Flair Airlines will pay Canadian travel advisors seven per cent commission on eligible base fares booked through SIREV until Dec. 31, 2026 — the sharpest signal yet that the carrier is rebuilding its entire distribution strategy around the trade.

The SIREV deal opens Flair inventory to thousands of Canadian advisors through a channel that historically sat outside the airline's distribution plan. It runs alongside the launch of Flair Vacations, a full tour operator going live next month ahead of its first departures on Nov. 1.

Flair Vacations' inaugural winter program covers five Canadian gateways and five sun destinations: Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, Montego Bay and the newly added Puerto Plata. Packages bundle flights, resorts, in-destination transfers, destination representation, a carry-on bag, a checked bag and credit card fees.

"We're now a true tour operator that travel agents would be used to," Flair Vacations president Nicole Bursey told PAX via video link.

What changed from last year's plan?

Plenty. Flair first announced its touring arm last year as a collaboration with HBX Group, parent of Bedsonline, which directed customers to a third-party platform packaging hotels with flights. That arrangement is over.

Bursey said Flair Vacations now contracts directly with hoteliers and controls its own product lineup. She joined in May from Project Expedition after 15 years at Transat, where she was commercial director until 2024, and describes herself as "employee number one" of the rebuilt operator.

The leadership bench carries deep trade credentials:

• Lindsay Watkinson, formerly of Transat, appointed director of commercial operations in July
• Nadia Granata, whose background includes SellOffVacations and Sunwing Travel Group, as director of marketing
• Rares Dumitru, with stints at Goway, Rail Europe, Kensington and Trafalgar, as director of business development and partnerships

Dumitru will build a team of business development managers covering Quebec, Ontario and either British Columbia or Alberta, plus agency support coordinators.

How big is the trade bet?

Bursey expects the "vast majority" of Flair Vacations sales to come through advisors. "That's where we're spending our money," she said. "Our focus is supporting travel advisors."

Consumer marketing, including radio, will still run — but the messaging will push travellers toward using an advisor. Flair Vacations is bookable through SoftVoyage. A planned "Flair Vacations Vault" will give advisors webinars, training materials and resources, and a private Facebook group, the Flair Vacations Exchange, has already launched.

Flair Airlines CEO Len Corrado, who joined in February after serving as president of Sunwing Airlines — now merged into WestJet — called the B2B shift "long overdue."

"When I broke into the industry in 1985, someone told me how travel agents were disappearing," Corrado said. "In 2026, travel agents have gotten smarter and more professional. They have a bigger network. They're valued by consumers."

He was blunt about the stakes: "You can talk about loyalty programs all you want, but if that trade group doesn't want to work with you, it doesn't matter what you do."

Is 21 aircraft enough for a tour operator?

Flair operates 20 aircraft — 18 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and two Boeing 737-800s — with a 21st arriving soon. Bursey argued deployment matters more than fleet size. Flair uses overnight domestic flying to position vacation departures in what she called a "beautiful sweet spot" between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., and fleet commonality means an equipment swap won't strand booked passengers.

Corrado added that Flair has built slack into the network and holds subservice agreements. But he conceded the limits: "In a major snowstorm, you could have 100 airplanes, or you could have 20 airplanes. When Canada shuts down, it shuts down."

The vacation business will increasingly shape fleet decisions. Bursey said the long-run expectation is that the majority of seats on Flair's vacation routes will be filled by Flair Vacations customers, and future aircraft additions will be positioned partly around the tour operator's needs.

Corrado said Flair already carries roughly half a million passengers south annually, out of approximately 4.2 to 4.3 million total — existing flying the operator now intends to monetize with packaged product.

Why Puerto Plata matters this winter

Cuba, traditionally one of the strongest value destinations for Canadian sun-seekers, remains out of play due to jet fuel shortages tied to U.S. sanctions. Bursey positioned Puerto Plata from Toronto and Montreal as an alternative, while cautioning that hotel inventory there is limited.

"There is no great replacement for Cuba. Quite honestly," she said. "But with our overall structure, even destinations like Punta Cana and Cancun can still have a value element."

Flair holds regulatory approval to fly to Cuba. "We'll be ready for Cuba as soon as the island is ready," Bursey said.

Can Flair overcome its trust deficit?

Both executives leaned on operational numbers. Corrado cited a rising net promoter score, improved on-time performance, a 99.37 per cent completion factor and 78 per cent on-time performance over the past year — figures pitched against the 2022 Canadian Transportation Agency review of Flair's ownership structure and the 2023 seizure of four aircraft by lessors over unpaid leases.

Asked whether this is a "new" Flair, Bursey said: "It is. Under Len's leadership, 100 per cent."

The expansion comes amid real financial strain. Fuel prices increased 73 per cent in what amounts to 35 per cent of Flair's operating costs, Corrado said, and Ottawa recently approved $76 million in emergency financial aid for the airline. Flair has introduced fuel surcharges and is hunting for efficiencies across the operation.

Corrado rejected the idea he is building "Sunwing 2.0," pointing instead to British leisure carrier Jet2 — with its combined airline and vacation operations — as the model.

"The proof will be in the pudding," Corrado said. "I can promise a million things, but unless we deliver them and they see it firsthand, it's going to be hard to establish that trust."

With first departures Nov. 1, seven per cent commission live on SIREV, and hotel brand announcements still to come, Flair Vacations has one winter season to show advisors the delivery matches the pitch.