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Flair Airlines Review: Is Flair Air Worth It?

Flair Airlines Review: Is Flair Air Worth It?

Are you thinking of booking a flight on Flair? Read our Flair Airlines review to learn what you need to know based on our experience travelling with Flair Air.

You may already have heard of Flair Airlines. It’s an Edmonton-based, ultra low-cost carrier (ULCC) that’s been flying since 2017. Their slogan is “Plane and simple” and it certainly is. As is the way with all ULCCs, including competitors like Lynx and the recently departed Swoop, this is bare-bones flying. Amenities you may be used to having included with your fare on airlines such as Air Canada or WestJet (for example, carry-on luggage, printed boarding passes or an in-flight glass of water) are all an extra charge on Flair. But with bargain basement sale prices, like the advertised flight deal $19 for a one-way trip from Abbotsford to Calgary, it might just be worth it.

I flew return Edmonton-Vancouver in December, 2023. I didn’t luck into one of those dirt cheap seat sales, but with taxes and airport improvement fees, etc, I paid a very reasonable $210.

I booked my tickets directly through the airline’s website. I found the Flair Airline site to be clean and straight forward. There were several pop-ups offering amenities at an extra cost and warning that the fare I was booking was the most basic. It was a bit annoying, but as it is different from regular airlines, I can see why they are trying to give people ample warning.

An image of a Flair Airlines airplane taking off.
Flair Airlines has a fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft. It’s a no frills option, but there are things to consider when booking a flight with Flair. Photo by Flair Airlines.

Flair Airlines Check in – Booking Process and Ease of Reservation

Check-in is up to 24 hours before flying via the website or the Flair travel app. If you prefer to do it in-person at the airport, you guessed it…there’s a charge. There was a technical issue when I tried to check-in for my flight home from my phone, but the error message instructed me to take a screenshot and I would be checked-in at the airport for free. It wasn’t a problem in the end, but I can see it being frustrating, especially if you aren’t very tech-savvy.

An image of the Flair Airlines check in area at the airport - Flair Airlines review.
It’s best to check-in in advance on the Flair app for your flight. If you have an issue with the online check-in take a screen shot. They charge a fee to check in at the airport. Photo by Jen Mallia.

Flair Airlines Review – Luggage Restrictions on Flair Are an important consideration

If you know you want to bring a suitcase (checked or carry-on,) pay for it when you are making your reservation. You have the opportunity to buy a spot for your bag several times: when you book, on-line before you fly, at the airport at the Flair desk, or at the gate. The price gets more expensive the closer you get to boarding the plane.

Flair is very strict about luggage. You may only bring one personal item onto the plane for free. The maximum dimensions are 15 cm x 33 cm x 43 cm (6 in x 13 in x 17 in) and 7 kg (15.5 lb)—roughly the size of a laptop case. There is a sizing guide at the Flair check-in desk and another at the gate. You will have to prove your bag fits by putting it through the sizer and getting an “approved” tag. If it is too big, you have to pay. They don’t make exceptions. My pro tip is to get the size approval from the check-in desk rather than wait to do it at the gate when there is a massive line. If you get to the gate and find your bag is too big, you are looking at a $75 charge. I overheard one passenger complain that the carry-on charge was more than she paid for the ticket. Better to pay $45 when you book. [Note that the prices vary.]

An image of the interior of a Flair Airlines airplane.
The interior of the Flair Airplane looks like any other economy class cabin. Be aware that there are no outlets for charging devices. Photo by Jen Mallia.

In-Flight Comfort and Amenities

Well, newsflash, Flair doesn’t have Turkish Airlines-style Ferragamo amenity kits. The offerings on Flair are most kindly described as minimal.  If you want a snack or drink (including soft drinks) there is a charge. The in-flight entertainment system is pretty dismal. You need to download the Flair In-Flight app, which is different from the Flair Travel app.  From the app you have access to a handful of games and a selection of Superchannel movies and shows. There is no Wi-Fi nor places to plug-in/charge your devices.

The fleet is made up of Boeing 737s which have two columns of three abreast seats. According to SeatMaps, they have a pitch of 71-74 centimetres (28-29 inches) and a width of 43 centimetres (17 inches). I have pleasant curves and short legs and I didn’t notice that this was any smaller than usual. There are seats (at a cost) with extra legroom at the bulkheads and exit rows if you need a little more.

Flair Air Reviews from Passengers: How Bad Is Flair?

Flair Airlines does not get overwhelmingly excellent reviews. CBC reported the Canadian Transport Association received the most customer complaints about Flair Airlines in the first quarter of 2023, with 20.9 complaints lodged for every 100 flights (compared with 10.7 for WestJet, 5.8 for Air Canada, and 5.2 for Lynx Air.)

Most of the complaints focus on the lack of customer service in response to a problem, for example Kitt P, a TripAdvisor reviewer who was re-booked on a flight a week later than their original flight and not offered the compensation passengers are due under the Canadian Air Passengers Protection Regulations. I didn’t run into any interruptions, cancellations or lost luggage, so I’m not able to comment on the customer service I received (or didn’t!).

An image of the Flair Airlines bag measuring device.
Flair Airlines is very strict about luggage. If your personal item is too large, you will be charged for a carry-on. Photo by Jen Mallia.

Flair Airlines customer service

Here’s a link to Flair Airlines Customer Service. You can contact Flair via a chatbot or reach them by phone at: 1-833-711-2333 between 7 am and 9 pm MST. Like many airlines, it can be difficult to reach them by phone.

Flair Airlines Review final Verdict: Summing Up the Flair Air Experience

Here’s our final verdict for this Flair Airlines Review. In my opinion, flying Flair Airlines is fine. I’ll do it again as long as the price is right.

My suggestion to anyone considering flying a ULCC is to add up all the extras you are going to pay for and compare that price to the regular airlines’ fare. I was able to avoid baggage fees by cramming everything into my tote bag, but if I had needed more room, the fare plus the baggage charge would have made the price the same as WestJet, and honestly, I probably would have opted for them, if only because I like the in-flight entertainment app and pretzels with a glass of tomato juice.

