Flair Airlines could return its hugely popular service from Vancouver to Montreal, but travellers shouldn't hold their breath.
Ticket prices for flights to the City of Saints from Vancouver soar over the summer months, with most Canadian carriers offering the route for hundreds of dollars for a round-trip option.
When Canada's ultra-low-cost carrier introduced flights connecting Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport (YUL), the option included significantly low prices on the route.
In 2021, for example, Flair offered one-way, direct flights from YVR to YUL for a jaw-dropping $59.
The carrier continued to offer the direct, nonstop option seasonally, providing service through the spring and into the fall annually. However, the airline quietly removed flights on the route, with its final flight departing from Vancouver bound for Montreal on Oct. 27, 2023.
At that juncture, a spokesperson for the airline informed V.I.A. it was "taking a pause" on the popular route due to market conditions as the weather changed but expected to resume service in the summer of 2024.
Shortly after, Flair posted in early November 2023 that it was resuming service between Vancouver and Montreal on May 5, 2024, with service on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays in May and then Sundays, Mondays, and Fridays in June, July, and August. However, the schedule was removed shortly after and the spring flights never took off.
Why did Flair not revive the Vancouver to Montreal route in the summer of 2024?
Eric Tanner, Flair Airlines' network planning and revenue management vice president, told V.I.A. that the flight from YVR to YUL was "one of the longest" in the airline's system and they didn't have the aircraft available to service it.
The Vancouver-Montreal route is also one of Canada's most competitive options, meaning airlines including Air Canada and WestJet have several aircraft servicing it on multiple departures daily.
"It is not just market demand. It is also how well it is being served by other carriers," he explained.
"Everything in airlines is a question of opportunity costs."
Still, Flair recognizes the route's importance for consumers, particularly those favouring Flair's low-cost model.
The executive for the low-cost airline did not rule out that Flair could once again connect travellers between YVR and YUL.
"It is definitely a market that we will keep an eye on," he said.
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