Canada’s discount air carrier NewLeaf Travel has cancelled a number of flights from Calgary and Edmonton, claiming that it had been raked by WestJet after the larger airline moved in on its routes.
Late last year, the airline announced that it would be flying to the Phoenix-Mesa Airport from Calgary and Edmonton, a destination that was not properly served by any Canadian carrier for some time.
However, hours after the Winnipeg-based airline made the announcement in November, CEO Jim Young wrote on the company’s Facebook page that another airline had "lowered its fares and offered service to an airport it had previously ignored for over a decade".
Young said that they would no longer be able to service the airport as a result.
The Calgary/Edmonton to Phoenix-Mesa routes aren’t the only routes that NewLeaf has had to cancel because of “the big guy squishing the little guy”. It has also had to cancel the route between Hamilton and Florida.
The company says that its entrance into the market has already forced bigger carriers to cut airfares by up to 23 percent.
WestJet responded to NewLeaf’s claims in a statement on Tuesday night.
"The airline business is more challenging than it seems and this airline appears to be blaming one airline for their woes in a particular market without providing the travelling public the full story," WestJet spokeswoman Lauren Stewart said.
Young says that the cancellation of the flights was “the last thing they hoped to do” and it would be working to issue full refunds to customers.
(With files from the Canadian Press)
