Airline advocate says cloudy skies ahead for new startup
Posted Jun 23, 2016 02:52:25 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
HALIFAX – NewLeaf’s announcement Thursday that the discount airline is up and set to fly next month has an airline consumer advocate accusing the airline of leaving potential passengers in the dark.
According to Gabor Lukacs, the airline’s turbulence with their lack of license is still ongoing.
Despite NewLeaf receiving approval by the Canadian Transportation Agency back in March, ruling that they do not need a license since it only resells seats from Flair Airlines, Lukacs says the issue is still not laid to rest.
Three judges with the Federal Court of Appeals ruled unanimously against NewLeaf earlier this month, according to Lukacs, and agreed to review whether the airline does need a license to operate.
“This is where the misunderstanding it happening and they’re misinforming the public.”
The discount airline says it will hit the skies July 25, offering cheap flights to 12 cities across Canada, including Halifax, Moncton, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Kelowna, Kamloops, Fort St. John, Abbotsford and Victoria.
Lukacs says if the Federal Court of Appeals doesn’t intervene soon, he plans to raise his concern over the issue before flights take off.
“Although the court may not step in before it on it’s own, I’m currently looking into the possibility of asking the court to step in somehow.”
His other concerns include NewLeaf’s fine print and their cancellation policy.
“If you look at the fine print, if they cancel your flight, even if it is entirely their fault, they will not re-book you on another airline. While licensed airlines have to book you on other airlines if they cannot get you to your destination on their own flights in a reasonable flight.
He says he hopes to caution potential passengers, and make sure they take into consideration that a cheaper flight may not be the right flight.
