Flair Airlines' promise for improved service leaves customers divided

Former and current travellers with Flair Airlines have voiced a spectrum of opinion about the carrier's recent comments on its future and flights in Waterloo region. Some are hopeful for improved communication, others remain frustrated after trips were rerouted or cancelled. 

At the end of March, Flair announced it would be continuing with its plan to increase service in Waterloo region ahead of an expected busy summer.

The airline steadied after dealing with the backlog from four of its planes being seized during March Break, Flair CEO Stephen Jones said in a recent media call.

"We have no interest in flying with them," said Barry Ryan, a former Flair customer, in an email to CBC K-W.

According to Ryan, he woke up on his scheduled departure day to an email from Flair that changed his departure from Waterloo to Toronto, and changed the return date.

"Their services seem to be dwindling at the airport, not increasing," he added.

Jonathan Jackson, a first-time traveler booking with Flair, said the airline cancelled his flight to Edmonton ahead of time without notifying him directly or offering compensation options.

"It's pretty clear to me this is an attempt to keep the money they have been paid, for services they don't intend to offer, for as long as they can," he said in an email to CBC K-W.

A 'gong show'

"I don't see how they can expand when they're losing aircraft to start with," said Nick Hardman, a former Flair customer whose return flight was grounded when the aircraft was seized in Toronto during March Break.

Hardman, who traveled to Palm Springs with his wife and son, had used flight credits given by Flair from a previous cancellation last August. 

He learned about the six-hour delay for his return flight through an acquaintance, before Flair sent an email, Hardman added. 

His family left Palm Springs and drove for five hours to fly from Las Vegas after Flair denied a full refund and rebooking.

Flair 'set up for long term growth' in region

During their recent media call, Flair's chief commercial officer Garth Lund said the airline had hoped to bounce back with a 30 per cent increase in its overall services in Waterloo region, but now estimated it would only improve at half the rate.

"Kitchener and Waterloo is definitely set up for long-term growth without a doubt," said Mike Snider, president of travel agency Northstar Travel, which has offices in Kitchener, Ont. 

Flair and its customers are still invested in the Waterloo region airport for its significantly faster immigration and security times, Snider added.

But he advises travellers booking with low-cost airlines to be prepared to put up with frustrating phone calls and emails from underfunded communications departments.

"Something's going to suffer when you have a low-cost airline. In this case, customer service is going to suffer. It's not what they have built into their model," he said.

"We have seen a lot of volume over the past few weeks, so our contact centre wait times have been a bit longer than normal," Lund told CBC K-W on Friday.

Flair did not specify how its 15 per cent service expansion would improve communications. Lund advised customers unable to connect with the airline to continue following up.

"I would encourage people to email us or request a call back and we'll be able to help get them the help that they're looking for."

Despite vowing to never fly with Flair again, Hardman said he hopes the airline will in future give travellers better notice of flight cancellations or delays.

"They didn't send us an email or anything else. So that would be the first thing I would hope that they would provide," he added.

"The second would be refunds, because they haven't provided us with a refund for a flight they didn't execute on," he said.