Flair Airlines Review: Is It Worth It?

We recently held the Frugal Flyer Miles & Pints Meetup in Edmonton and since Edmonton is only about an hour away from me by plane, I decided to attend. As time was fast approaching, I wanted to get to Edmonton as cheaply as possible, so I booked with Flair Airlines as they were offering the lowest price. 

Many cost-conscious Canadians rely on Flair Airlines to get them to their destination on a budget, but as we know, expectations should always be tempered when flying on a carrier whose only competitive advantage is price. But there is definitely a place for these ultra-low-cost carriers in the Canadian market.

Here’s how my experience with Canada’s largest low-cost carrier went.

Booking Flair Airlines

Price was definitely a factor in choosing how to get to Edmonton, and no surprise Flair Airlines had the cheapest fares, which resulted in a total cost of $126 round trip. Considering I only booked these flights two weeks before the event, the pricing was reasonable and far cheaper than if I had booked with any other carrier.

My flight from Abbotsford (YXX) to Edmonton (YEG) had a base fare of $39.54 with a total cost of $52.74.

On the return, my flight from Edmonton (YEG) to Abbotsford (YXX) had a base fare of $23.59 with a total cost of $73.25.

Simply put, the biggest benefit of flying on Flair Airlines is the cheap fare. An important detail to note is that when you get to the payment part of the booking process, Flair Airlines does not take American Express cards at all, despite having it as an option in the payment form.

I had to dig through the airline’s terms and conditions to notice that it lists Visa and MasterCard as the only payment options. Additionally, when paying by credit card, Flair Airlines charges an additional credit card fee of 1.4% to 2.4%.

Outside of Flair’s own fees plus taxes, airports sometimes charge an improvement fee to generate revenue and help with the upkeep of the airport. Fortunately, no improvement fee is charged when flying out of Abbotsford, which is rare for most Canadian commercial airports. To compare, travelers are charged $25 when flying out of Vancouver, and out of Edmonton, it’s $35.

My other options were taking WestJet for about $50 more round-trip on a similar fare or twice the price if flying Air Canada from YVR. I had no status benefits with WestJet and Air Canada was way too much for how far I was going, so I decided to try Flair, an airline I’ve never flown with before. 

I’ve heard many negative stories about the ultra-low-cost carrier experience but for such a short trip, it was a risk I was willing to take. I also didn’t need to bring much in terms of baggage so a personal item was enough for me, though if you need to bring more, check out how you can save money on Flair’s baggage fees.

Ground Experience

One positive that I will applaud Flair on is that they are proactive in letting customers know about upcoming flight delays, hours ahead of time. However, this also means that once a plane is late for whatever reason, the following flights will also be delayed. 

For both flights, Flair emailed me at least half a day in advance letting me know that they would be delayed, an hour and twenty minutes for the first flight and three and a half hours for the return (before it was ultimately canceled, more on that below). 

My flight flew out of Abbotsford (YXX), which was faster to get to compared to flying out of Vancouver (YVR). The terminal is small, only using 3 out of 5 gates, so security and check-in were a breeze. There is no lounge, priority screening, or premium airport services at Abbotsford Airport, though if you want to board earlier than everyone, Flair charges $20 CAD for priority boarding. 

I was only bringing a personal item on this trip so I wasn’t able to get a boarding pass until I went to the check-in counter at the airport. I was a little surprised that the counter agent during check-in never told me to size it and handed me a personal item band.

Flair normally makes you size all items, including carry-on luggage, so ensure your bags are within the stated sizes.

Flying back from Edmonton, I got an email around 10 AM, or about 11 hrs before departure, letting me know that my return flight was delayed by 3.5 hours due to unscheduled maintenance. They apparently attached a $7 CAD credit to my boarding pass that could be used to purchase food, though I wasn’t sure how it worked since it was not like a prepaid Visa or Mastercard like what you would typically get on some of the other airlines.

I got another email around noon saying that my flight was ultimately canceled and I was rebooked to a flight for Thursday. I didn’t want to stay in Edmonton since I had to work the next day plus it would have been 3 nights of hotels that I would need to book myself. 

