For more than six months, Flair Airlines refused to pay the $6,000 a Quebecer had to pay out of pocket to accommodate his family in Orlando after a flight was canceled in March.
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“I had to withdraw money from a TFSA [compte libre d’impôt] to pay the bills,” Lavaltrie resident David Morin told the Journal.
“Flair, we can’t call them, you have to write to them online,” he continues. It really is Asterix’s madhouse. Every time you have to start over, you come across a new agent. They always tell us, ‘Send us your bills.’ I must have sent them my complaint about thirty times.”
The flight that was supposed to take Mr. Morin and the six family members accompanying him to Montreal was suddenly canceled on March 5. The reason given by Flair? “Staff shortage.”
Quebec tennis players Leylah Fernandez and Félix Auger-Aliassime were both “ambassadors” for Flair Airlines. Archive photo, Chantal Poirier
At the hotel at your own expense
The family of seven then ended up in the hotel, but at their own expense. Half of the group was finally able to leave Orlando three days later, the other half four days later.
“At one point they wanted to put my underage daughter on a plane all alone,” says David Morin.
Even being careful, within a few days the family racked up more than $6,000 in expenses: $4,725 in lodging, $1,220 in meals and $98 in travel.
To this, Mr. Morin added the federal compensation of $500 per person (a total of $3,500 for the seven travelers). Total demand from Flair Airlines: $9,500.
So far he had only received $1,500, a sum the airline considered sufficient to close the case.
“I thought I was making a good choice traveling with them, but it was a disaster,” laments David Morin.
David Morin Photo Martin Chevalier Le Journal de Montréal
Contacted by Le Journal, Flair finally promised on Tuesday to “immediately reimburse Mr. Morin for his expenses.”
“We will also contact him to personally apologize,” an anonymous company spokesman said in an email written in English.
“At the moment these are still words,” responded David Morin. We hope the boots stay put.”
More than 39,000 cases before him
Mr. Morin is also not impressed with the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA). “My case is on waiting list number 39,053,” he says, discouraged.
“Flair continues to operate an airline in Canada and there are no issues,” he notes. The government doesn’t seem to care too much about them not meeting their obligations.”
The IT specialist had already filed an application with the Small Claims Division of the Quebec Court. The case was scheduled to be heard in October.
Alberta-based Flair Airlines has been in the headlines in recent months due to numerous flight delays and cancellations.
In March, four of the ultra-low-cost carrier’s aircraft were seized at the request of a creditor. The matter remains unclear.
At OTC, Flair collected more than 15 complaints per 100 flights from April 2022 to March 2023, the highest rate of any active airline in the country.
The company currently offers flights to six destinations from Montreal.
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