Flair Airlines Review [2022]
Looking for a budget airline? Flair Air is a low-cost airline that is quickly gaining popularity among passengers in North America. But low-cost airlines don’t always have the best reputations, so in this Flair Airlines review, we’ll take a look at how the company stacks up against the competition when it comes to finding affordable flights.
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If you are looking for low-cost flight options, your best bet is to make your reservation with a low-cost carrier. When compared to conventional airlines, they offer tickets at ridiculously low prices while still transporting passengers to their final destination. You’ve never heard of low-cost airlines, have you?
Learn more about Flair Airlines, a low-cost carrier serving passengers in North America. But are low-cost airlines really as much of a bargain as they advertise themselves to be? Let’s take a look at the destinations and services that are offered by Flair and see how they stack up against their rivals.
What exactly is Flair Airlines all about?
The Canadian airline company Flair Airlines, also known more colloquially as Flair Air, began operations in the year 2017. They were some of the first companies to establish themselves as ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCC) in the North American market. Flair Air works hard to provide Canadians with more affordable air travel options without sacrificing their passengers’ security or peace of mind.
But before we get into that, let’s talk about the recent controversy surrounding Flair Air.
What exactly is going on with the disagreement over who owns Flair Airlines?
58% of Flair Air is owned by Canadians, while the remaining 42% is owned by people who are not Canadians. In order to be considered a Canadian airline, the percentage of ownership held by non-Canadians cannot be higher than 49%.
This is significant because there are laws in Canada that do not permit foreign airlines to fly domestic routes. This led to a dispute with the government earlier in 2022, which nearly resulted in Flair ceasing its operations in Canada.
Where does Flair Airlines fly to the most frequently?
Locations in Canada to Visit
• Abbotsford, located in the province of British Columbia (YYX)
• Charlottetown (YYG), Prince Edward Island
• Calgary (YYC), in the province of Alberta
• Comox, in the province of British Columbia (YQQ)
• Deer Lake (YDF), which is located in both Newfoundland and Labrador
• Fort McMurray (YMM), also in Alberta
• Edmonton (YEG), also in Alberta
• Kelowna (YLW), in the province of British Columbia
• Halifax (YHZ), in the province of Nova Scotia
• Kitchener-Waterloo (YKF), located in the province of Ontario
• The Canadian city of London (YXU)
• Montréal (YUL), Québec
• Ottawa (YOW), Ontario
• The municipality of Prince George (YXS), located in British Columbia
• Saint John (YSJ), New Brunswick
• Saskatoon (YXE), Saskatchewan
• Thunder bay (YQT), Ontario
• Toronto (YYZ), Ontario
• Vancouver, located in the province of British Columbia (YVR)
• The capital city of British Columbia, Victoria (YYJ)
• Windsor (YQG), in the province of Ontario
• International Destinations Near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Including YWG Airport
• Cancun (CUN), Mexico
• Denver (DEN), Colorado
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Florida
• Los Angeles (LAX), California
• Burbank, in the state of California (BUR)
• Las Vegas (LAS), Nevada
• Los Cabos (SJD), Mexico
• Nashville (BNA), Tennessee
• New York, and New York (JFK) Airport
• Orlando Sanford Airport (SFO), in the state of California
• Palm Springs, in the state of California (PSP)
• Phoenix-Mesa (AZA), Arizona
• Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (PVR)
• San Francisco (SFO), California
• Tucson (TUS), in the state of Arizona
Which airline does Flair have a relationship with?
As an independent carrier, Flair Air is not affiliated with any other airlines and is not a member of any airline alliances. This means that Flair Air is free to choose its own routes and schedules.
Make your flight reservations with Flair Air.
Tickets for flights on Flair Airlines can be purchased electronically through the airline’s website.
To book your flight, simply proceed in the following simple steps:
1. The search function on the Flair website is comparable to that of many other online travel booking sites. To get started, all you have to do is enter your departure and arrival points, the dates of your trip, and the number of people in your party.
2. Once you have pressed the search button, a list of flight options that are available during your travel dates will appear. You can book the flight you want by clicking the “show prices from…” button next to the flight. When selecting options for bundles, you must remember to take into account the amount of luggage space you will require.
3. Provide the necessary travel information for each passenger, and you will be good to go. Be sure to keep an eye on your inbox for a confirmation email from the airline, and don’t forget to check in online.
Budget airline vs commercial airline
The primary distinction between a low-cost airline and a full-service airline is the level of service provided to passengers. Because of the much reduced fares they charge, budget airlines are given the label “budget.” However, these airlines also provide fewer services than you would typically get on a full-service airline.
There is no allowance for carry-on bags.
Even for long-distance flights, budget airline tickets typically do not include checked bags as part of the fare. When flying with Flair Air, both checked luggage and carry-on items are treated as optional extras and are charged an additional fee per item.
Be sure to check every item in your bag at least three times to ensure that it does not exceed the weight limit for either the free bags or the paid bags. The cost of purchasing any additional luggage allowance at the airport counter is significantly more than the cost of purchasing them online in advance.
No meals were provided on board.
Most cheap airlines do not supply passengers with full meals on their flights. Small snacks and drinks are available for purchase on Flair air, but passengers must use the airline’s mobile app to do so. When flying with budget airlines, you should consider it good practise to assume that you will be charged additional fees for anything that involves human interaction.
Airports on a smaller scale
Another drawback associated with low-cost airlines is that they sometimes depart from airports that are not as large. It is fortunate that FlairFlair usually travels between big airports; nevertheless, it is possible that this is not the case for you. Before booking any flights, you should always research the airport first.
