EDMONTON, Alberta, March 15, 2023. Since our launch in 2017, Flair Airlines has championed a relentless mission to bring affordable airfare to all Canadians. We believe air travel should be accessible to the entirety of the Canadian population, yet it remains unserved by Big Air. Since our inception, we have faced significant resistance in challenging the status quo of an industry weighted by monopolistic practice. We accept that resistance will continue, as will our response.
Airborne Capital’s unlawful and immeasurably destructive actions were taken on the first weekend of many of our customers’ school breaks. This is profiteering on the backs of Canadians and was entirely unexpected and unwarranted. As a result, on March 14th 2023, Flair Airlines filed a lawsuit against Airborne Capital with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
Airborne Capital’s actions have caused enormous disruption to the customers Flair serves. We have implemented every recovery measure possible to help our customers. We have deployed a dedicated team who have taken steps to ensure affected passengers can conclude their journeys with minimal disruption, rebooking hundreds of travellers on flights with Flair Airlines, or another airline, at no additional cost. Additionally, customers can rebook their own travel and receive a reimbursement within seven days. We want to firmly reiterate that Flair Airlines will continue to fly its schedule. We have brought four additional planes into service. All customers can book future travel with us with confidence.
Our customers will remain our number one priority. Through our lower airfares, and our impact on airfares across the board, Flair has saved Canadians over $252M in 2022, offering a nearly 60% reduction to the market average of the same routes prior to the pandemic. We take great pride in employing more than 1,000 people across the country, with a tangible economic impact to the communities we serve and the more than 35 destinations where we fly. We continue to offer one of the lowest cost structures of any airline in Canada, meaning a significant proportion of the national population that could not afford air travel previously, now can. With more than 80% of Canadians deeming lower-cost flights for the nation as an important contributor to the national interest, our founding mission remains resolute: we proudly serve as Canada’s leading low-fare airline and are firmly supported by our investment partners in this endeavour.
We are here to stay, and we will keep flying.