been a delightfully busy summer for us,” said executive chairman David Tait. “Since mid-June, when we more than doubled our capacity and expanded our network to 10 cities from Victoria to Halifax, our fleet of seven aircraft has carried more than a quarter million passengers and we’re currently enjoying load factors in excess of 90 per cent.”

READ MORE: FlairAir leaves Kelowna, makes Edmonton home

Having led the way as the nation’s first low fare airline, among other initiatives, Flair is working closely with Edmonton’s community at large to firmly establish its position as the city’s ‘hometown airline,’ according to the airline’s news release. Already, some 75 per cent of the airline’s flights go through Edmonton International Airport EIA. Throughout the coming months, Flair will continue to relocate staff to its new HQ building at EIA, as well as hire for new positions from the local labour pool, the release said.

Flair recently announced low fare service (starting in December) out of Edmonton, Winnipeg and Toronto (YYZ), to Palm Springs,Phoenix/Mesa, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando and St. Pete/Clearwater, the release said.

“Going forward, our robust fleet expansion plan should see up to 20 newer, more fuel efficient and longer-range aircraft by the end of 2020. The first additions will start arriving in early 2019 as our current aircraft are rapidly phased out,” Tait said in the release.

READ MORE: FlairAir looks to the Okanagan for support as it spreads its wings

The cities from which Flair operates benefit with dramatically lower average airfares as a direct consequence of the carrier’s market presence; airports served by Flair also report an increase in new and first-time travellers.


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