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Fake sites ask customers to call a toll-free number to complete transactions
COLIN MCCLELLAND January 3, 2020
Canadian budget carrier Flair Airlines Ltd. issued a fraud warning Friday saying customers should beware of fake websites impersonating its employees and services.
Kelowna, B.C.-based Flair said it has become aware of false sites requesting potential passengers to call into a toll-free number to complete transactions, which Flair does not do. “Should a window appear with a phone number to call please be advised you may be experiencing fraud,” the carrier said in a statement.
It said the correct URL of its website is www.flyflair.com and its only customer service number is 1-780-809-1784. It recommends that if customers are uncertain they should hang up and call its customer service line directly.
“Flair does not stand for fraud and is working closely with the RCMP to investigate and rectify this issue as soon as possible,” the company said in a statement. “If you feel you have been a victim of fraud, please contact your local police.”
So far, it appears no one’s actually been swindled by the imposter websites, which the airline says appears to be based outside of Canada. Canadians lost around $100 million to fraud in 2017, according to the Competition Bureau Canada.
Flair Airlines operated as a charter carrier for more than a decade before transitioning to fully scheduled service in June, 2017. The airline uses Edmonton as its main hub offering 120 flights a week across the country that it claims undercut market prices by as much as 40 per cent. Its destinations include Abbotsford, B.C., Vancouver, Kelowna, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto’s Pearson International.
The airline competes domestically in the discount or ultra-low-fare space with Air Canada’s subsidiary Rouge, Westjet Airline Ltd.’s Swoop and the beleaguered Canada Jetlines Ltd., which has been trying to get off the ground since 2012 and recently signed a letter of intent to merge with Delaware-based Global Crossing Airlines and add U.S. vacation destinations to its plans.
Ultra-low-cost airlines are betting that customers will place cheap fares above other considerations, but they have to contend with a large and sparsely populated country that makes travel expensive. And their small fleets mean unexpected disruptions can have a whopping impact on their schedules.
For instance, the grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max planes may not have affected some of them directly, but it has sent their parent airlines such as Air Canada and WestJet scrambling to meet demand, withdrawing plane options that could otherwise be lent to subsidiaries when they encounter problems.
And when customers are sidelined by maintenance issues and have to rebook on a main carrier, they may incur huge fares when booking last minute.
Flair is phasing out its older Boeing 737-400 aircraft by adding newer Boeing 737-800s in a fleet renewal program it says will increase efficiency and punctuality.
Canadian Aviation News 