Because I knew what to expect and didn’t face any problems that necessitated having to deal with customer service, I was okay with getting what I paid for: in both cases, not much. But the plane was clean and safe, the service was pleasant, and we departed and arrived more or less on time. For my money, I’d say it’s worth it.

74 Comments

Flair has got to be the worst airline to fly with.
My first experience with Flair was when we had a family emergency and had to comeback early. (Death in the family) and they would not help us in anyway. They also wouldn’t refund any of our flight since we had to book with another airline to get home. We sent all the information they needed but they would not response after we sent them the info.
But we decided to book with them again because it was the only airline that had space. We paid almost $200. for 1 checked bag and 1 carry on. On yhe way back repaid $203. For 1 checked bag and 1 carryon. The workers in Fort Lauderdale were nasty to deal with. Upon boarding the plane we were informed that we couldn’t even get a glass of water. They didn’t have time to reload or clean yhe plane fir that matter. Once the people were unloaded from the plane they started loading us. That’s one of the ways covid spread so fast. The seats are torn and dirty. I wouldn’t use the trays because of the dirt on them.
I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND FLAIR TO ANYONE!!!! The next time I fly if Flair is the only available option I will cancel my trip.

I’m really sorry to hear about your negative experience with Flair Airlines. It sounds incredibly frustrating, especially during such a sensitive time with a family emergency. It’s understandable that you wouldn’t recommend them to others. Hopefully, Flair Airlines takes your feedback seriously and makes improvements in the future. Thank you for sharing your honest review.

Flair Airlines
Edmonton, AB

Dear CEO, COO, Customer Service Manager and HR manager,

I would like to report the following incident with your airline.

Incident Report: Uprofessional and ill mannered flight attendants
Date: August 21, 2024
Time of Incident: Approximately 1 hour before arrival
Flight #: F8631
Departure: YYZ ETD: 10:15 PM
Arrival: YEG ETA: 12:20 AM
Purser: Mercedes
Passenger Seats: Rows 31 and 32

Details:
Approximately 1 hour before arrival, while most passengers seated on rows 31 and 32 were asleep, a continous loud, raucous and boisterous laughters woke us up. It lasted for a while. Flight attendants were huddled in the rear part of the plane near the lavatories. They spoke in loud tones and were rambunctious. One of the passengers later commented that they were swearing while exchanging inappropriate information of their personal lives. Passengers on rows 31 and 32 were getting impatient with their unprofessional and disturbing behavior, that I decided to press the attendant button. A long haired, pony tailed, female, caucasian, flight attendant with eyeglasses approached me. I told her “I am trying to be patient here” before I even my ended my statement she profusely apologized. One of the passengers in row 31 was trying to express his frustration to the attendant as well. A few minutes later their loud conversation continued. I pressed the attendant button again. This time a blonde, approximately 5’6″ female caucasian flight attendant with a distinct maple leaf tatoo on her right wrist (she was the same flight attendant that performed the safety demonstration earlier) approached me. Without even asking what the matter was, she proceeded to say “would you like to change seats?” I told her “you have no regard for your passengers, I am not the only one complaining here” while pointing to the passenger on row 31. The passenger then vented his frustration. The attendant walked away in the middle of the conversation and remarked sarcastically “we will not speak in the next 45 minutes”.
The plane finally arrived arrived in Edmonton. I was disembarking on the rear of the plane when I noticed the same female caucasian maple leaf tatooed flight attendant with another female caucasian flight attendant that is shorter than her, leaning against the wall of the aircraft. I avoided eye contact so as not to engage. As I was heading to the stairs, one of them hollered in a taunting manner “Sweet Dreams”. I replied ” Thank you for being sarcastic.”

I’ve flown on budget airlines in North America, Europe and Asia and I have never experienced this kind of ill mannered, impolite, unprofessional, rude and unciviled behavior. I have flown with Flair before and I had a pleasant flight experience very opposite than this one. This is such a disappointment considering that Canadians are known around the world as polite people.

May this report be addressed in a fair and responsible manner.

Kind regards,
Erik Acorda

Hi Erik,

If you need to file a claim with Flair, please go to their website: flyflair.com/compensation-request. Perhaps that could also be used to submit your feedback. I’m sorry to hear that you had a bad experience.

Sincerely,

Debbie, Managing Editor, Wander Woman Travel Magazine

If I had any doubt about commenting….reading all these others only cemented my disgust…
August 14th put of Edmonton they left my 17 year old stranded outside the security screen bevuase the mandatory emailing of boarding pass would not work and they would not print out the damn ticket to get her through….so pissed off….they took the money…charged the baggages and said oh too bad so sad her is a slip of paper call customer service we are off to the gate ….and three phone calls and 40 minutes in waiting still said we have no power and three emails since 14th finally resulted in a form response today the 23rd…oh we are not at fault!!!
I’m a cancer patient trying to get my daughter across the country cuz I can’t fly there!….they looked her in the face took her I d took the money and then said we can’t help you ..!!!bastards.

My experience is in line with the negative comments. I just got off a Calgary to Toronto flight – my first and last Flair booking. My issue was with baggage – their listed dimensions do not correspond to the baggage measures at the loaded gate. Flair charged me over 25% of my ticket price for my carry on bag – no longer a cheap fare. The customer service is non-existent. Water costs $4. A small cookie and small cup of soft drink is $7. Two small slices of cheese pizza – $12. I didn’t get a cheap flight but I sure got cheap service.

Ed, the baggage sizers are exactly the same size as the listed dimensions. Imagine the airline spent 10’s of thousands of dollars on installing these and this process, and didn’t think anyone would measure? Imagine. Just imagine. A personal bag is equivalent to a laptop carrier or purse. That’s it.

How much would a slice of pizza cost you in the airport itself? The problem with Flair isn’t the service offering, it’s people’s expectations. They’re happy to spend $600 on the same flight with WestJet and get a small bag of pretzels as “quality service” and then pay $5 for a kit kat bar.

It’s ultra low cost. Adjust your expectations. Canadian travelers need Flair to stay in business to keep WJ and AC prices in check. Google the FlairEffect, then tell me again why you don’t support a low cost carrier, operating exactly as a low cost carrier does. Please also spend 30 minutes watching the Canadian airlines at the House of Commons in March of this year, and see WJ & AC get called out across the board for price gauging their customers — unless it’s a route Flair flies.

