Flair Air starts its Kelowna-Vancouver flights today.—Image: Flair Air

Flair Air starts its Kelowna-Vancouver flights today.—Image: Flair Air

Updated: Flair Air’s Kelowna-Vancouver flights take off

The route has been added to the Kelowna-based ultra-low cost airline's service

  • Dec. 15, 2017 12:00 a.m.

Flair Air is ready to add Kelowna and Vancouver to the list of locations it flies to and from.

The ultra-low cost airline made it’s inaugural flight from between Kelowna (YLW) to Vancouver (YVR) Friday afternoon.

“Flair Airlines is headquartered in Kelowna, so this means a great deal to us to begin offering flights to and from Kelowna International Airport,” said said Chris Lapointe, vice-president of commercial operations for Flair Air. “We consider today a bit of a homecoming.”

He said the airline believes the routes it is offering from Kelowna will “amplify our reach across Canada.”

Kelowna-based Flair, which previously provided air travel services for ticket vendor New Leaf Travel, took over the operations of that company earlier this year and dropped the name.

The airline already flies between Abbotsford, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Hamilton. It says it is the first ultra-low cost airline to use the Vancouver International Airport.

In September, the airline announced it planned to expand the number of cities it serves.

The airline offers very low fares, but charges additional amounts for a number of ancillary services.

“We’re pleased to welcome and support Kelowna’s very own Flair Airlines,” said Sam Samaddar, YLW’s airport director. “Flair brings new opportunity for leisure travellers to share in and experience all that the Okanagan has to offer.”

Kelowna’s airport, the 11th busiest in the country, is expecting a total of 1.8 million passengers will have passed through its terminal in 2017.

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