Canadian Calgary-based budget airline Lynx Air is pulling the plug on its operations as of 12:01 AM Mountain Time on Monday 26th February. According to management, several hurdles have proven to hard to surpass, including inflation, competition and fuel costs. Travellers who have tickets for beyond Monday will be able to get a refund.
“It is with a heavy heart we leave the skies. We hope in our absence that our vision to Inspire More Canadians to Fly leaves its mark on our passengers. Tremendous work was put into the growth and expansion of Lynx Air over the past two years, offering Canadians a low-cost, seamless travel experience. However, the compounding financial pressures associated with inflation, fuel costs, exchange rates, cost of capital, regulatory costs and competitive tension in the Canadian market have ultimately proven too steep a mountain for our organisation to overcome”, Lynx Air management explained in a statement.
Lynx Air has only been around since April 2022 but was a rebrand of Enerjet, founded in 2006. The airline used Boeing 737 Max aircraft to serve destinations in Canada, the US and Mexico.
“Our passengers were a big part of our purpose and drive to build our airline. Offering low fares to inspire Canadians to fly more and to spend more enjoying time with loved ones in beloved destinations was a great privilege […] We know this is a shock to many and our goal is to make the wind down of our operations as seamless as possible. It has been a privilege to serve you”, the statement concludes.
Over the weekend, the airline tried to get as many passengers home as possible, amongst others by allowing travellers to reschedule their seats on later flights to ones on flights leaving last weekend. Passengers who have tickets for flights posterior to 12:01 AM Mountain Time on Monday 26th February are urged to contact their credit company in order to try to be refunded. Vouchers, however, have become worthless.
“I’m thinking of the Canadian travellers and workers affected by this news, their families, and the communities across Canada who will feel the impact of this” said Canada’s transport minister, Pablo Rodriguez, on X.
“For any travellers that had a return flight booked with Lynx, I expect Lynx to help you get back home as soon as possible. I expect Lynx to fully refund you if your fare won’t be honoured. My office has been in touch with Lynx, we will continue to communicate with all parties, and we’ve convened calls with other airlines to see how they can help, to ensure that passengers are put first,” Rodriguez concluded.
Air Canada caps fares in response to Lynx Air suspension of operations
In response to Lynx Air’s closure, Air Canada capped rates and added more than 6,000 seats in specific markets served by Lynx Air. With the help of this programme, Lynx Air customers who were impacted by the shutdown will have more economical options for returning home or for other travel arrangements to Canada, the US, and Cancun, Mexico. Furthermore, Air Canada plans to increase capacity on Lynx routes from Toronto and Montreal to various destinations.