If you fly on a commercial airline, you can sidestep the most of these problems, but doing so will, of course, empty your pocketbook.
Flair vs Lynx against Sunwing
There are a few different low-cost flying alternatives available within Canada. Even though I’ve flown with both Flair and Lynx, I haven’t had the opportunity to test Sunwing Airlines’ services just yet. When I fly on a budget airline, I don’t exactly have great expectations for the service, and you shouldn’t either.
In comparison to my experience with Flair, I had a far more positive one with Lynx. One half of our success was due to good fortune, and the other half was due to Lynx supplying complimentary water while we were in flight. In addition, the five-hour delay with Flair was not exactly an award-winning experience; more on that will be discussed in the next sentence.
According on the comments made by previous customers on various websites, I would not claim that there is a significant gap between Flair and Lynx. Sunwing, on the other hand, seems to have more consistent delivery, whilst Flair and Lynx both have their ups and downs. If you are seeking for a dependable low-cost flight, your best bet may be to book with Sunwing or negotiate a discount with a traditional commercial airline.
My individual encounters while flying with Flair Air
My journey with Flair was not anywhere close to being flawless. A flight from Calgary (YYC) to Vancouver (YVR) that was supposed to take only 1.5 hours turned into an uncompensated endeavour that lasted well over 6 hours.
Because of the delay, we were only given some granola bars and water bottles as “snack and beverages,” but other than that, we received nothing further from the airline. Communication with the airline was extremely difficult. After calling customer assistance, I was not offered any compensation or accommodations, and instead I was placed on a waiting list. After three days had passed since the flight, I finally got a call back.
It’s awful, but an earlier flight with Flair was also cancelled before mine, and their replacement flight was scheduled to leave the gate just 30 minutes before mine did. To cut a long tale short, the boarding gate was crowded with irritated and exhausted passengers.
It is vital to keep in mind that Flair Airlines does not have in-house workers in the majority of the airports that they fly out of, if not any of the airports at all. If you were hoping to find a representative with whom you might discuss the postponement or cancellation of your flight, you are out of luck.
My flight was delayed for three distinct reasons, each of which I was informed of by a separate source. The first piece of information came from an email that Flair sent indicating the delay, the second was provided by a member of the YYC airport employees, and the third was provided by a Flair air flight attendant as I was boarding my aircraft. It goes without saying that I have no idea what caused the delay in my trip.
My suspicion was that Flair Airline’s poor management and flight scheduling system caused them to be forced to delay multiple flights. Because of this, in order to take advantage of a loophole in the Canadian Air Passenger Regulation Act, they needed to come up with an explanation that was beyond the control of the airline in order to avoid having to compensate their customers.
Another thing you should remember to do before boarding a flight with Flair Airlines is to download the Flair: Inflight app on your mobile device. This is basically Flair’s solution to the problem of providing in-flight entertainment without having to attach anything to the back of passengers’ seats.
What the opinions of other people are regarding Flair Airlines
Another reason to avoid flying with Flair air is that they frequently have to cancel flights, in addition to the numerous customer complaints over flight delays.
In the case that your flight is cancelled, Flair air will provide you with the option to either rebook another flight with Flair at no additional cost or book a flight with another airline at your own expense. Please do not make any new reservations with any other airlines!
Many people have the expectation that the original airline will reimburse the difference in price between the original flight and the replacement flight, however the most that Flair air will reimburse is approximately $98 USD.
When compared to most commercial airlines, the price differential for tickets will be significantly bigger than this. Therefore, if you are not prepared to pay the difference out of your own cash, I would not advise going with this choice.
The vast majority of commercial airlines will, in the event that your flight is cancelled or delayed, make it easy for you to rebook it with one of their partner airlines. Using Flair air will not allow for this type of customization. They operate as a separate airline that is not affiliated with any other companies in the industry.
Previous passengers of Flair air have claimed that the company’s chat help and phone support are slow to respond to their questions and concerns.
How to get a refund for a flight with Flair Airlines
Within twenty-four hours of making a purchase, passengers on Flair flights are permitted to cancel their reservations free of charge. After the first twenty-four hours, any changes to or cancellations of reservations will incur a cost. Please refer to their flexibility policies for information on the associated fees.
Assistance for customers of Flair Airlines
There are a few different methods that passengers can get in touch with Flair Airlines. The number to call for assistance from Flair Airlines’s customer service department is 1-833-711-2333. Send an email to flightdelay@flyflair.com to receive up-to-date information regarding flight delays. Additionally, you can contact them through the chatbot that is available on their website.
Be aware that they will most likely contact you back or respond to your email a few days after they have already done so, if at all.
Is it worthwhile to fly with Flair Airlines?
If you care about maintaining your sanity, you should avoid Flair Air at all costs.
If you are looking for a strictly budget airline and are okay with Flair potentially cancelling or delaying your flight without providing any valid explanation or compensation, then I would reluctantly recommend Flair to you. However, I would strongly recommend that you look into other low-cost airlines such as Lynx or Sunwing instead.
The fact that Flair Air provides low-cost flights is probably the single best thing that this airline has to offer. Anything in addition to a seat on the aeroplane is an additional cost that a frugal traveller like yourself just cannot justify spending money on.
It is not worth the hassle of dealing with Flair air’s arbitrary flight delays and cancellations unless you are going on an extremely limited budget and have a lot of leeway in planning your route.
Our Score: 1.2 out of 5
Pros:
• Low-Cost Flights
• Frequent Flight Deals
• A Diverse List of Canadian Destinations
• A Wide Range of Flight Deals
Cons:
• Recurrent delays and cancellations
• Horrible customer support
• Carry-on luggage fees
• No complimentary meals or snacks on board