But you’re right Ed, at least your carry on is included in your ticket price.

Unless you purchased insurance, unfortunately, a death in the family is not the airline’s responsibility to accommodate. Baggage is extra. Low cost model. Simple. The prices are posted well in advance for you to make an informed decision as a consumer.

Hi Anna,
Death of a family member doesn’t typically result in a refund with a budget airline like Flair, but it might make a ticket refundable with another airline. American Airlines policy reads as follows: “Bereavement and Critical Illness Exception Requests: Tickets may be considered for refund in the event of the death of the customer, immediate family, or traveling companion. American requires proof of relationship for immediate family member.” You’ll certainly get farther trying to get a refund from Air Canada or WestJet than with Flair. And that’s something to consider when you buy a ticket. Know what you are purchasing before you buy it. If you don’t mind traveling without luggage and with absolutely no frills, Flair can be a savings. And as you said in a previous comment, it’s good competition for WestJet and Air Canada.
Thanks,
Debbie

Terrible terrible, terrible. At least that is printable on a family website. Our flight last week to Fort Lauderdale from Toronto was delayed 4 hours. Coming home, it was delayed 2 hours. Zero customer service at ground level. Total disorganization and lack of communication by ground staff. Would I fly Flair again? No way.

I’m really sorry to hear about your experience with Flair Airlines. Delays and poor customer service can definitely make travel stressful. It’s good that you’re sharing your feedback—it can help others make informed decisions.Thanks for sharing, and I hope your future travels are more positive.

DO NOT FLY FLAIR!!!!!

we arrived at the Cancun airport 3 hours early and were met with a massive lineup to checkin, we get to the front of the checkin line only to find out that we have to pay for our checked bags to the tune of $327.12 CDN. this was included in our expedia travel booking and I was given extreme attitude and rude service when i expressed my frustration. after finally paying the ridiculous fee we got to the security line which was very long and took over an hour. we finally got thorough and raced down to the terminal only to find out that the gate had changed and this took us several minutes to find where the gate had been changed to. NO text message of the change, NO email of the change and zero announcements were made to notify us of where the new gate was located. After asking several people where the new gate was we arrived with 25 minutes remaining before the flight would be departing. the young man that was at the keyosk was very rude and had a smug look on his face like he was going to stick it to us.He informed us that the door had been closed and that we would NOT be getting on the plane as the 20 minute time had passed. i showed him my watch and explained that we still had 25 minutes before takeoff and he shrugged and smiled and said NOPE, its closed. the plane sat at the gate for another hour and there was more than enough time for us to get on the plane. This is by far the worst experience that i have ever had with any airline and i travel a lot for my job. I found out from friends that were on the flight that our seats had been given to stand by people and that they had zero intentions of ever letting us on that plane. I will never flay FLAIR AGAIN!!!! I want my baggage fees that i paid back and i want compensation for the miss treatment we received. I will be making reviews on all major travel review sites and i will be discouraging anyone i know who travels not to use flair airlines. Absolutely disgusting that the customer service reps would treat people who spent thousands of dollars to vacation this way. My hotel for the night was $400 USD and my flights home cost me $3400 CDN.

I can hear you! I recently had the same experience with this garbage airline. I have been calling there customer service and all I am getting after spending hours on hold is just hearing sorry and disconnecting my calls. I wrote an email to their support as advised by their customer care service on my first call. I am gonna fight for my right and will take it to higher authorities. They are not gonna do anything as all they want is money nothing else. I would encourage you to take step forward and contact Canadian Transportation Agency. I was threatened of police while asking for my right. I am gonna legally sue them. I had my sick mother and a young child and their agents behaviour at airport in public mentally effected us all.

Your story inspired me never ever to fly With them. I’m sorry you had to go through that. That is just insane. I have friends stuck in Cancun as we speak for 4 days already, with no sign of the getting another flight because they keep giving them the run around .

Is there always a seat trade on Flair? I had to pay $39.00 for a seat. The man sitting by tge window would not take his seat. He waited until the door was closed and then he too an empty seat a couple of rows up. After the plane was in the air he moved up to the front of the plane and took a seat there. He paid for the seat where I was and moved into the fourth row which would have cost him more had he purchased it. No employee on the plane said anything to him for his seat shuffle. This was on a flight from London, Ontario to Calgary alberta. The return flight was worse. I was seated in the middle seat with a lovely lady in the aisle and a man by the window in zone one. While the plane was still being loaded he asked to be let out and he was walking to the front of the plane against the oncoming customers, none of whom looked very impressed. A short while later his wife returned and said the windo seat was hers so we moved out of our seats and let her in. While the plane was taxiing to get to the runway she asked if she could be let out of her seat. I said no because the plane was moving but she started to yell at me so we let her out and she headed to the front of the plane while the plane was still moving. A short time later a young man appeared and asked if we could let him in to his seat. So while the plane was still moving we got out of our seats once more to let him in. Again, no employees checked why all this was going on especially while the plane was moving. Is it okay to just switch seats like that? I thought all flights had assigned seating for a reason. Apparently Flair didn’t give a dam about the seating plan at all. This was my first and second an last time I will fly with Flair. I don’t think that they have my need for safety on their flight plan.

Thank you for you review. I was about to book a flight (3 people) with Flair, but after reading your and the rest of the reviews I won’t.
I really appreciate the review.

I had my flight with Flair Airlines just a week ago and this is the most Worst Airlines that I have taken in my life! They lost my baggage on my flight to Edmonton and they can’t even tell me on how they will find my baggage and do not even know where is the location of my baggage! The staff are the worst Customer Sevice that I have ever seen in my life, they are not happy to talk to Customer, they are all rude and no “customer service” skills!!!! I keep on sending email on what they will do as I did spent a money to buy all our clothes and the clothes for a wedding in Edmonton!!! Everytime I called up in their number, the people answer the call can’t help you or even can’t guide on you on how the next process they will do after the baggage is lost or mishandled from their end!!! If you sent an email same answer you will get which is they just apologize for the lost baggages but no re-assurance on how they will get your baggage back to you!!! WORST and UNPROFFESSIONAL Staff they hired in this Flair Airlines !!! DO NOT TRY to Use this airline if I were you, they give stress and trouble psychologically and financially !!!!

