Canada's third-largest airline has ramped up flights across the country to help air travellers who could be affected by the WestJet strike.
Flair Airlines announced Monday (May 15) that it was "ready and willing" to add more flights to its schedule as a contingency plan for affected passengers. It added extra flights connecting Vancouver to Edmonton and Calgary, which will commence at the start of the holiday weekend on Friday.
On Wednesday night, WestJet announced that it would start preemptively cancelling flights across its network, meaning that thousands of flights could be cancelled over the busy May long weekend.
In response to the news, Flair Airlines added more flights for sale that will operate on May 22 and May 23 and is reviewing plans to add flights for May 24. These flights will service more provinces, connecting Vancouver with Toronto, Halifax, and Kelowna, as well as the aforementioned Albertan cities, according to a news release.
“Flair Airlines stands ready, willing, and able to add additional flights. We hope this measure will help WestJet passengers who otherwise could not travel due to the pilots’ strike,” said Stephen Jones, CEO of Flair Airlines.
“Our teams are eager to help and the first of the extra flights went out for sale last night with a starting fare of $99.”
Currently, the airline has a capacity of 189 but that figure may increase if more flights are added.
"Flights will be added on a case-by-case basis over the coming days, with a view to helping Canadians continue their travel plans," the airline stated.
The full schedule of flights is available online with Flair Airlines, where customers can book seats at the lowest fares on offer in Canada.
YVR advised travellers Thursday morning that WestJet was beginning to cancel flights out of its airport. WestJet customers should check the status of their flight online and not go to the airport for assistance if their flight is cancelled.
Find out everything you need to know about the WestJet strike and how it is affecting Vancouver flights.
