Winnipeggers may be in the middle of a deep freeze but Flair Airlines has its sights set on their summer travel plans. The Edmonton-based discount carrier will start offering twice-weekly flights to Victoria and Kelowna B.C. as well as London, Ont. beginning the second week of June.
“Winnipeg has often been overlooked for new point-to-point service,” says Eric Tanner, Flair’s vice-president of revenue management and network planning. “Winnipeg to London and Winnipeg to Victoria are two of the largest unserved markets in all of Canada.”
In addition to the new destinations, Flair will also expand some of its existing routes, including six additional flights per week from Winnipeg to Toronto, five new flights to Calgary per week and four more to Vancouver.
Tanner made the announcement on the departure level of the Richardson International Airport Wednesday morning.
Nick Hays, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Airports Authority, says Flair’s announcement is a strong vote of confidence in the Manitoba market.
“It’s really exciting and it speaks to the pent-up demand that people have to travel,” he says.
The WAA announced recently that it processed more than three million passengers in 2022 as it continues to move towards pre-pandemic traffic levels.
“We expect 2023 will be a further step forward,” he says.
Flair will run 51 flights out of Richardson International every week this summer, up 75 per cent from its current winter schedule.
Its one-way fares to the B.C. destinations start at $49 while London will be an additional $20. All airfares include taxes and fees. Flair has a-la-carte pricing for other services, including bags and booking seats.