This airline charges a cheap ticket. But they cause inconvenience to the traveler. My last two trips have been a nightmare. The first one went to Mexico and was cancelled. The second is here at Victoria Airport. I am writing about the bad experience I had as a passenger of this Flair airline. I got stopped in a rude way When I was trying to fit my backpack into the required dimensions.the airline worker from his desk started yelling at me that” I would had to pay for the carry-on luggage”. This worker, after yelling and adding stress to my flight, did not give me my boarding pass and told me that I had to get back in line. I want to clarify that I was waiting in that line for an hour. I didn’t want to create more problems. But I decided to talk to his supervisor because he had not given me my boarding pass. Supervisor finally helped me get my boarding pass. Finally I’m in the waiting for my flight. Terrible experience.

On boarding, people who paid priority check in were not announced to board first. How hard is that to do, very incompetent

Terrible airline the worst of the worst
If i know i will pay $1000 and take any airline i will do it
They are people get hired by asking them only one question
-Are you mean person?
-Yes
Congratulation, you get hired as employee for flair airlines
But what would you expect for a Canadian? this is the service they can offer.
Canada feels like in 2001

I was late for connection in Vegas , the man on registration desk , start to check my personal items and order me check sizes of my bag , however 2 airlines on the same tickets aready check it, and I was registered on the flight , just missed place where to board Trains . You must fire him , he did this to all passengers this is unacceptable.

Flair airlines, Staff at the airport is unprofessional and they are making money out of your luggage bags by charging unnecessarily. It is awful experience.

Must file complain to Ministry of consumers of Canada

This airline is disgusting i booked a morning flight and they changed it to a late night flight which i was to be at a wedding they told me to manage my booking and change it again to a day earlier same time they are rude, rip poor people off and are nothing but greedy gold diggers you cant talk to anyone i am going to the news media about this company that end up charging you more than what you would pay for west jet or air canada you must do something about this airline or i will

Flair Airline is the worse airline ever, first I waited 2 hours at the Calgary airport just for the checking. Second when I land to the Toronto airport I waited for almost 4 hours and couldn’t find my baggage’s. Moreover, when I asked the customer service they just gave us a form to fill. What’s the point of doing this? How can we spend our days without having any cloths and other necessary things?

I will suggest everyone not to travel with the flair Airlines ever. This is the worst experience I have ever had.
Y’all sucks🤢.

Worst airline I have ever encountered! On May 26, I made 2 separate reservations for the same flight from Calgary to Abbotsford. My sons sole purpose of this trip, was to try out for a Junior A hockey team. Trying to save money on this trip, we didn’t pay for any carry-on bags and paid ONLY for his hockey gear and sticks. It cost more to send a hockey bag to Abbotsford, than it does a person. We ended up paying for his friend to go as well to keep him company. The whole process from start to finish was excruciating. I didn’t get email confirmations of either booking and it was very difficult to find out what the reservation codes were. I tried asking the support chat on the website, but none of my questions could even be understood. I called the 1800# but none of the options pertained to my question and they needed to have my reservation code to continue (which is why I was calling!) I only found it because I (luckily) hadn’t closed the browser after booking. On May 31st I tried to check in for both flights. I tried MANY times to enter in the surname and the 6 digit alphanumeric number, but neither of the bookings worked. I followed the instructional message on the 1800# to clear the browser and try again. Still didn’t work. I tried calling for assistance and using the chat bot for help and neither could help me. After 2hrs and at least 20 attempts I miraculously was able to check in for both flights. Upon arrival in Abbotsford, he found out that his hockey bag and sticks, did not leave Calgary. He missed his entire first ice time for the tryout which was the SOLE PURPOSE OF GOING! I called the 1800# and was on hold for 2hrs and 13min before anyone answered. I submitted a claim as per the employees adice, and was told I would receive an email back starting a conversation about getting his bag to Abbotsford. That call ended at 1352. It is now 22:52 and I have heard NOTHING. My son took an Uber to the airport in Abbotsford to see if it had maybe arrived on the later flight from Calgary, in hopes that he may have been able to make the ice time the next day. I spent over 6hrs (2hrs unpaid @work) trying to talk to someone who could help me. I called Flair as soon as they opened at 7am, hoping to avoid being put on hold. I was still on hold for over an hour. I spoke to someone else who kept saying, “I am really sorry but there is nothing more we can do”. I asked to speak to a manager and was told he has a queue of people waiting. Shocking, I know! She told me he would call me back in 30 -60 min. Remember this was at 8am. At 1630, I called again. At this point, my son has missed both ice times and the trip was for nothing. I was on hold again for an hour when I finally spoke to a manager. He said the same thing. Bagged claim department doesn’t do any communicating over the phone. It’s all through email. He found my claim, said he would personally make sure I get an email communication back as soon as possible. I asked what the ETA on that was and he said, 24-48 HOURS!!! I am in complete shock and I will be putting a claim in for the ENTIRE cost of the trip including hotel, Ubers, flights, etc. I have never been more angry at the lack of service of a company.

Hi Tara, Sorry to hear about your bad experience with Flair. It’s unfortunate that your son’s hockey equipment was lost and his journey did not turn out as well as the journey our correspondent experienced. Thanks for sharing your experience. Budget airlines like Flair are not a good choice if you are attending an important event. The customer service and the number of daily flights are just not the same as they are with Air Canada or WestJet. If your flight is canceled or your luggage is delayed with Flair or another budget airline, they may only have one flight per day and may not be able to get you or your luggage on another flight the same day. Flair might be worth considering if your travel plans are very flexible. Thanks again for sharing your experience. It’s a cautionary note for others. I’m sorry you and your son had so many issues with Flair. I hope they do the right thing and compensate you. Sincerely, Debbie – managing editor, Wander Woman Travel Magazine

No you are not sorry because it keeps happening. What a useless set up this company is. Its a joke. They charge extra for everything and make excuses for them and you can’t speak to a real person other than a customer service representative that has flight details. Everyone else is to afraid because so many people have been anger over this useless, lack of customer serviced company!
They turned me a way from taking my flight because they told me I was too late. They do things on the edge of what’s legal and illegal. I should only need to be at an airport 45 mins before the flight and the shit for brains at the counter couldn’t even look me in the face when I spoke to her. Awesome training! They charged me 77 dollars for one small checked bag. Yes go with west jet. There isn’t any hidden fees and they won’t sell your seat because you didn’t pick one and pay extra. Flair is a money grab. This should be all over the news again.

