(Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko/LethbridgeNewsNOW

Flair Airlines to offer direct Lethbridge-Tuscon flights

Mar 29, 2022 | 3:56 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Woooo! A new airline carrier will soon be offering flights out of Lethbridge.

Flair Airlines has announced direct service between Lethbridge and Tuscon, Arizona to begin on Dec. 1, 2022.

It will be the first international destination flight that Lethbridge will have had in about 30 years.

Mayor Blaine Hyggen said he is excited about this new development for the region.

“This new route is another step forward in positioning the Lethbridge Airport as an economical and regional hub. For our residents, this is a great new service. An easy, affordable, sunny holiday is now more accessible than ever.”

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Lisa Trent, the city’s director of commercial, corporate, and customer services, says the My YQL survey shows that more than 80 per cent of Lethbridge residents identified Arizona as being a top destination.

She has heard the same thing from the opposite end as well, that Americans want to come to Canada, to Alberta, and to the Lethbridge area.

“There is a tremendous amount of interest to come to Lethbridge in the Southern Alberta region, which is why we truly see this as a regional development opportunity for economic growth. There is a tremendous amount of interest in the industry’s growth with respect to agriculture as well as leisure and general tourism that is in our surrounding area.”

To start, Flair Airlines will offer one flight per week on Thursdays and have the option to expand that service in the future.

When the Lethbridge-Tuscon flights begin, one-way, direct trips are anticipated to cost approximately $125.

Between the municipal, provincial, and federal governments, more than $25 million has gone into upgrades at the Lethbridge Airport in recent years.

READ MORE: Lethbridge Airport upgrades complete as passenger traffic increases

Trent says those enhancements are part of what enticed Flair Airlines to offer its services here.

With pandemic restrictions loosening in 2021, officials at the Lethbridge Airport noticed a substantial increase in ridership compared to 2020.

Flair Airlines describes itself as “Canada’s only independent, ultra-low-cost carrier.”