EDITORIAL – Seizure of four Flair planes raises questions about future service

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

YOU MIGHT REMEMBER that, barely a month ago, there was quite a bit of bragging going on about Kamloops getting new airline service to Edmonton.

There was bold talk about how it was only the beginning of more air service for the Tournament Capital. “Everything is on the table,” said Bill Sarai, City council’s appointee to the Kamloops Airport Authority.

Maybe you also remember that the Armchair Mayor did some raining on that parade with a bit of history on low-cost airlines in Kamloops.

I offered a reminder that airlines and airline routes come and go. Businesses have to make money, and plenty of airlines have started new services out of Kamloops only to drop them not long after.

Which brings us to the news that Flair Airlines has suffered the embarrassment of having four of its aircraft repossessed. Flair, of course, is the airline that earlier announced it would fly between Kamloops and Edmonton beginning in June.

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Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops, alternate TNRD director and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.