Hi Jackie, I should note, that our website is not affiliated with Flair Airlines at all. One of our correspondents flew with the airline and wrote a review based on her experience. When I said I was sorry, I meant it. On another note, you cannot arrive at the airport 45 minutes prior to departure and expect it to be okay. That’s too close to the departure time and security can take longer than that. These days, I arrive at the airport 2 hours prior for a domestic flight and 3 hours prior for international flights. Of course it really depends on the airport and the destination. It’s better to give yourself more time. Thanks, Debbie

Jen, I was shocked by your review. Perhaps at some point Flair Airlines was ‘fine’ but on what authority can you say the plane was “clean and safe”? If they are so hard up for money that they have to charge $4+ for water I find it hard to believe they are going the extra mile when it comes to safety. They are absolutely the worst airline I have ever come across from their useless website to the absolutely non existent customer service to the rudest and most arrogant of employees at the airport. I found them far from ‘fine’.

Hard up for money? Because they charge for water? As a low cost carrier? Oy vey, Daniella. Please enjoy your $1000 tickets with Air Canada where water is free. The rest of us low budget travelers will happily continue flying an affordable airline, with our own reusable water bottles filled from the many filling stations at every single airport now.

Worst flight experience, ground staff at calgary airport was very rude. They seriously need to take some courses in customer service etiquettes. We are never going to fly Flair again.

Momma said if you cannot say something nice don’t say anything at all…..this time I’ll make an exception….worst experience from the ground crew at Cancun/Toronto to the flight crew on board…..save your money and fly a different carrier….

Worst service ever! I paid for priority booking & seating for my daughter & her cat to fly home. She was there 4hrs early & was unreasonably held up by security for no good reason. Though I feel it’s because she’s Trans & that they were treating her poorly because of it. They wouldn’t page the boarding crew of her delay due to their pucking on her; so she missed the flight by mere minutes. Then refused to help her at all at the front desk afterward. Sent her on a goose chase all over the Toronto airport (which is huge) with her cat and carry on baggage. We called customer service & followed their instructions only to be ignored by the front desk staff and their obvious lack of caring, compassion & help was obvious. They continue to refuse to give us a refund on the ticket; even though it was their fault she was held up. As well forced us to pay for another ticket for her & her cat to get her home. That flight was a 5hr wait. Her cat was already sedated and it was hard on them both. Her baggage came in on her original flight, yet they claimed her as a “no show”. I feel that they are crooks, thieves & liars! I would NEVER recommend using their airlines or services to ANYONE!!! Spare yourselves the extra cost, lack of care or help & their bullying in security of Trans or gay ppl! Flair is the WORST airline ever!!! DO NOT USE THEM!!! My entire family will never use them again! Worst experience ever!!!!

Stay far away from this airline. My personal item was exactly the size indicated on their webpage and they charged me $77. for it as my purse was considered (by them) to be my personal item. As a senior on a meager pension and the fact that I will also have to pay this on my return flight is disastrous for me.

Hi Nancy, If you can get your purse to fit inside the other bag and if it is still within the size restrictions for a personal item, you might not be charged for the carryon bag on your return flight. You are allowed one personal item only. Having a purse and a second item means they will charge you for a carryon bag. I hope your return flight goes better. Sincerely, Debbie – Wander Woman Travel Magazine.

Check in staff at Abbotsford BC airport were rude, unprofessional and just doesn’t care. My husband I and were the first to check in our luggages and we were given seats that were far apart;reason being was “WE HAVE TO PAY FOR OUR SEATS”. This statement was being rubbed in our faces. Three staff had nothing much to do but argue with us. It would have been ok if we were dealt discreetly.Three staff taking turns to talk to us. As I was pleading for my case, I also asked how could the check in staff overlook that we were together. We are not young couple either. And for being told that if I behave and argue that I could be denied in the plane, such a blatant disrespect. I was simply asking for help, for ease if they could do something. To be dealt with such kind of staff is not worth a penny. Flair airlines staff in Abbotsford don’t have the professionalism to at least be kind when dealing with stressed clients. Never fly with Flair. It’s not worth it. Cheap but garbage. This was the first time in all my flights that we were given seats that were largely apart. (We’d flown with Flair before). At least make it clear to your customers that the seats are NOT FREE as what I am told. I feel that Flair is cheaply unfair and racist. A couple of customers told me that they were given seats that were closer together and they didn’t pay for their seats.

My husband first time ever flying with flair, had to pay for both carry on and check on 183$..got to jamaica was told bag wasn’t on flight, note fligh was empty, sll back seat full middle empty weird 🤔…told bags will be drop off at his home on Wed, 3 days later….Thursday still no bags, call customer service was told bags not there yet…should go online to check status…seriously..now no clothes to wear to his event…Flair you will be paying back that 183$….this is the worse I’ve ever heard of…hopefully he gets the bags before the trip is over kmt…which is 2 more days…kmt

For your own credibility, I would suggest that you take this post down or at least update it so that people aren’t left with the impression that flying on Flair is “fine”. In October we booked a vacation for late April departure, early May return. 3 months before we left, they moved our departure date, return date AND departure airport. We were able to work everything out with Flair, our hotel, our car rental and our work schedules to make something work. Then a month before our departure, they did it AGAIN. This time moving our return date ahead by 4 days. I requested a full refund on March 21st. We were forced to drive 2 hours to fly out of Buffalo just to salvage our vacation (luckily the cost was about the same). I’ve send them at least 50 emails since then. I’m thinking that their “support” people have a list of excuses they tick through to avoid processing refunds for as long as possible. 2 1/2 months later, still no refund. Just read a couple of days ago that Stephen Jones their CEO is “retiring” at the end of this month – after months of sending out press statements talking about how great things are going and that they will be serving Canadians for a long time to come. They are actively searching for a replacement. This is not how CEOs announce their retirement at reputable companies who are doing well, unless said CEO has a major health issue to address. It’s usually announced months in advance with a successor already identified. I suspect he was told to quit or be fired, perhaps with an additional severance bonus if decided on the former so as not to rattle the flying public as much. They owe $67 million in unpaid taxes, cut their schedule drastically just ahead of peak flying season and 777 Partners (their primary benefactor) is under investigation for fraud. They will be in receivership by autumn. Not fine.

