Flair vows to do better, forms customer service team in Montreal

Ultra-low-cost carrier Flair Airlines has established a specialist customer service team in Montreal as part of an effort to improve its passenger experience.  

"Our teams understand that exceptional customer service is paramount to our success,” said Stephen Jones, CEO of Flair Airlines, in a press release on Monday (June 12). “The vast majority of our customers have a positive experience with the airline. That said, I acknowledge that Flair has not always met our customers' expectations, and we are committed to rectifying that.”

The statement comes one week after Flair made headlines for generating the most complaints from customers, according to federal data.

As previously reported, the Canadian Transport Agency (CTA), a quasi-judicial body that regulates air travel, said that more than 20 per cent of Flair’s flights have led to some sort of gripe or grievance.

The carrier, which flies both domestically and internationally, trailed all other major carriers in Canada on customer satisfaction in the first quarter of 2023, the CTA reported.

READ MORE: Flair tops Canadian airlines with highest number of complaints per 100 flights: CTA

For the January-March period, the CTA received 20.9 complaints for every 100 Flair flights. This compares to 10.7 for WestJet and 5.8 for Air Canada.

As well, other low-cost carriers in Canada performed better than Flair, despite having similar models. Calgary-based Lynx, for example, had 5.2 complaints per 100 flights.

“Decisive action”

Flair’s CEO said Monday that its new specialist customer service team in Montreal is a “testament to our dedication to improving our service and ensuring that every passenger has a positive experience when choosing to fly with Flair."

As part of ongoing efforts to “prioritize customer satisfaction,” Flair is taking “decisive action” to create a specialized team dedicated to providing personalized support to its customers.

The primary duties of the new division is to quickly address complex customer service queries, “particularly those involved irregular operations”; handle inquiries from the CTA; address inquiries from the Department of Transport (DOT); proactively address feedback received from the Better Business Bureau to enhance customer satisfaction; and actively gather feedback from customers.

While the official formation of a customer service team was formally announced Monday, the division first began operations with a dedicated staff earlier this year in January, Flair said.

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