This made me panic so I rebooked a flight going to Abbotsford a few hours earlier than my original flight, costing me about an additional $350. Even though I was booking through Flair’s own portal, they credited the amount of my original flight and then charged me $99 for a rebooking fee plus the new fare difference.

Flair did mention at the bottom of the email that if my rebooked flight was more than 48 hours after the original I could call them and they would be able to put me on another carrier’s flight. However, most alternative options leaving Edmonton that night or the morning after were also delayed or canceled. Considering that I would have probably had to shell out money for a hotel if I stayed in Edmonton for another night (in addition to food, essentials, etc.), paying $350 to arrive in Abbotsford 4 hours earlier than my original flight was not a terrible idea after all. 

Through the Air Passengers Protection Regulations (APPR), compensation can be given for flight delays over 3.5 hours or cancellations by the airline, depending on the reason given by the airline. I’ve previously had to apply for compensation for a similar reason for a flight delay because of ‘unscheduled maintenance’ onboard WestJet. However, in the previous APPR claim with WestJet, they denied any additional compensation, citing that the delay was unplanned and posed a safety risk.

Flair did email me a $25 voucher a few weeks after the incident, which was a token gesture at best.

When I got to the airport to “pick up” my boarding pass via email in Edmonton, everyone’s bags were measured with a sizing device at check-in, unlike in Abbotsford. Those who paid for a carry-on already had a boarding pass, so they got their bags measured at the gate instead. 

The flight was departing on time so I didn’t have too much time to wander around the airport. I picked up a YEG souvenir and then headed through security to the Plaza Premium Lounge with complimentary access from my American Express Platinum card.

In-Flight Experience

Flair uses a hodge-podge of Boeing 737 8 MAX and 800 aircraft from a variety of lessors or airlines that never ended up accepting new planes. The aircraft going to Edmonton was configured for Air Europa whereas the flight coming back was configured for Smartwings.

I was in seat 32B for the flight to Edmonton, which I thought would be the last row of the plane. However, it turned out that on the left side of the plane, there is an additional row, 33ABC. The plane was configured for AirEuropa with their standard 3-3 Economy layout.

The seats did not recline but each trio of seats shared a pair of dual USB-A charging points. On board, the flight crew announced that connectivity to the entertainment system via the Flair in-flight app was not available. Additionally, the flight attendant let us know that hot food was also not available either.

On the flight back to Abbotsford, we had a slightly older MAX 8 with a similar 3-3 layout, with seats specced for Smartwings, These looked similar to what you would see in an older WestJet 737 cabin but with a small phone holder and no power outlet.

These seats did recline, however, I was assigned 14B which was right in front of the exit row which meant I wouldn’t be able to that feature anyway. Similar to the previous flight, the crew announced that all the buy-on-board food was again not available, but this time emphasizing that bottled water was not available for purchase. They did mention that some pop and alcohol were still available for purchase.

Flair Airlines Compared to Other Canadian Carriers

Flair’s existence as the last nationwide low-cost carrier does mean it has some shoes to fill. The loss of other Low-Cost Carriers recently has raised concerns about airfare prices going back due to decreased competition. 

For now, it seems that Flair’s Canadian competition on all 3 large airlines have Basic fare classes that price similarly to what Flair offers. WestJet and Porter’s most basic fare does not include a carry-on bag like Flair. However, Air Canada includes a sizeable personal item allowance and a standard carry-on. 

Most Canadian travelers have probably heard of numerous stores on Flair Airlines. According to the Canadian Transportation Agency’s website, Flair received the most customer complaints, 17.9 per 100 flights between April and June 2024. This is a stark contrast with the following runner-ups, Sunwing, at 9.5, and WestJet, at 5.3.

WestJet

Personally, I think WestJet out of all three is the most comparable to Flair, mostly because their UltraBasic fare is the closest to Flair’s prices plus both fleets mostly utilize the Boeing 737 series for flights. 

