New Low-Cost Airline Canada Jetlines Offers Flights for “Same Cost as a Pair of Jeans”

Good news for budget-conscious flyers: There’s about to be a new ultra-low-cost option in North America. Startup Canada Jetlines plans to begin service next year with base fares that, its CEO promised, will cost “about the same cost as a pair of jeans.”

Jetlines will begin flying on June 1, 2018, with service only between Canadian cities, expanding to US leisure destinations later next year. The carrier plans to roll out its route network in three phases, beginning with six Boeing 737 aircraft during its first year:

• June – July 2018
  • Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Halifax (YHZ)
  • Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Winnipeg (YWG)
  • Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Calgary (YYC)
  • Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Edmonton (YEG)
  • Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Vancouver (YVR)
• August – October 2018
  • Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Orlando (MCO)
  • Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Las Vegas (LAS)
  • Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — St. John’s (YYT)
  • Winnipeg (YWG) —Edmonton (YEG)
  • Calgary (YYC) — Vancouver (YVR)
  • Edmonton (YEG) — Vancouver (YVR)
  • Vancouver (YVR) — Las Vegas (LAS)
• November 2018 – April 2019
  • Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Cancun (CUN)
  • Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Fort Myers (RSW)
  • Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Tampa (TPA)
  • Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
  • Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Montreal (YUL)
  • Montreal (YUL) — Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
  • Halifax (YHZ) — Orlando (MCO)
  • St. John’s (YYT) — Orlando (MCO)

By April 2019, this is what Jetlines’ proposed route network will look like, operated by a total of 12 aircraft:

The airline will use initially leased 737-800s configured with 189 seats, a high-density arrangement. It has also ordered five 737 MAX7s, the smallest model of the latest version of Boeing’s best-selling jetliner, for delivery beginning in 2023.

Although based in Vancouver, Jetlines will fly out of Hamilton/Waterloo, Ontario (YHM). The airport is located about a one-hour drive from Toronto. The carrier’s choosing to base its operations out of YHM because it’s much cheaper than the larger alternative, Toronto Pearson (YYZ).

Jetlines CEO Stan Gadek didn’t clarify on Monday just how much a flight with the carrier would cost. However, he did make that comment about jeans — and while he did acknowledge, as quoted by The Globe and Mail, that not all jeans cost the same, he specified that its fare model will be similar to that of other low-cost carriers. That means low base fares with additional services for a fee.

Gadek said the carrier hopes to begin selling tickets 90 days in advance of the inaugural flight. So, we can expect to see what these fares will look like — and how they’ll compare to other low-cost carriers — by March 1, 2018. To spread awareness about the new airline, Jetlines will sell its first 1,000 tickets at just a $10 base fare.

This news from Canada Jetlines comes not long after WestJet, another Canadian airline, announced the delay of its ultra-low-cost-carrier until summer 2018.

Source: thepointsguy.com