Flair Leads Canadian Airlines in July Performance
by Bruce Parkinson
Regulatory scrutiny may have helped Flair Airlines dodge a bullet.
Flair closed out July with a 99.5% flight completion factor, the best in Canada for the month and a major improvement over its internal performance last year.
With just 13 cancellations all month, Flair slashed its July 2024 numbers by 69% and outpaced other major carriers. WestJet followed at 97.7%, Porter at 97.2%, and Air Canada trailed at 96.5%.
“July is always a pressure test for the industry, and this year, it was even tougher. ATC (air traffic control) delays accounted for 20% of total disruptions, more than double compared to last year and affecting over 46,000 passengers,” said Maciej Wilk, CEO of Flair Airlines. “That’s not the standard Canadians should accept, and we made sure it wasn’t ours.”
Flair says it held its own in on-time performance, matching Air Canada and WestJet at 73%, and finishing ahead of Porter (68.4%).
Flair offers what it calls ‘Canada’s only On-Time Guarantee.’ If flights are more than 60 minutes late, customers automatically receive a $60 e-voucher travel credit. In July, 91.6% of Flair’s flights beat that mark.
Nearly half a million (479,411) travellers flew with Flair in July, with a strong 92.1% load factor.
“When you’re moving record passenger volumes, navigating record ATC delays, and still leading the country in completion, that’s not luck, that’s leadership,” added Wilk. “Flair continues to set the standard for what reliable, affordable travel should look like in Canada.”
