Before you book a ticket, read my honest review of Flair Airlines to avoid surprise and have a great flight
“I paid $49 for my flight.” That was my answer when people asked what I was doing in Vancouver. I mean, I was there to visit my friend who lives out there but the reason I was able to do it was because I found a super cheap ticket from Toronto to Vancouver on Flair Airlines. “For real?” they would respond. Yes, for real, I really got a deal on Flair for $49 each way. That’s cheaper than a taxi ride across my city at rush hour. The catch? That rate didn’t include any baggage at all. Could I do it? I decided to try for the first time ever to travel with just a backpack to take advantage of the low fare.
The flight itself exceeded my expectations. But there’s a lot to know if you’ve never flown “ultra low-cost carrier” before. I’m writing up this in-depth Flair Airlines review with my honest take based on several flights to help you decide if this budget option is for you, and how to make the best of it.
What is an Ultra Low-Cost Carrier?
What’s included on Flair Airlines?
Flair’s Personal Item Explained
Flair Airlines: The not-so-good
How to get the best deal on Flair Airlines?
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What is an Ultra Low-Cost Carrier?
As a Canadian I’ve long envied the European ultra low-cost travel options. London pals hopping a Ryanair flight over to Spain for the weekend for just $20. The United States has its similarly low budget Spirit airlines, which is often mocked but if you’ve ever needed to take a long-haul Greyhound bus in America because you’re broke you will know this alternative is a valuable service.
Ultra Low-Cost Carriers are no-frills airlines where you pay for everything a la carte—not just seat selection but using the check-in kiosks and even water. They advertise very low fares, which are not a scam, but are just the base. If you want to bring a carry on, or not die of dehydration on board, the price will go up.
We’ve had a few ULCC start up and fail here and in 2017 we got Flair with its slogan “Plane and Simple.” Flair flies to 35 destinations across North America, including Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica.
The great thing about an airline like Flair is that it makes travel possible for more people, more often. I’ve seen flights for as low as $19. Many of the passengers on my Vancouver flight seemed to be students, which I’m sure makes moms across the country happy. Other airlines such as Air Canada are copying by adding super basics fares now, but you can’t really compare the two flying experiences as the entire ULCC business model is based on keeping costs down and services to a minimum. You really do have to manage your expectations.
What’s included on Flair Airlines?
Let’s start this Flair Airlines review with what’s not included. The base fare you see advertised does not include:
- Water (yes, that’s legal)
- Any baggage over the “personal size” of 15 cm x 33 cm x 43 cm (6 in x 13 in x 17 in) or weighing more than 7 kg (15.5 lb)
- Choosing your seat
- Booking with their customer service line
- Checking in with a human
To get the cheapest fare, you have to bring no luggage, allow them to randomly assign your seat, do all your booking, modifications and check-in on-line, entertain yourself (no in-flight movies or wifi), and pack your own food and drink. To me, that’s a fair trade. You should think about your travel style and if that sounds terrifying you’ll want to add extras at time of booking, or consider a different airline.
Flair Airlines is great for solo travellers. When you don’t have to care about sitting beside someone, or coordinating who wants to check a bag and who is carry-on all the way, you can take advantage of the cheap seats. (And since hotels are still such a rip off for singles, it helps keep the whole trip budget in check.)
Flair’s Personal Item: A Saga
My Top Tip for flying Flair Airlines for cheap is to measure your personal item.
To get the free bag with the base fare it must be a maximum 15 cm x 33 cm x 43 cm (6 in x 13 in x 17 in). Flair’s personal item size is smaller than some other ULCCs so really get the tape measure out and be sure.
The first time I flew on Flair, I paid for a carry-on. I was flying back from Las Vegas to Toronto and had never yet in my life travelled with just a backpack. This girl needs multiple shoes for one thing. And my toiletries bag is not small. My luggage cost me $38.98—almost half the price of my airfare! It was still a deal, but it was not the best deal.
When I snagged that $49 flight to Vancouver I was determined to keep to the base fare. But I had seen a girlfriend get dinged by Flair in Las Vegas for her backpack, which she claims has always fit as a personal item before but would not stuff into their little testing box.
An important note about Flair Airlines carry-on is that it’s more expensive to pay for luggage at the check-in than it is on-line. Like, as low as $29 when booked on-line, and as high as $109 at the gate. My friend was stuck coughing up the max price, each way. Ouch!
To be honest, I kind of obsessed over my personal item while packing. I planned to wear all the heavy, bulky things on the plane. I pared things down to one pair of boots and minimal make-up. I measured. And measured again. I tested the “squishiness.” I still had anxiety though standing in that line at the gate, waiting for my turn to verify that my personal item was small enough.
It felt like a bit of a game show, watching all the contestants try their luck. Most passed. Some did not. When my bag slid easily in, I did a little cheer. (The crew tasked with monitoring this don’t really have a sense of humour about it, fyi.)
