Flair Airlines has dropped service to Palm Springs, Tampa and Miami because of low demand and trouble with a third-party airline it contracted to handle some of the flights. The fledgling ultra low cost carrier surprised some customers with flight cancellations that start Feb. 28. Some of them had already flown to a sun spot only to have their return flights cancelled. Flair said all passengers affected by the cancellations have had their full fares refunded or are being booked on other airlines.
The airline’s domestic schedule is unchanged and it will continue to fly to Orlando, Las Vegas and Phoenix although some of the U.S. routes will be reduced in frequency. The changes come as Flair rebrands and gets ready to modernize its fleet with Boeing 737-800NG aircraft. It will have a total of five newer model 737s by the end of the year. It said last week the European style rebranding will “set the course for the airline’s next stages of growth.”