Flair is Canada's worst airline when it comes to passenger complaints, federal data shows

Ultra low-cost carrier Flair is Canada's worst airline for complaints, with more than 20 per cent of its flights generating some sort of complaint to the Canadian Transport Agency (CTA), new federal data shows.

While gripes about air travel are not unusual, the CTA, the quasi-judicial body that regulates air transportation, found Flair had the dubious distinction of trailing all other major carriers on customer satisfaction in the first quarter of 2023.

In the January-March period, the CTA received 20.9 complaints for every 100 Flair flights. That compares to 10.7 for WestJet and 5.8 for Air Canada.

Other low-cost carriers — which generally charge less for fares, only to add on ancillary fees for things like seat selection, baggage and live-agent customer service — performed better than Flair despite a similar business model.

Lynx, a fledgling Calgary-based carrier, had 5.2 complaints per 100 flights.

Sunwing, a leisure airline that was recently acquired by WestJet, was the second-worst carrier for complaints after Flair — it generated 17.4 complaints for every 100 flights, said the CTA. Swoop, WestJet's discount sister brand, was the subject of 16 complaints per 100 flights.

Flair's poor showing doesn't come as a surprise to some of its customers.

There's a dedicated Facebook group — Flair Airlines Nightmares — that has over 10,000 members who trade horror stories about flying with the carrier.

The complaints are different but there's one common thread: lacklustre or non-existent customer service.

Passengers are often grappling with last-minute flight cancellations, hours-long delays, lost bags and rebooked flights that are days or weeks out from the original date of departure.

Sometimes, Flair has put passengers on planes headed to airports that were not their original destinations.

What's unique about Flair, passengers say, is its inadequate level of communication.

Third-party contract airport workers are powerless to help with some issues.

Call centre wait times are particularly egregious, passengers claim. Customer complaints are usually handled by email.