This video is sponsored by Flair Airlines.
Canada is home to a diverse population of over 37 million, but it’s also one of the
most sparsely populated nations on Earth, with huge distances between most major centres.
As such, the demand for domestic air travel is significant, and that’s brought a few
different airlines to the country’s aviation industry,
connecting Canadians with each other, and to the world.
A relative newcomer to the commercial market is Flair Airlines - an ultra-low-cost carrier
or ULCC, that serves 11 destinations across Canada.
Since starting up, they now fly over one million people a year, with a fleet of Boeing 737s.
The company, however, actually has quite the history leading up to this point.
So today, and with a bit of help from them, let’s take a look at the past, present,
and future, of Flair Airlines.
Flair Airlines was founded in 2005, and was originally headquartered in Kelowna, British Columbia.
At the start, the company was known as “Flair Air”, and featured a black and gold logo.
Flair started operations in 2006 with two Boeing 727-200 aircraft, one in a passenger
configuration, and another one used for cargo.
One of the company’s first major contracts was operating some passenger and cargo services
between Cuba and Canada, on behalf of Cuban national airline Cubana.
The following year, in 2007, Flair entered into a contract with Shell Canada for their
Albian Sands project north of Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Flair would provide workforce transportation services to the oil sands, something which
quickly became a major source of flying for the company.
By 2008, it became clear that a replacement was needed for these 727s, and Flair began
adding three Boeing 737-400s to the fleet.
From 2007 to 2010, Flair was Shell’s exclusive supplier of large aircraft lift, and at its
peak, the airline moved over 10,000 construction workers a month from points all over Canada.
Following the completion of the Albian Sands project, Flair continued to transport workers
between the site and major cities in Alberta, eventually signing a 10-year agreement with
Shell to cover the company’s aviation-related needs.
This included the addition of two Shell-owned aircraft to Flair’s operation in 2013, a
single Dornier 328 as well as an Embraer 175.
At that point, Flair also added a fourth 737-400 to their fleet.
The Dornier and Embraer would remain with Flair until Shell sold both aircraft in 2016.
2015 brought the launch of Canadian virtual airline NewLeaf - a ticket seller which outsourced
parts of its business to contractors.
As part of this business model, NewLeaf never operated any aircraft directly, and so Flair
was hired to operate these flights.
NewLeaf/Flair launched flights in July the following year, offering discount tickets
from their bases in Winnipeg, Kelowna, and Hamilton.
To accommodate this, Flair added a 5th 737.
As oil prices declined, the type of charter flying that had been Flair’s bread and butter
for so many years began to slow down.
This foray into the scheduled market with NewLeaf was exactly the sort of business that
Flair needed, and while 2016 was no doubt a busy year for them,
things would only get busier.
In June of 2017, Flair announced that they would be purchasing NewLeaf, and rebranding
themselves as Flair Airlines - an ultra-low-cost carrier offering their own scheduled flights
for the first time in the company’s history.
The new Flair would retain the unbundling model that’s seen success with many other
ultra low-cost-carriers.
Essentially, customers would pay only for a seat belt, with everything else, including
bags, seat selection, and snacks, being optional extras.
As part of this rebrand, Flair unveiled a new purple and blue livery that would be worn
on two additional 737-400s joining the fleet later that year.
This would bring their fleet to 7 aircraft by 2017’s end, with flights to Abbotsford,
Edmonton, Halifax, Hamilton, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver, and Kelowna.
2018 brought more change, as the company moved its headquarters to its current location at
Edmonton International Airport.
It also brought some good news for the airline in the form of funding and support from Miami-based
investment firm 777 Partners.
That summer, Flair also added flights to Calgary, and flew 188 flights a week across their entire network.
In December, Flair also began seasonal flights to the United States, operating to 6 destinations.
To facilitate that, they temporarily leased three Boeing 737-800s from Czech airline Smartwings.
By the end of 2018 though, it became clear that Flair needed to further set itself apart
from the competition.
So, in February 2019, they launched a top to bottom rebrand.
The blue, purple, and red of their 2017 livery was replaced with a distinctive mint green
and black colour scheme, as well as a minimalistic look elsewhere.
This clean sheet overhaul allowed Flair to refine its brand, and to work towards a more
consistent future offering.
Like it or not though, the livery got people talking, and that’s something else the company needed.
CEO Jim Scott has described the airline as “Canada’s best-kept secret”.
The first aircraft in the new livery, and their first 737-800, aircraft 801 was finally
delivered to Flair at the end of March.
The same week, 777 Partners strengthened their investment, announcing that they would be
acquiring a 25% stake in the airline, for an undisclosed amount.
In summer 2019, Flair also launched nonstop flights on two major domestic routes, between
Toronto and Calgary, and Toronto and Vancouver.
Today, Flair Airlines remains headquartered at the Edmonton International Airport.
Their current fleet consists of four Boeing 737-400s, as well as three newer 737-800s.
These 737-800s were a long time coming for Flair.
While their older 737-400s were suitable for the charter business, their age and the cabin
configuration doesn’t make them the most efficient aircraft for an ultra low cost carrier.
Flair’s second and third 737-800s, delivered in August 2019, are named after influential
people in Flair’s history.
Aircraft 802 is named after Bill Hardy, Flair’s Chief Operating Officer, while 803 is named
after Flair founder Jim Rogers.
Looking ahead in the next decade, Flair has ambitious plans.
The company expects to retire its Boeing 737-400 fleet entirely, streamlining their operations
to a single, newer aircraft type.
They’ve also just released their summer 2020 schedule, bringing their total number
of destinations to 11.
Starting in June, Flair will begin flights to Ottawa, Ontario, Charlottetown, Prince
Edward Island, and Saint John, New Brunswick.
Flair will also be resuming seasonal flights between Toronto and Halifax in May, as well
as flights between Calgary and Kelowna in April.
These routes will all fly until the end of October 2020.
A Flair Airlines app will also be coming out this year, giving passengers the ability to
watch video content in flight, order food, upgrade their seats, and more.
By the end of 2020, they intend to add 2 to 5 aircraft to their fleet -
They also hope to start additional flights in the winter, possibly including a return
to the United States.
Flair Airlines has come quite a way since flying a pair of 727s.
With a streamlined brand, an ever-growing demand for air travel, and more new aircraft
coming their way, it’s safe to say that Flair is in it for the long haul.
As always, I’d like to thank you very much for watching this video.
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and I’ll see you next time.