Read “Low-cost carriers: the Canadian market hostile to takeoff”
Jetsgo
We cannot ignore the disappearance of Jetsgo, founded by entrepreneur Michel Leblanc, who took shelter from his creditors in March 2005. The Montreal company, which was founded in 2002, had been able to rise to third place among the largest Canadian carriers during its brief existence. Thousands of passengers were taken by surprise by the abrupt end of Jetsgo, which occurred at the start of spring break.
Roots Air
PHOTO AARON HARRIS, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
It was a very short-lived venture, but retailer Roots attempted to set up a low-cost carrier in the early 2000s.
That’s right: clothing retailer Roots tried to start an airline. The experience was very brief. Activities began in March 2001 before ending just two months later, when Air Canada became a shareholder in Skyservice, the parent company of Roots Air. There were five aircraft in the fleet of this Toronto-based carrier which offered routes to Vancouver and Calgary.
Zoom Airlines
PHOTO ADRIAN WYLD, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Many travelers, particularly in Quebec, were taken by surprise when Zoom Airlines ceased operations.
This Ottawa carrier offered flights to Europe all year round and its planes took off in particular from Montreal-Trudeau. Everything stopped in September 2008 when the company sought protection from its creditors in Canada and the United Kingdom. Founded in 2002, Zoom operated flights from six European airports, including London (Gatwick) and Paris (Charles-de-Gaulle). New York, San Diego and Fort Lauderdale were among his American destinations.
Swoop
IMAGE PROVIDED BY SWOOP
Swoop’s planes did not land in Quebec airports.
Created by WestJet in 2018, this low-cost carrier has never landed in Quebec. The brand was integrated into WestJet last fall following a new collective agreement signed by the pilots of the two companies which placed them on a uniform salary scale. In this context, WestJet believed that it would have been too expensive to continue operating Swoop. The end of Swoop was announced a few months before its integration into WestJet. The travelers were not surprised by an unexpected ending.