Kelowna's Flair Airlines buys cheap flight company NewLeaf

Discount airline company NewLeaf has been absorbed by Kelowna-based Flair Airlines.

The two companies had been linked since the launch of NewLeaf, with Flair Airlines providing the actual flights and NewLeaf selling tickets.

Flair Airlines announced in a release Wednesday that it has bought NewLeaf Travel Company's assets, including its "marketing, selling and distribution engine."

The purchase means Flair Airlines immediately moves from a charter company to a full-fledged, scheduled airline with its own reservation department, airport passenger services facilities, and full control over the operations side of the business.

"The plan always was for the two companies to come together and become one at some point,” said Chris Lapointe, Flair’s VP of Commercial Operations.

“A couple months ago, NewLeaf approached us and asked us if we’d consider taking a look at that. We see great potential. NewLeaf has done a great job of beginning to prove there is a market for the low-cost airline model.”

The company will now be based in Kelowna instead of Winnipeg.

“We’ve been successful in attracting about 85% of the NewLeaf staff in Winnipeg and they will become Flair employees,” Lapointe said

With absorbing NewLeaf, Flair hopes to expand its five-plane fleet and add more destinations to the schedule in the near future.

Lapointe also noted that the move won’t impact anyone with tickets for an upcoming flight.

“The same people and technology that took the reservation is still in place, all the bookings are the same, it’s business as usual," explained Lapointe.

"We’re going to be just like any other airline in Canada, selling directly to the consumer the lowest fares possible.”

NewLeaf officially launched last summer, offering flights for as little as $59 one way between Canadian cities such as Abbotsford, Halifax, Edmonton, Hamilton and Winnipeg.