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No longer smaller airlines? Struggling smaller airlines worry federal aid may come too late, if at all

  • Last Updated:
  • May 18th, 2020 9:38 am
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Deal Addict
Aug 3, 2017
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I’m all for helping the industry, but IMO Flair wasn’t a legit player in the market and will probably need to fade away. I’d be more concerned if other small carriers like Air North or Canadian North were to be in serious trouble. Flair had already give up on their US operation and were flying very few ppl during the height of the good times in the industry.
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May 10, 2005
36848 posts
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Ottawa
dolfan1980 wrote: I’m all for helping the industry, but IMO Flair wasn’t a legit player in the market and will probably need to fade away. I’d be more concerned if other small carriers like Air North or Canadian North were to be in serious trouble. Flair had already give up on their US operation and were flying very few ppl during the height of the good times in the industry.
Low cost carriers world wide come and go on a regular basis. A dozen in EU since 2017 (10 since 2018) https://channelsonline.nl/index.php/the ... t-airline/

Air North and Canadian North are already heavily subsidized to serve Northern Canada and will continue to be. It is vital that they operate..
The most successful people are successful because they do not care about others’ opinions about them.
Deal Addict
Aug 3, 2017
1487 posts
1220 upvotes
Pete_Coach wrote: Low cost carriers world wide come and go on a regular basis. A dozen in EU since 2017 (10 since 2018) https://channelsonline.nl/index.php/the ... t-airline/

Air North and Canadian North are already heavily subsidized to serve Northern Canada and will continue to be. It is vital that they operate..
Who are they subsidized by? I regularly fly both for work, lived in the territories and have worked for a territorial government, none of whom subsidized them, aside from paying high fares on routes with no competition for medical travel.

Air North is very much an airline with competition on their main routes. The now merged Canadian North (previously First Air and Canadian North) have Indigenous ownership who have covered some losses over the years, but that is no different than private sector capital injections required at times.

If what you mean is they won’t be allowed to fail, I can get on board with that thinking.
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May 10, 2005
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dolfan1980 wrote: Who are they subsidized by? I regularly fly both for work, lived in the territories and have worked for a territorial government, none of whom subsidized them, aside from paying high fares on routes with no competition for medical travel.

Air North is very much an airline with competition on their main routes. The now merged Canadian North (previously First Air and Canadian North) have Indigenous ownership who have covered some losses over the years, but that is no different than private sector capital injections required at times.

If what you mean is they won’t be allowed to fail,
I can get on board with that thinking.
I do mean they will not be allowed to fail.
I also worked up North and do know that both the airlines (First Air primarily) was subsidized. Mainly through the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada programs. Air support to remote areas up North are not for profit by the company because there is no profit to be made as the small cargo and few pax operations are just not profitable. As I said, it is vital that they operate.
The most successful people are successful because they do not care about others’ opinions about them.

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