Thanks for your comment, Jeff. Your experience with Flair sounds absolutely terrible. Our correspondent had a good experience on her short flight with Flair. That’s why she said that it was fine. That was her opinion based on that particular flight. I appreciate your comment showing that it’s not always fine. This airline has definitely had problems. I hope they get their act together. We don’t have enough competition and choice when it comes to airlines in Canada. Sincerely, Debbie, managing editor at Wander Woman Travel Magazine.

The worst airline ever! We were stuck on one of their toothpaste tubes with wings for 11 hours, it was a 3.5 hour flight. The pilot circled for over an hour, to the point we had to fly to Halifax to refuel, only to fly around Newfoundland for a few more rounds and then to fly home. They charged for food, then ran out of food. When we landed after 11 hours no one was in sight. The employees just disappeared with zero information about what was going on. Now they don’t want to reimburse anyone because they state that we were only 20 min late on our flight that never landed at our destination. You could see the staff being uncomfortable on the plane which came out as rude and disrespectful. Seriously how are they still in operation? They owe the govt 67 million in back taxes WTF?

Wow what can i say the most other reviews haven’t. Well its sill the horrible airline they were when they started .The worst experience I’ve ever had. FYI Buy the time you pay all the hidden fees you’re bettet of going with the other airlines.I know I’ll never dream of flying with failed airlines again.
flair

So disappointed about this air lines
I have a flight from Calgary to Toronto and was shocked at the check in as they charged me 25 $ for the check in and additional 75 $ for the hand bag … A very strange action ,I wonder if they ever succeeded to compete with other airlines
I shall not use flair airlines again .

I thought I found the cheapest air line only to find out you get charged for everything 3 travellers luggage fees on a return trip from Calgary to Toronto $546 for luggage check in and you also have to pay for the seats $30 each person whether you pick you seats or not and then you have to pay for your luggage on return another 546 but on the seats it free also we got to Toronto and have been stuck in the runway area for over an hour excuses after excuse we finally were told that it’s clear to park the plane at a gate and now there at the wrong gate and we have to wait until they can bring the stairs to the plan to unload us we complain that it was getting hot in the plane and we asked for the ac to be turned on and they said it was and after more complaints they finally turned it on. I usually alway check review but I got so lost in my trip and didnt check the review I learned my lesson the hard way. plz to anybody that is flying this airline is the worst cheap isn’t alway the best options at the end it cost 3 adults &1600 for flights plus $546+$546 total &2692. Never again next time I will drive for 72 hour before I use the guys again you know if you were trying to get the worst airline award flair has won it for a life time (STAY AWAY)

I will not recommend flying with this airline ever! They canceled my flight nd when i booked another they delayed it almost 3 times. I had an emergency. When I tried to contact the customer service, first, they did not respond to any ot my mails and calls. At last I had to call airport service desk so that they can connect me to them. When I talked to the person from airline, he was sooo rude and told me that I am going to lose my money.
They are the worse.

My ticket has the baggage fee already paid for when i bought the ticket. But i don’t have an assigned seat. I always flew with Swoop and i always had a seat assigned to me.
Will they sell my spot before i check in? Also, if i don’t check in online, do i have to pay another fee? With Swoop i would just line up and show my reservation and ID and they issued my a boarding pass.
Do they take Visa debit cards on the flight?
Sorry for all the questions, i have never used this airline and i need to know what the extra charges may be and I really don’t want to end up in a middle seat

For anyone who used the Chabot, did the rep it connected you to ask you to provide your Reservation number, Full Name and DOB? Our flight with Flair got cancelled and they rebooked us on a flight that was 2 days out so I decided to just scrap our trip while I still could and used the Cancel & Request Refund option. Of course there was an error when I did that and they said I would only get a credit and sent an email with a form to fill out to request a full refund. I filled out the form and have heard nothing back so I tired calling their customer service line. Waited on hold FOREVER – over 75 mins and then the agent hung up on me. So I noticed the chatbot on their website. At first I didn’t think anything of confirming that information with the chat rep UNTIL the “rep” started asking me for my credit card information to give me a refund. It was so hard to get through to someone so I was like immediately at that point “How come it’s so easy now”. I refused to give my credit card information and ended the chat. I’m starting to freak out now…. Did I expose my information to a scammer?!! I didn’t give any information other then my reservation #, name and DOB so I’m sitting here a little uneasy and honestly completely freaking out! At the moment, getting a refund is the least of my worries ….

Anyone want to offer me some comfort that I am not going to get my identity stolen and have fraud committed against me?

Never fly with flair airlines, they offer the worst. customer service and charge you extra money. I flew with flair airlines recently, I paid for a carry on bag online which was 66$ and when I reach the airport the lady ask me to pay 100$ which is price of checked in bag for the same bag. So, in total I paid 166$ just for a small bag. After I came back from vacation, I called customer service waited for an hour to talk to an agent, the lady just told me to email the customer service, she barely helped and I waited for an hour just to hear that I have to email them. I asked for the email Id and she gave me the wrong email, which wasted my 24hrs. Later, I called them again waited for an hour to talk to an agent, the said that I had to email them about my concern, and he gave me the right email Id. He said they will respond in 24-48hrs I email them on 4th July 2024, still no reply yet. They waste lot of time, it’s almost two weeks from the day I flew, yet my queries are not resolved and they don’t respond. Worst customer service and airline ever. They charge you for everything and still doesn’t provide the service you paid for. Every time you contact them you end up wasting lot of time, you don’t get a quick response and solution.

