Flair Airlines expands again with new service to Mexico
BNN Bloomberg
Edmonton-based discount carrier Flair Airlines is expanding yet again, this time launching service to Mexico.
CALGARY -- Edmonton-based discount carrier Flair Airlines is expanding yet again, this time launching service to Mexico.
Flair -- which bills itself as an ultra-low-cost carrier offering unbundled, bare-bones fares to budget-conscious travellers -- announced Tuesday it will begin non-stop flights this winter to Cancun and Los Cabos, Mexico, from Vancouver, Abbotsford, Edmonton, Ottawa and Kitchener-Waterloo.
"Expanding internationally is really something that's core to our growth strategy moving forward," said Garth Lund, Flair's chief commercial officer, in an interview. "I think there's a lot of opportunity to bring low fares to a lot of destinations ... for next winter, we'll be looking to expand probably into other places in Mexico, and into the Caribbean."
The Mexico routes are just the latest strategic move from an airline that has been in aggressive expansion mode over the last 12 months. Flair has announced 18 new destinations since the beginning of 2021, including the start of service this spring to new U.S. destinations like San Francisco, Nashville and Denver and Canadian destinations including Comox, B.C., Regina, Montreal, Winnipeg and Saskatoon.
Including the newly announced Mexico routes, Flair's network now includes 31 destinations.
Flair has taken advantage of the downturn in air travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, negotiating favourable lease terms for brand-new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and scooping up pilots and flight attendants who have been laid off by other airlines.
