More frustration as B.C.-bound Flair passengers deal with flight cancellations | 24CA News
Some B.C. passengers say their belief in Canada’s third-largest scheduled airline has been eroded after a weekend of business chaos.
Flair Airlines passengers headed again to B.C. from Arizona had their flight cancelled Friday, and the subsequent morning 4 plane had been repossessed. It was revealed it was cancelled due to a sick flight attendant.
Now, passengers stranded in Tuscon are questioning if they are going to be reimbursed for out-of-pocket bills, and say Flair Airlines has not offered meals or lodging.
After per week in Tuscon, Prince George, B.C., resident Dayna Gray found her return flight was grounded Friday — after she was already on the airport.
“You go around around and around and every time you call you get someone else who tells you a different story,” stated Gray.
“When we got to the hotel we were only booked for one night and so we had to go through the process every day of booking … and it was a different hotel every day,” she stated.
Finally, after hours spent on the cellphone with the corporate, passengers had been finally instructed they might get meals and lodge vouchers.
“They told us the crew was sick. And then people started sending me articles about planes being repossessed so there’s very little trust. We feel like we’ve been lied to from the very start,” stated Gray.
The incident comes after a troubled weekend for the airways. 1,900 passengers had flights cancelled Saturday after 4 leased planes had been seized due to an overdue fee. Flair says the transfer was surprising.
“We’ve come in and upset the cozy duopoly and as a consequence people want us out of business,” stated CEO Stephen Jones.
“We do believe there were negotiations going on behind the scenes between one of the majors and the lessor to hurt Flair by offering above market rates the aircraft that we have been leasing from them.”
Jones didn’t present any proof to again up his declare.
Despite the turbulence, he says they plan to be round for the long run. However, Jones admits the deliberate summer season growth might need to be adjusted due to the current seizure. It would see flights added to all 10 provinces, some American cities and to vacation resorts in Mexico.
The way forward for low-cost carriers in Canada has not been straightforward. WestJet has not too long ago acquired Sunwing after a tumultuous vacation season. Industry consultants say a few of these cut price costs should not sustainable.
“The pricing they were charging was very aggressive in the marketplace. Was that pricing too low to cover off the cost of leasing these airplanes? The answer probably today is yes,” stated John Gradek with McGill University’s Aviation Management Program.
In the meantime, Gray says she has given up on lodge and meals vouchers and is selecting to stick with buddies. She has booked a lodge on her personal the day earlier than she flies again to Prince George, hopefully this Friday.
“Hopefully because Flair told us to keep our receipts we are going to we are going to get some compensation,” stated Gray. “But, we aren’t holding our breaths.”
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