Flair Airlines Launches $1 Base Fares for Some Flights Into Canada

A Flair Airlines plane is shown in this undated handout photo at the at the Fort Lauderdale airport. The Canadian Press/HO-Flair Airlines

Flair Airlines is now offering $1 base fares on flights from places like Mexico, Jamaica, and the United States.

The airline says travellers booking on its northbound routes to Canada from Mexico, the United States, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic can access base fares of $1.

The flights allow for Canadians returning home or guests from places such as Las Vegas and Orlando to do so for low cost, according to an Aug. 26 Flair press release.

“This $1 base fare launch is not a limited-time gimmick but a sustained commitment to offering unparalleled affordability across our entire network,” said Flair Airlines CEO Maciej Wilk in the release.

The company said it will continue to work on developing more $1 base fares “across a variety of routes.”

Wilk said the company was looking to make travel accessible to more people. He also called on airports to follow suit to lower their fees.

“Our base fare is only a part of the total fare. We hope that airports, particularly in Canada, will follow suit and lower their fees so that more people can be empowered to travel,” he said in the release.

Prices do not include taxes and fees, including the Airport Usage Fee, according to the company website. Fees and charges for additional baggage or other products and services are not included in the $1 fare.

Flight limitations include the airport of destination. For example, there are only two flights from Puerto Vallarta to Toronto, one on Oct. 27 and the second on Nov. 2. Both flights include an international departure fee of $74.90 and a duty for immigration services of $14.70. In total, the flights cost $90.64 per person. The cost includes one personal item while extra fees apply for carry-ons and checked luggage.

Those heading from Cancun to Vancouver can take advantage of the $1 fare on Oct. 29, Oct. 31, Nov. 2, and Nov. 5. For those flights, the international departure fee is $66.10 and the duty for immigration services is $14.70. In total, the tickets cost $81.84.

Travellers from Cancun can also get the $1 base fare to fly into Montreal on Oct. 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31. The fare is the same as for those flying to the west coast: $81.84.

Other routes include flights from Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and Las Vegas to Edmonton or Calgary; from Cancun or Orlando to London, Ontario; from Orlando to St. John, New Brunswick; and from Cancun or Orlando to Kitchener-Waterloo.

Trips from the U.S. might include several charges, such as a passenger civil aviation security charge, pax facility charge, transportation tax, and a flight segment tax.

The low-fare announcement comes after Canada’a Competition Bureau said it would look into the state of competitiveness in the country’s airline industry.

Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell made the comments on July 29, saying the market study will focus on competition, barriers to entry into the industry, and hindrances for Canadians to make informed travel decisions.