Summary
- Flair Airlines is Canada’s most reliable carrier, boasting a 99.1% flight completion rate in comparison to competitors.
- Flair also claimed the title of Canada’s greenest and most affordable airline.
- New rules stipulating necessary requirements for flying with dogs to the US will take effect on August 1, 2024.
This week, Canada’s low-cost carrier Flair Airlines announced it was the nation’s most reliable airline, pointing to data that it had a better flight completion rate than Air Canada, Porter Airlines and Westjet. In an unrelated announcement, the airline advised customers of changes to the rules for flying with dogs to the United States, which take effect as of August 1, 2024.
Canada’s most reliable airline
On July 18, Flair Airlines (Flair) reported that it is Canada’s most reliable airline, achieving a 99.1% Completion rate in June this year. Not happy with just one title, Flair said its impressive completion rate is just one of several metrics for June that thrust the airline ahead of its competitors.
Photo: Flair Airlines
Flair also claimed to be Canada’s most affordable and greenest and to have an on-time performance rate “in line with the competition.” Flair’s announcement is based on completion data from respected schedules analysts Cirrium, which shows that Flair led with 99.1%, followed by Porter Airlines (98.6%), Air Canada (96%) and WestJet (93.6%).
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The announcement said that the data from Porter Airlines was released before the end of the month, “so the dataset is not complete” as it missed a few days at the end of June. The airline added that in the second quarter of this year, passengers who flew with Flair “were five times less likely to experience canceled flights compared to those flying with other major Canadian airlines.”
Flair said that based on Cirum data for June, it was Canada’s Greenest airline, with its carbon emissions per kilometer per passenger consistently significantly lower than any other airline. Flair produced 54 grams of CO2 per available seat kilometers in June, compared to Air Canada’s 76 grams, Porter Airlines’ 75 grams and WestJet’s 64 grams.
Photo: Flair Airlines
Flair’s Interim CEO and President Maciej Wilk said this is possible because Flair is flying ultra-modern, high-density aircraft and has a relentless push for maximum fuel burn efficiency, adding:
“Other airlines might try and pull the wool over the public’s eyes with lofty claims about their strong focus on sustainability, but the numbers speak for themselves.”
The CO2 emissions measurement is based on the methodology recommended by the International Air Transport Association (IATA)and is independently reviewed by a third-party advisory team. In terms of on-time performance, the leading airline was WestJet, with 71.5% of flights on time, followed by Air Canada (69.6%), Flair (68.3%) and Porter Airlines (67.6%).
New Dog Rules for the USA
On July 16, Flair released advice on new entry requirements for passengers flying with dogs into the United States, which take effect from August 1, 2024. The new rules require all dogs entering the US to:
- be at least six months, old enough to be vaccinated if required and for the shots to take effect
- have a microchip placed under their skin with a code that can be used to verify rabies vaccination
- have completed a new CDC Import Form.
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Flair wants customers to understand the US Government regulates these rules and the airline has no leeway to make any exceptions to the entry requirements. It urges passengers to familiarize themselves with the new regulations before their flight, adding:
“Passengers who arrive at the airport without the proper documentation for their dog will not be permitted to travel with their dog.”
To take a dog into the US will depend on when the dog will arrive in the US, where the dog has been in the six months before arriving in the US and where the dog received its rabies vaccination (if required). The CDC has an assessment tool to guide owners on what is needed for entry into the US with their dog – DogBot, and more information is available at inspection.canada.ca.