Since, I didn’t get any help from my email and phone call I hope you guys read this comment and give me a solution. I will really appreciate for your quick response. You guys already wasted lot of time. Additionally, I would appreciate an explanation of how such a mistake occurred and what steps are being taken to ensure it does not happen again to other customers. This is very disappointing, and I am extremely dissatisfied with your service. This is very unacceptable.

Hi There,
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m sorry to hear it was so bad. I just wanted to let you know that this is not the official Flair website. You will need to contact Flair via phone at 1-833-711-2333. You can also submit a claim on their website: https://flyflair.com/support. I hope that helps.
Debbie, Managing Editor, Wander Woman Travel Magazine

Worst airline ever. Flight was delayed thn I went to the airport and got a msg that I can rebook for the next available flight and I rebooked my next available flight and when I went there they said my name not in the list. Because of that I missed my meeting and my return ticket. I tried to contact customer service and other options but one replied. Those people who are handling the ground they don’t know how to talk with the customer. They were rude like hell they it’s my mistake because I rebooked the ticket.

Another incident happened which there Edmonton to Toronto ground handling guy was really really rude. He don’t how to talk and he’s threatening me that he can stop my flight. I have my partner to ticket with me and he asked me where’s the other thing with me. How come he called a human as thing. WORST ground handling services ever

Recently Flair airlines have opened up their summer flights from Kitchener to Charlottetown
As we travel a lot back and forth normally from Toronto to Charlottetown, we decided to try the Kitchener route (it’s much nearer to where we live and saves the long drive into Toronto)
They are by far much cheaper. I know there’s add ons, but it still worked out cheaper. So we gave it ago, albeit a bit hesitantly are reading so many bad reviews. Well we have been on 4 flights already this season with them, the seats are bigger and we have more room than flying with another regular carrier, the longest delay we had was 15 mins! They load the planes in a much more logical way, so is fast and every crew member we have met, whether at check in, boarding, or on the flight has been very welcoming and engaging. Maybe we have been lucky, but so far so good. Keep up the good work guys! And thank you

Abosede Ibiyemi Orhorhoro

The worst airline in d whole world, they’re scammers, robbers n wicked
I arrived one-hour earlier for my 6:45am flight n by 6:20am I’m told my flight has left. My money was not refunded, I was not.put.im
another flight n I was stranded at the airport. This airline is also wicked. Can never recommend it to anyone .

Hi Abosede,
I’m sorry to hear about your bad experience with Flair. One tip for future flights would be to be at the airport at least two hours in advance for a domestic flight. One hour in advance is not enough. Some airlines close their in person checkin 60 minutes prior to departure. I’m not affiliated with Flair, but I’d recommend you arrive at the airport earlier next time – no matter which airline you travel with. It will help.
Thanks,
Debbie
Wander Woman Travel Magazine

I recently had my first ever flight with Flair and, like the author, I felt the experience was “fine”.

To be fair, it was a short flight (about 1 hour and 45 minutes), I measured my carry on in advance to make sure there wouldn’t be any surprises at check in, I had done my research so I knew what I was getting service-wise, I didn’t have anyone sitting in the middle seat in my row, and I (thankfully) didn’t have any service issues like others have written about. Their on-ground staff was pretty bare bones and the seats were the same as other economy seats at other airlines. I will say it was clear that there really wasn’t any cleaning of the plane between flights as there were crumbs in my row and I could see garbage left in seat back pockets and crumbs in the main aisle as I walked to my seat.

Ultimately, I got what I paid for- a seat and a very basic level of service. I’d probably try them again if the price made sense, after factoring in the costs for luggage. My big concern would be if there was an issue Flair just wouldn’t be equipped to handle it. They keep staffing and resources to a minimum to keep costs down. I suppose that’s the trade off and risk with a ULCC.

Worse airline I’ve travelled with by far. Constant cancellations, is one of the issues I always run into. Refunding is a hassle too even if you upgraded. Ended up being stranded an extra day in Toronto and got on my bosses bad side back in Vancouver.

NO to FLAIR. Worst airline ever!!! Flew them 3 times and every time they were late or the flight got cancelled and had to go to the next province to fly out. Last flight with them was 4 hrs late and we sat on the plane for 2 hrs while they fueled and did whatever else they did. Nuts this is we should have been in the terminal not on this hot plane loaded with ppl. Come on flair you know the routine and all you do is just say sorry and thanks for your patience. Well not many ppl have any left on this plane. My advice pay more and get to where your going on time and no BS. Cheap airline and that’s what ya get too

Worst Airline!!!
Was looking forward to getting out of town for 5 days. I booked a place to stay for those days.
Stupid Flair Airlines have cancelled my flights a couple of times now. They rebooked me for the 3rd time…but I’m skeptical it will go through.
I will never use this airline again! I will let my circle of friends and colleagues to not use this airline!

Total Crap I did really mind paying for a checked bag but to charge for a carry-on $169.00 (carry and checked)? The flight started cheap enough but I would never fly with them again!

Good day😀 my ,wife and I ,flew to Vancouver from edmonton and back , I must say Excellent service from checking in and. Boarding, to the pilot and Stewards and flight…Excellent 😀👍✌

Ultra-low cost airlines are relatively new in Canada, but have existed in Europe for a while now. For anyone who have never flown on one, the first time around can be a rather rude awakening, especially if they either haven’t come to terms with the business model of exactly what an ultra-lost cost airline is. Deep discount prices are based on the bare minimum service it takes to get from point A to point B. Anything above that is going to be an upcharge. If you wait to get to the airport to add extra luggage or don’t understand what an extra piece of carry-on item is, you’re going to pay through the nose. If you want food or a drink, yes, even including a glass of water – you’re going to pay through the nose.