I can’t say this enough: if you’re planning to fly with just a personal item, you can’t “sneak” a bigger bag than their specs. They are very much checking. And this item must be stored under your seat. Don’t be that person who insists on putting it in the overhead, taking up space from people who actually paid for their bags to be there.
In the end, I had everything I needed in that bag, and it changed the way I travel forever. I took my flight to Iceland with just a backpack too!
Flair Airlines: The Good
Apart from the potential for cheap fare, here’s what I think Flair gets right.
Food and drink. No, it’s not included, not even water. You can pack your own or go without for the flight but I actually found the onboard menu on Flair to be pretty good and affordable. As a vegetarian, I am so used to being f*cked on planes when I don’t special order in advance. Flair has a lot of options for vegetarians, including my fave noodle soup, Nongshim (chicken or vegan) and all three mains—cheese or pesto pizza and mac ‘n’ cheese. Much of the menu is also made-in-Canada from brands like Phillips Brewing, Hardbite Chips and Krispy Kernels.
I don’t drink alcohol and as a sober traveller I was delighted to find non-alcoholic cocktails from Canada’s Aelo on offer. I grabbed a Peach Bellini but there’s also Gin & Tonic and Lime Margarita. Head’s up Canadian airlines, if Flair can do this so can you!
On-time Guarantee. Flair claims to be first in Canada for “on-time performance” but we all know that delays are part of travel these days and it’s annoying to try to get compensation. Flair has an easy system to apply for a $60 CDN voucher if your flight arrives more than 60 minutes late or it cancels the flight less than 72 hours before departure. To see all the rules and regs for this read the policy in full.
Seat Selection. If you want to choose your seat, they have a lot of options and the price is as good or better as anyone else. Standard seats start at $16 for back of the plane although who would do that? Those are the rows they give you when you don’t pay for advance seat selection. Just pay $20 to be at the front.
Sustainability. According to their website, Flair is Canada’s greenest airline, with the lowest CO2 emissions. And I think that by operating out of airports in small cities like Abbotsford, British Columbia, or Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, it’s reducing the carbon footprint of travellers who don’t need to drive to Vancouver and Toronto to go on trips because they can fly from closer to where they live.
Flair Airlines: The not-so-good
I can’t do a Flair Airlines review of my positive experiences without noting that they have the worst customer service rating of airlines in Canada. Much of this is because to keep costs low, customer service is also no frills. So if things are going well, not a big problem. But if something goes bad? Good luck trying to reach a human to fix things for you. This is the risk you take with ultra low-cost carriers in general. They don’t have as many planes as major carriers so if there’s a mechanical issues for example it might be days before they can get you home safely.
The seats on don’t recline. What?! I first noticed that Flair Airlines seats don’t recline on my red eye back from Vancouver. I don’t know that I would have chosen to fly overnight, even for $49, had I known I could not recline. Flair claims this is just another way they save money, by eliminating the “heavy machinery” required to recline seats, and that their seats are set at a 29” inch pitch for comfort. All I know is that I’m not sleeping upright ever again.
Airport check-in and Call Centre fees. Sure, most people book and check-in on-line now. But what if you’re someone who needs to talk to a person? That will cost you from $16 to $30. That’s ridiculous. You should be able to check-in at the airport for the same price as on-line, or call a person to change your flight this should not be a frill.
Credit Card only. For onboard purchases, they only take Visa and Mastercard. No debit. No Visa debit. I’m already angry that no airlines accept cash anymore but this is one more step away from equality. Poor people deserve snacks, too.
No inflight anything. As mentioned, there are no screens on the backs of these seats because there is no free entertainment provided. I think that’s fair for the price, but plan ahead or you’ll be bored.
How to get the best deal on Flair Airlines?
Do you want to fly across the country for less than $100? Sign up for the Flair email on their website. Because they have sales constantly, but the cheapest seats sell out fast so you’ll want to get notified. I always open the email even if I’m not planning to travel because sometimes you see $49 to Vancouver and you call your friend to ask if you can come and visit because….so cheap!
Like most airlines, the price can vary a lot between days of the week. But do the math, needing a $200 hotel room to save $50 on a flight by coming home a day later isn’t a savings. (Although I’ll always encourage more days to explore if you can afford it.)
Finally, consider more than the final price when evaluating value. It’s like your job salary isn’t the whole compensation package. A deal doesn’t necessarily mean the lowest possible fare. It’s more like the best price you can find for the features that make your trip enjoyable.
I’m quite sure I will be flying Flair Airlines again in the future (not overnight though) and probably to destinations I might otherwise have overlooked. (Kingston, Jamaica, you are in my sights!) Canada’s travel scene is better for having them, but it’s definitely buyer beware.
I hope this Flair Airlines review has been helpful and I wish you safe travels! Now where do you want to go in Canada?
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