Flair Airlines is now Canada’s lone low-cost carrier. Can it rise to the moment?

globalnews.ca:

The recent demise of Lynx Air leaves Flair Airlines alone holding the banner for ultra-low-cost carriers in the Canadian airspace.

Heading into the busy summer travel season when airlines make much of their money, some experts say travellers booking tickets across Canada will have to weigh cheap airfare against the reputational and financial uncertainty dogging Flair.

The CEO of the Edmonton-based carrier tells Global News that he is confident there’s a place for the airline among “price-sensitive” consumers, but experts say Flair faces headwinds in making the ultra-low-cost fare model work in Canada.

Calgary’s Lynx Air announced in late February that it would close up shop and file for creditor protection. Filings show Lynx had hoped an acquisition by rival Flair would help it avoid bankruptcy, and Flair has said it is eyeing Lynx jets in plans to grow its own fleet.

Stephen Jones, CEO of Flair Airlines, says it was a “sad day” when Lynx left the market. He says he feels for people at Lynx, particularly because they had the shared vision of bringing into Canada the ultra-low-cost-carrier or “ULCC” model that’s worked well in Europe and the United States.

But Jones tells Global News that he is not discouraged to see the collapse of another company with the same model. Flair has seen a “big uptick” in demand for its seats since Lynx’s departure, he says.

“We are the sole low-cost carrier left in the market, and it’s a great place to be. We have the price-sensitive leisure market here, really, to ourselves,” he says.

Low-cost flight options are limited outside Flair in Canada between Air Canada’s Rouge banner and WestJet’s Swoop, which it absorbed last year. WestJet also plans to wind down Sunwing and integrate the