Why? Because despite what past experience you may have had with seat-sales or the like from a regular airline, that’s not what the product is. The model is the cheapest possible price for what amounts to essentially a non-service experience. ANY form of service comes at an extra upcharge. That includes not showing up at the airport well before boarding time. That includes adding additional luggage and when it comes to that, it includes any luggage that you don’t pay for at the time of booking. ANY form of added weight comes at an upcharge, because that plane capacity (weight capacity) is going to be sold to commercial shippers (think Amazon or the like). If you don’t understand that and expect the airline to accomodate you when you show up at the airport later than the 2-hour window they instruct you to follow, packing extra luggage, you’re going to end up either paying through the nose or possibly missing your flight altogether. Period. No exceptions. That applies to everything from showing up with a carry-on in the form of a purse or laptop (or anyting else that doesn’t either fit in your jacket pocket or carry-on personal item and expecting it doesn’t count as carry-on, to expecting to be seated with fellow travellers if you didn’t pay the extra seat selection upcharge when you booked the flights.

I am currently looking for the cheapest possible way to get from Calgary to Abbotsford to pick up a car and drive it back. I know that I can’t show up with an overnight bag and expect to take it with me for free if it’s thicker than 15 cm (6 inches). I know I can’t change my plans once I book the ticket. I also know that any other seat on any other airline is going to cost me double the price (minimum), even if it’s a seat sale. I know what I’m getting into. I also know that due to the lack of exposure to this type of service (no service), that the airport staff are likely being barraged by rude, shocked customers who expected a Westjet or AC experience on arrival. Those employees are likely sick of the way customers expecting to receive that experience treat them.Customer after customer, hour after hour, day after day. They’ve learned that the only way they will survive the job is to adopt an attitude of indifference. I learned that with my experience travelling ultra-low cost airlines in Europe (travelling on a shoe-string budget). I expect the same if I book with Flair.

If you expect something more, you’re going to have to select an airline with a different business model. Period. It reminds me of my first experience with McDonalds back in 1972. We all piled into a car and drove to Burnaby from the Fraser Valley one day to find out what this 19 cent hamburger experience was all about (that was the closest one at the time, and it was most certainly a very unfamiliar product to most Canadians back then). It was also an unbelievable price. It was a bare minimum product. To be honest, I wasn’t disappointed that I didn’t receive an A&W experience, because an A&W hamburger cost a lot more at the time. My expectations were basically none-existent, beyond it being edible. Expect the same with Flair. The product is the cheapest possible seat. Nothing else. If you book expecting anything whatsoever above that, don’t take out your unmet expectations of a Westjet/AC experience on Flair airline employees, who are powerless to change the product.

Know what you bought. It works if all you want is to get from Point A to Point B for the cheapest possible price. There’s a big tradeoff to receive that. Be prepared. Get your butt to the airport early. Don’t show up with extra luggage. Know that if it doesn’t fit in your pocket, it’s carry-on. And don’t expect the staff to soothe your disappointment and turn it into something it isn’t because you didn’t know what you bought – and didn’t buy. The last 50 people ahead of you already put them through that. Flight after flight. Day after day. Week after week. Month after month.

Disappointing Experience with Flair Airlines – Denied Boarding After Minor Delay

I recently booked a flight with Flair Airlines from Vancouver to Winnipeg. The boarding time was set for 2:15 PM. Unfortunately, I encountered an unexpected accident on the way to the airport, which caused a delay in my arrival. I reached the airport at 2:35 PM, just 20 minutes after the boarding time, but was not allowed to board the flight.

While I understand that airlines have strict boarding times, I was disappointed with the lack of flexibility and understanding shown by the staff. Given the circumstances and the short delay, I would have appreciated some consideration or assistance in rebooking the flight.

This experience was frustrating, especially since it could have been handled with more empathy and better customer service. I hope Flair Airlines will consider improving their policies or training staff to be more accommodating in similar situations.

This is the worse airline to deal with. You try to communicate with them, you are on hold for 30 minutes plus, finally get someone and they screw you over. They take your money, no refund if you cancel within 24 hrs even though I was told I would get a refund . They try to give a credit after they take their cancellation fee forcing you to rebook with them.I will not deal with Flair if they were the last airline on this planet.

Hello everyone!
Im a co-pilot for Flair and I just wanted to clear some things up from a worker-side of the company.
Firstly, if you want to make a report, do it here: https://flyflair.com/support | Please try and take the person’s name down, whether that is a flight attendant or ground staff.
Now I want to address the rude behaviour from ground staff. The ground staff are most of the time, not hired by Flair. When a company (usually) flies to an airport, they have to pay that specific airport to park there. This includes a stand/gate, services such as a jet bridge, air stairs, fuelling, catering, etc. With this, the airline has an option to fly out their own ground staff, or they can lease them from the airport locally. You can tell if they are leased because they won’t have the Flair uniform and instead will have a neckband that has the Flair logo on it. If you need to make a report please do it via the local airport website.

Now I would like to talk about our flexibility. As you all may know, (and I have to admit also), we don’t have the best on time performance. It is for that reason that you were probably denied boarding 20 minutes after the final call. If you were 5 or maybe even 10 minutes, they would’ve probably let you on. It is the passenger’s duty to arrive on time.

Thank you,

Noah

DON’T FLY FLAIR. Scheduled to depart Halifax at 5pm. 11 am received email stating that my flight was cancelled due to crew exceeded their flying hours. Rescheduled for a return flight 2 days later with a promise of $150/day for hotel and $45/day for meals. Upon returning home, I applied for compensation. Flair declined my claim stating that it was beyond their control. Liars

We have never flown with Flair airlines in the past and will never ever do so again..My wife and daughter decided to take a small break for the hectic life they have and fly to Florida Oct 3, 2024 for a weekend getaway…bad enough they had to pay $40 extra to sit together but once they got to the airport they found out the carry on is much smaller than what is on their web site..the carry on ( a small back pack) my wife took was smaller than the website specifications but was to large for the airport checking device…bait and switch..advertised as one thing and definitely not as advertised…cost her another $80 plus tax…in my mind this is fraud..so good bye flair..this will be the one and only time you will ever get $ money out of us…if you want good service and treated properly fly Porter if it flies to your location or if not fly Westjet…so goodbye flair…hope enough people stop flying with you and you go bankrupt

Online checkin experience is terrible, it is showing “completed”, but cannot provide the boarding pass. Customer service phone number did not provide any help to that issue.

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