However, a quick Google Flights search shows that WestJet Ultrabasic flights are slightly more expensive than Flair and the only benefit you do get is the drink and snack service onboard plus the ability to earn WestJet dollars with the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard.

Unfortunately, for those WestJet Rewards members with no affiliated credit card, no points can be earned for the lowest fare class. Additionally, with WestJet’s re-absorption of Swoop, many of their destinations competed with Flair, especially out of smaller airports like Abbotsford and Kelowna.

Porter Airlines

Although Porter’s basic fare option also doesn’t include a carry-on bag, the in-flight experience is much more enhanced than Flair’s. With complimentary alcoholic drinks, non-existent middle seats, and food for flights over 2.5 hours, Porter has the best out of all the Canadian carriers.

Though, most of the time, their fares are the most expensive option. Porter isn’t an option for short hops in Western Canada with only cross-country flights to the east available from large airports such as Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton.

Air Canada

Out of the three mainline carriers, Flair’s biggest competitor, like all the other airlines, is Air Canada. As mentioned before, Air Canada is the most generous regarding baggage allowances, even if you’re not planning to check in any bags.

In terms of benefits and travel connectivity, Air Canada is the only carrier with an affiliated airline alliance, Star Alliance. Earning points and gaining Aeroplan elite statuses will give you leverage in almost every aspect of flying, including even more complimentary baggage, priority boarding, and even priority for rebooking or flying standby. Other airlines in an alliance will recognize fellow frequent flyers, such as those with Star Alliance Gold.

Is It Worth Booking a Flight on Flair Airlines?

The big question is, would I consider Flair Airlines for my future travels? I would, but only for short regional trips, and I would always use a Visa or Mastercard with travel delay or purchase the cancellation insurance addon. 

I don’t think I would ever take them for a cross-country trip or a red-eye, even if it was less than $50 for flights. I would also not consider Flair for time-dependent itineraries such as positioning flights. If Flair is one of your only options or their presence is frequent enough with multiple flights to you or your destination, Flair would be a viable option.

What I Learned from Flying with Flair Airlines

My experience with Flair Airlines left me with a few takeaways to keep in mind for any future flights I booked with this carrier.

TravelFlex & Disruption Guarantee Add-Ons

Flair’s main draw is the price, with add-ons as potentially unnecessary options. They offered a couple of options that could have avoided the $350 difference for rebooking. One is for flexibility in changing flights up to 3 hours before departure and the other is a disruption guarantee, with Flair rebooking customers on a different carrier in case of a severe delay.

However, through the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, they are supposed to offer flight rebookings if the new flight is more than 48 hours from the original departure anyway.

Equipping Yourself with a Travel Credit Card

Usually, I rely on my American Express Credit Cards as they have one of the best travel insurance benefits for Canadian credit cards. As Flair’s website refused to take American Express, I had to pay with one of my Visa cards, which offered no trip disruption or cancellation insurance. 

If you do choose to fly Flair Airlines, I recommend booking using the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card with its flight delay insurance and trip cancellation or interruption insurance.

Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card

Apply Now Learn More Earn $150 in FlyerFunds upon approval.

Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card

The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card earns Scene+ Rewards points and offers cardholders benefits such as no foreign transaction fees and six complimentary airport lounge access passes annually.

Check out our Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card review for more details.

In 2024, we awarded this card as the Best Foreign Transaction Credit Card.

BONUS
35,000 Scene+

MINSPEND
$40,000

NET VALUE
$200+

ANNUAL FEE
$150

FOREX FEES
No

EXPIRY
Oct 31, 2024

It also offers six lounge access passes through the Dragonpass Lounge Program and is one of the few credit cards that offers no Foreign Transaction Fees in Canada.

Conclusion

Booking a flight on Flair Airlines can be intimidating, especially when countless reports online of customers having their plans ruined by the airline. 

However, Flair plays an important part in decreasing prices on airfare in Canada, being one of the country’s last options for flying on a low-cost carrier. My flights with Flair were without a doubt stressful, but it also was a learning experience for myself on when I would be comfortable taking no-frills flights for my travels.